OP, choose a school with good scholarships and make it a moot point. But seriously, don’t count your chickens before their hatched. You could get great scholarships (I hope you do!) but you might not. Repost in another year or two and we will be able to advise you better. My dream schools was anywhere a) that had AeroE, b) I could get into, and c) I could get a great scholarship. I’ve found that in a couple of state universities (not flagships), but I understand that many people shoot “higher” than that. In your hypothetical situation, you may not have that much choice. If your parents can’t afford much (not criticizing here, my parents are in the same boat) and don’t want to cosign on loans, then you will have to go where the money is.
And even if you ended up going to a state university, that is by no means a mark of shame. There are fine educations at many state universities. Also, if you solidify your degree interest, you very well could find a run-of-the-mill state university that just happens to have a very strong program in that area. Those do exist. So, don’t close out your options.