Embry Riddle Prescott
 

Hey guys!

I'm a senior in highschool, and since the 8th grade, I've always wanted to be a pilot! I thought about joining the military, but my eyesight isn't to their standards. However, I have noticed a school in Prescott, Arizona called Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. I will be majoring in "Aeronautical Science" and will get a minor in meteorology or something of that sort, just in case I can't become an airline pilot. The school teaches you airline operations, gives you your private pilot's license, instrument, commercial, multi-engine, etc. However, it does not give you your ATP license, which I need for flying the "heavies" I'm assuming (I don't know much about the ratings yet). Have any of you been to or graduated Embry Riddle? If so, was it a good school, and is it a waste of money (it'll cost me around $120,000 total!! :\ ). I have also heard that if you're not participating in ROTC, then they'll pretty much ignore you and you won't have a good time there...is this true?

Thanks for your input! Hopefully, going to ERAU is the best thing that could happen to land me a job in the airliners.

eif,

Go to www.flightinfo.com and the "Hangar" section and do a forum search. There should be a lot about ERAU. If you sign up at flightinfo ( it's free ), and ask your question, you'll get a lot of replies.

Hi,
It sounds like you are just starting on the road to an airline career and have more questions than answers. Embry-Riddle is a school that is well known in the Aviation industry. I do not recommend doing your flight training there though. You would be much smarter to earn your flight ratings during your summer break or before going to University. Once you are there you could be working part time as a flight instructor and by the time you graduate you would have more than enough hours to be employable. This is just one route of many possible. Many people go to a 4 year university only to graduate with barely 300 hours and find that despite their degree they are unemployable. You need flight experience. Get involved in a club as soon as you can. Go get your private license while you are still in high school and get to know people at your local airport. You will find that the best way to get a career in this industry is to network! That means get to know people. Don't wait until University to do this.

San Jose State University

Although I attended neither SJSU or ERAU the grads from SJSUhave impressed me a lot more than those from other schools, even ERAU. The deep dark secret about aviation universities is that they really don't give you that much of a leg up.

Get a useful degree from a good school is the best advice. If you get a degree in chemistry or finance you'll have something to fall back on if aviation doesn't work out.

yes the ERAU is a waste of money. Good courses and you get smart, but unless you've you're smoking Benjamins on your days off, I'd put my douch towards something cheaper and just as good. At the end of the day you need approximately 1500 and 500 multi to get hired. HOw you get them, nobody cares.