Not so now. The long-forecast shortage of airline pilots has become real, and it has polarized the flight training industry. At one end are large flight academies with strict, well-thought-out curricula designed to land you a seat in the front of an airliner in the shortest possible time. At the other end, Mom and Pop (well, perhaps now it's their sons or daughters) are still teaching flying at the local airport, with a curriculum that's generally much more flexible and usually not as airline procedure oriented.
So what's the best choice for you? I can't tell you, but AOPA offers a wealth of hard facts and well-founded advice that can help you to make the right decisions. It's part of our mission to help keep flying fun, safe, and affordable.
AOPA has compiled straightforward answers to most basic questions, available to anyone at ( www.aopa.org/learntofly/). An example: What does the FAA "approved" designation for a flight school mean? Is it better than one that isn't FAA-approved? You might be surprised at the answer.
Other frequently asked questions include those about the cost of learning to fly, whether ground school is required, and what questions you should ask when evaluating an instructor. AOPA Online even offers a searchable database of flight schools, including college and university flight programs.
University flight programs are becoming a major force in the flight training business today, and they offer surprisingly diverse training. For instance, suppose you're enticed by the challenge of flying as an agricultural applicator (cropduster), yet appreciate the need for a college degree. There are no fewer than five institutions that offer degrees in some aspect of agricultural aviation, including the University of Louisiana at Monroe, the University of Minnesota at Crookston, the University of North Dakota, Southwest Texas Junior College, and Stinson Air Center. Information and links are in the searchable AOPA database.
Some of the best advice for beginning pilots - or those interested in earning advanced FAA certificates or ratings - is packed between the covers of this very magazine. The very purpose of AOPA Flight Training magazine is to provide such advice and counsel. Many of the articles in this magazine are archived on the Web site ( www.aopaflighttraining.org ).
Another resource to help members make good decisions about training is AOPA's Guide to Learning to Fly. It's free to members on the AOPA Web site or is available as a 38-page booklet for a nominal sum.
For personal help, the expertise of AOPA's top-notch pilots and flight instructors is hard to beat. They're at the other end of AOPA's toll-free Pilot Assistance Hotline at 800/USA-AOPA (800/872-2672). With pilot certificates ranging from private to ATP and flight experience totaling nearly 33,000 hours, those knowledgeable aviators help hundreds of AOPA members every day by dispensing facts, source materials, and well-grounded advice.
There's also a vast reservoir of opinion on a variety of topics in the members-only messaging section of AOPA Online. Several recent message threads have offered widely divergent real-life experiences of members relating to choosing a flight school, evaluating an instructor, and resolving sticking points in the process of learning to fly.
Financial considerations? There's a hefty AOPA booklet (also free online to members) called Reducing Your Cost of Flying with many hints that can slash the total dollars needed to reach your goal. AOPA Online also offers a comprehensive database on aviation scholarships, including links to the sponsoring individuals or organizations.
It can be intimidating to seek advice at your flight school. AOPA is here to help with everything from booklets to electronic libraries addressing the many questions a new pilot has. Most important, there is always a real person to assist you just a toll-free phone call away. The association's goal is to make flying safe, affordable, and fun...let us help you make those important decisions.
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