A little about me.

[WilsonP-NY-210]

Hey my name is Wilson and I'm currently attending aviation high school in New York. My goal is to become a professional aircraft pilot by enrolling in Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. What are your recommendations concerning my objectives? Also, how many hours of flight do you have to accumulate in order to be eligible for a job in a major commercial company?

[ExpressJet Jeremy]

Hey, Wilson.

Embry Riddle will certainly give you a good education. If you want to a 4 year degree in aviation, you'll be hard pressed to find a better program.

However, my opinion is that you'll spend far more $$ there than you need to. First of all, you don't need a degree in Aviation to be a pro pilot. You need a degree, but it really does not matter what field you get it in. The flight time at ERAU is, frankly, way overpriced. I really encourage you to spend some time researching prices for flight time at ERAU and other flight schools.

I know that many, many ERAU students who end up there for their degree actually go somewhere else for their flight training. They all talk about the high quality of their education, but I've had more than one cite the quality of flight training as average at best.

So, there you have it. Again, I would encourage you to Google ERAU and read reviews and research the prices.

Again, you'll definitely get a good education. I just question the value for the money.

Oh, and flight time... most regionals will require between 500 and 1200 hours of total time with as much multi engine time as you can have. Major airlines will usually require between 1000 and 1500 hours of Pilot in Command time in a turbine powered aircraft (turbo-jet or turbo-prop).

Jeremy