Matt, a soldier serving in the military at Fort Hood, wrote to us about the challenges he was having financing his flight training (“Career Advisor: In the Army Now,” March 2013 Flight Training). He wrote: “When I joined, I elected to receive the GI Bill so I could afford to pay for flight training when I get out. However, by the sound of it, the GI Bill will only pay for certain ratings, such as an instrument and commercial. That would leave me on my own with still having to work on multiengine and instructor ratings, as well as getting an airline transport pilot certificate to fly one day with the majors.” Nathan, an army recruiter, responded with his own experience. We will be happy to put any military service member in touch with Nathan to explore the possibilities. Email us with your situation and your base.—Ed.
I just read your article in response to the young soldier at Fort Hood, Texas. As a current Army recruiter (for six more months), I’m fairly well versed on military benefits.
The short answer is, yes! The GI Bill will pay for 100 percent of your flight training. In the last 18 months, the GI Bill has paid for my private, commercial, and instrument helicopter ratings. I am currently working on the CFI and CFII on Uncle Sam’s dime. What’s more, I’m already approved to start work on my airplane ratings, to include instrument and multiengine. I’ve done all of this on my GI Bill with not a dime out of pocket.
You just have to do some research. If you get questions from other military veterans or people interested in potentially using the military to pay for flight training, please feel free to forward them to me. It would be an honor to help out some other aspiring pilots.—Nathan
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