Katwkittens - great advice!! Sounds like a very tough decision for your son. I can’t even imagine what that might have been like. I’m somewhat familiar with West Point (my high school boyfriend went there - and my father helped him get congressional recommendation. But other than that - we don’t have any servicemen or women in our family - unless you count someone who was injured at Gettsyburg Our daughter hasn’t taken the SAT or ACT yet - so we will see what her scores look like. She is very athletic (always has been:
so I guess the Academies might be a good fit given that. She seems very focused on flying - but who knows? That can always change. https://marin99s.org/ I have teens so I know that they can and do change like the wind.
Good advice to look at ALL the Academies. I would hope that there will be overlap in the things required for the appointment. It sounds like it could be a full-time job!
Thanks again to share your son’s experience. I hope that his experience at the Ivy gives him no regrets. You must be very proud!
Try Eastern Kentucky University and, if serious about meteorology, Valparaiso University. Their aviation program is new. D1 sports also. Well known for meteorology.
I know that Baylor has an aviation program which includes options for qualification as a professional pilot – https://www.baylor.edu/aviation/ – they definitely provide plenty of flying time, but it does cost $$$. Climate in Waco Texas is warm year round.
When you look at academies make sure you go all the way down the list to Coast Guard and Merchant Marine. The CG does a lot of flying, and MM has an active duty option at graduation that can get you into another service as as officer where you could apply for flight.
That’s fantastic your daughter’s involved with the Marin County 99s! She should find a wealth of experience to tap into there. If you can afford it, I’d strongly encourage her to start working toward her private pilot’s license now. She’ll learn very quickly whether the reality of flying matches her expectations. Fair warning, though - if she gets hooked, flying’s an expensive addiction until you convince somebody else to pay for the gas! If your daughter does decide to go military, any ground and flight experience will help her test better, and make her a stronger candidate for a pilot slot.
My vote is for college first then flying (or flying at the same time). Making time for college won’t ever get any easier, and her degree will make her more competitive at a major airline. Aviation isn’t known for job security. Having a solid Plan B is a must.
I’m not experienced with the accelerated flight schools, I’m afraid. They seem like a convenient way to get ratings and hours; however, they are expensive, and the quality of the flight hours once rated is a potential issue. Flight instructing can help pay the bills, but if the majority of flight time is in single engine aircraft on clear days, that time won’t carry much weight with the airlines. Airlines value multi-engine time, preferably in jet or turbine engined aircraft, coupled with actual instrument time, night experience, major airport/line experience, etc. Acquiring enough of the “right” kind of flying hours to make you competitive for the dream jobs can entail years of low paying jobs. Something like the cadet program, with guaranteed entry as a regional first officer, might be nice to ensure quality flying time. That’s also one of the big advantages of military flying - as soon as you get your wings, you’re likely flying jet aircraft, worldwide, in all kinds of conditions, with pretty good pay and benefits. One military downside (to me, at least, from strictly a piloting perspective), is the increasing use of unmanned aircraft. Being assigned to fly one is a real possibility these days. Terrific battlefield assets - but how would your daughter feel about flying one from a trailer in the middle of Nevada? Or flying helicopters? Before you start down the academy or ROTC road, make sure your daughter would be happy flying ANYTHING that service flies.
Lots of options, and every young pilot’s gonna pay their dues on the way up - just gotta figure out what fits your daughter best. Good luck!
Yes - she just started working toward her Pilot’s License. She got her Class A Physical done last week and is doing Grounds Training. She’s gone up a few times with the head of the local 99s club - and loves it so far - and she says that she is a natural and will fly through flight training. I notice that she is more enthusiastic about doing Grounds Training (which is online) than her homework!
Because she’s not an A student (more like a B student) she is shying away from the Academies - because she thinks it might be tough for her to get in. I keep reminding her that it is a fantastic way to get her pilot training paid for so I think she is more open to it now. She is very athletic which I know they want, too. Time will tell. Mama can just put things on her list - but she has to want to do it. She’s too late to do the summer program at the USAFA to see what it’s like (on a high level) but I think maybe Army or Navy has one. I think she needs to test out the idea of the military and see if it’s for her.
Regarding the pilot’s license - I have had a few people tell me not to bother since the military etc have their own way of teaching - but I can’t imagine that hours will hurt her. Good to know that in the military she needs to be prepared to fly anything. I think she’s be up for that.
She’s not a big fan of academics - but she seems to be keen to study something related to aeronautics - e.g. meterology seems to be top of her list for now.
Thanks for taking the time to share you insight.
Oh - and yes, she is very interested in the Cadet Program. Someone from American has already called her to discuss it. Sounds like a great way to get your last 500 hours or so. I know there are other cadet programs - so after she has more hours under her belt - she will explore them more.
Re tunnels at UND: Yes a fair number of them, as well as skywalks. But also plenty of buildings that aren’t connected, or where the route to the tunnel is so torturous that it is just easier to fling on a coat and race across to the next building.
I have a junior myself and am neck deep in research. Flight costs are astronomical at Embry-Riddle, and that is on top of their already super high tuition costs. We have ruled it out on that alone.
We live in NC and my son would like to stay somewhat local. It is smart to get your private pilot before graduating high school, but don’t go beyond that, as to be eligible for an R-ATP, instrumental and commercial licenses need to be taken at the institution.
We really live Liberty University, which is a Christian college, and their flight program seems great, but is also very expensive. They are, however, very generous awarding transfer credit, so we are looking to see if with AP classes, dual enrollment (through them), and the private pilot license (9 credits), would qualify him as a sophomore, and maybe taking general ed locally at our community college for one year to enter as a junior, and that would reduce tuition and room and board, leaving more funds for flight training.
Also, look into Elizabeth State University in NC. It is a historically black university and have had some issues, but we were surprisingly impressed with their aviation program. The aviation program is the most affordable by far, by more than half. It is a tight knit small group and the instructors are very hands on. We visited last week and originally didn’t think that it would be a fit, but we really, really like it.
Yes - I"ve read about Liberty University’s program. From what I can gather - the cheapest option out there is University of North Dakota - and lots of instruction hours to be had since the Chinese send their pilots there for training - I heard this from a mom so take it with a grain of salt. Now - if I could ever talk our daugther into going to North Dakota!!! LOL.
Sounds like you have a good plan of getting transfer credits - dual enrollment. Very smart. Seems to me that saving $$ for flight training is the way to go. It seems like it’s practically the cost of med school!!! I’ve been quoted to expect between $70k and $90k for flight training alone.
I’m glad I figured out the Embry thing quickly. The only way she would go there if she got a sports scholarship and other scholarships on top of that. I’m a little bit reticent to even go to tour as I’m sure that our daughter would love it (airfield attached to a well equipped campus, I’m sure). But more than a bit crazy if you add flight school on top of that!
Thanks for sharing the tips about NC. We lived in SC for the last 5 years - and our daughter hated it. She is more of an urban setting kind of gal - which precludes most if not every flight school!!!
Emphasis mine. If your daughter’s driving goal is not to become an officer in a branch of the U.S. military, she will not get past the interview with a congressional nomination panel whose job, in part, is to ferret out motives. “I want to fly jets!” or “I am attracted to the free education” or any hint that an academy is the parent’s goal and not the applicant’s would all be perfect ways to ensure she doesn’t get a nomination. The process to attend a service academy is long and tedious partly because it is meant to determine just how badly the applicant wants to become an officer. The four years at the academy and the five years of service following would be a very long slog for someone whose main goal is not officership. Many in that category don’t make it. I can speak to attrition at USMA and USNA. Both academies admit roughly 1,300 new cadets and midshipmen hoping to graduate a class of 1,000 four years later. Many years, the graduating classes are below even that due to separations for academics, honor violations, and kids who eventually realize that the military is not for them (and that’s OK).
As for flying, pay attention to what @Yakfisher said upthread:
For example, Army only flies fixed wing. And even getting an appointment to the Air Force Academy won’t guarantee your daughter will end up being a pilot. Does she know that? You can dive into this further on the serviceacademyforums.com board where your daughter can research the entire academy application process and get all her questions answered. Pilot slots in all branches, and especially jet slots, are very competitive, and those slots are awarded based on the student’s OML (order of merit list) — where they rank in their class. So, this comment is a concern:
For the most part, the academies are engineering schools and look very closely at the applicant’s math/quantitative aptitude. Regardless of what she eventually majors in, she will be expected to take and pass a rigorous first year of calculus, physics, and chemistry (called “The Plebe Killers” at West Point) and will have been expected to take and (high) pass the most rigorous versions of these courses that her high school offers. Our son is a junior at West Point. His freshman year, two of his roommates were separated for academics after first semester. One was the valedictorian of his graduating class. It’s not only academic shock that hits cadets/mids hard, it’s being away from home and having to handle all the military and physical requirements along with a tough academic schedule simultaneously. Study and time management skills are crucial. If these aren’t your daughter’s forte now, an academy might not be for her. And, if she does decide she wants to attend an SA to become a military officer, she needs to know that she will need to be near the top of her class to be considered for pilot slots as well as pass all the medical and physical requirements.
It doesn’t sound to me like your daughter has the internal drive and desire to become an officer that the service academies look for, and that’s OK. There are much easier and more guaranteed paths to pilot. Good luck to her.
ChoatieMom - thanks for the insight. Very good to know. I think she has no idea if she wants military or not - having never been exposed to it (believe it or not, my family nor my husband’s family have anyone from the service). Having dated a West Point grad, I know it has to be in your blood, so to speak. I guess it would be worthwhile to expose her to one of those week long summer courses to see if it’s for her or not.
I just took a look at her grades - and they are better than I had thought - so I don’t think that academics will be an issue if she decides to go that route - but it’s very good advice to see if military life is for her before jumping into the application process with both feet.
@tripletmama: Oh, I believe it. Same here. Where our son got this desire is still a mystery. He’s three years in and we’re still coming to terms with it. Not on our radar AT ALL.
ChoatieMom - funny - we have 2 our of 4 kids who are in the Arts and wanting to pursue it professionally (one ballet and one musician - they are actually the other 2 triplets of the pilot one). My hubby and I don’t know where it came from I guess they find their own talents despite us. -
Agree, don’t try to both join the military or go after military academy appointment “to fly jets.” The programs are extremely competitive, and you’re likely NOT to get in. I too was the first person in my family to become an Army or any branch officer, and it’s an eye opening experience. A lot of people still think that you can join the Army and become a doctor, that it’s an easier way to become a doctor. No, you get accepted to a medical school first, then you can apply for a health professions scholarship at each of the 3 branches. Once you accept a military scholarship, the internship and residency programs are also uber competitive. Don’t think just because you’re now in the Army you can do your training at Walter Reed. I was fortunate enough to get my first choice WR, but it is highly competitive. All my classmates were ivy graduates from undergrad, like me.
tripletmama - thank you so much for starting this post. We are in a similar boat, as we have a son who is a junior, planning to become a pilot. He has been fairly obsessed with aviation as long as I can remember
Our daughter hasn’t taken the SAT or ACT yet - so we will see what her scores look like. She is very athletic (always has been: