Question about post secondary flight training and education

[ahage03]

I've been looking at options for post secondary aviation training ( I'm interested in doing commercial and flying for majors), I've come across a lot of private aviation classes but also a lot of colleges (like Confederation College) that offer aviation classes. The colleges are in most cases MUCH cheaper than other classes and cheaper than people have told me in the past. What is the difference between college and the "expensive training". Is it a good move to go the college out of high school. I'm 18 years old, and it's been almost a year since I graduated and have been doing BioMed at Uni and took a semester for electrical trade before I came to my decision of career. Thanks all

[Bede]

I've been looking at options for post secondary aviation training ( I'm interested in doing commercial and flying for majors), I've come across a lot of private aviation classes but also a lot of colleges (like Confederation College) that offer aviation classes. The colleges are in most cases MUCH cheaper than other classes and cheaper than people have told me in the past. What is the difference between college and the "expensive training". Is it a good move to go the college out of high school. I'm 18 years old, and it's been almost a year since I graduated and have been doing BioMed at Uni and took a semester for electrical trade before I came to my decision of career. Thanks all

Lots of info on this topic on this forum.

Pros:
- colleges in Ontario are subsidized, so you're paying less than half of what it actually costs to get the license.
- Graduates generally find jobs as companies know something about the product they're getting. For airlines, since you already have a degree, it doesn't matter.
- Quality of education: toss up. Probably worse than a better private school but better than a crappy school.

Con:
Length of time. You get stuck taking all sorts of other courses that double the length of time that you need to be in school. This is a bigger deal than you might think. If your goal is airline flying and you get there a year or two later, that can make a big deal for seniority.
Delays. Flight colleges are notorious for not getting students done on time. Between the cancelled flight because there are clouds in the sky and union contracts forbidding flying when the sky is blue, the program gets delayed by months. (One guy I knew didn't fly for a year at Sault college. When he didn't finish on time they wanted him to pay additional semesters.)
Political BS. See above.

[Col. Panic]

I would add to the pros the availability of student loans, and the networking opportunities.

When you factor in the cost of living, it is hard to beat the Confederation College program. While it is possible to complete a CPL in less than the 20 months of the program, considering the weather in this country, it is hard to go much faster. And if you don’t have access to $80,000, a self directed program may need you to take breaks in training as finances get thin.

[HD9113]

I would add to the pros the availability of student loans, and the networking opportunities.

When you factor in the cost of living, it is hard to beat the Confederation College program. While it is possible to complete a CPL in less than the 20 months of the program, considering the weather in this country, it is hard to go much faster. And if you don’t have access to $80,000, a self directed program may need you to take breaks in training as finances get thin.

I heard that it is kind of common to complete CPL self-paced in a year, is that true?

[NotDirty!]

I would add to the pros the availability of student loans, and the networking opportunities.

When you factor in the cost of living, it is hard to beat the Confederation College program. While it is possible to complete a CPL in less than the 20 months of the program, considering the weather in this country, it is hard to go much faster. And if you don’t have access to $80,000, a self directed program may need you to take breaks in training as finances get thin.

I heard that it is kind of common to complete CPL self-paced in a year, is that true?

It is very possible, however there are many factors involved.

[Float_lover]

I would add to the pros the availability of student loans, and the networking opportunities.

When you factor in the cost of living, it is hard to beat the Confederation College program. While it is possible to complete a CPL in less than the 20 months of the program, considering the weather in this country, it is hard to go much faster. And if you don’t have access to $80,000, a self directed program may need you to take breaks in training as finances get thin.

I heard that it is kind of common to complete CPL self-paced in a year, is that true?

It is very possible, however there are many factors involved.

I will not say common, but if your life turns around your training (I saw a student doing a practice exam in the waiting room as his wife was giving birth because his CPL exam was 2 days after!), it's possible. Most of the self-paced CPL will take more than a year as they are still working.

[Bede]

I heard that it is kind of common to complete CPL self-paced in a year, is that true?

I did that. You need to be very motivated though. You fly everyday that the weather is good as long as you can. On bad weather days you study. If you're the kind of person who will make excuses not to go flying because it's too hot/too cold/too sunny/not sunny enough/etc. you won't be able to do it.

[HD9113]

I heard that it is kind of common to complete CPL self-paced in a year, is that true?

It is very possible, however there are many factors involved.

I will not say common, but if your life turns around your training (I saw a student doing a practice exam in the waiting room as his wife was giving birth because his CPL exam was 2 days after!), it's possible. Most of the self-paced CPL will take more than a year as they are still working.

Luckily im not married haha! I would do it in a full-time basis so I guess it should be fine?

[HD9113]

I heard that it is kind of common to complete CPL self-paced in a year, is that true?

I did that. You need to be very motivated though. You fly everyday that the weather is good as long as you can. On bad weather days you study. If you're the kind of person who will make excuses not to go flying because it's too hot/too cold/too sunny/not sunny enough/etc. you won't be able to do it.

Is Toronto the place with "good" weather?

[Turboprops]

Is Toronto the place with "good" weather?

Not really, it’s not the worst but I certainly won’t say it’s “good”
Regarding CPL in a year, yes I’d say you got a fairly good chance of finishing PPL+CPL in a year (given you fly every flyable days)
However, you’ll probably want a multi rating + group 1 IFR along with some delays that’s just going to happen, which will most likely make it over one year

[ChrisB]

I recently graduated from Confed. Tuition was around 20k, living for 20 months in Thunder Bay (around $1200/mo) was 24k and my mifr was about 8k at Cornwall. So $52k in total. Good training, pretty close to on time now with the new intake. I think it's the best option out there, if you're willing to wait till September to start.

[Bede]

I recently graduated from Confed. Tuition was around 20k, living for 20 months in Thunder Bay (around $1200/mo) was 24k and my mifr was about 8k at Cornwall. So $52k in total. Good training, pretty close to on time now with the new intake. I think it's the best option out there, if you're willing to wait till September to start.

Good info. $52k is about what you'll spend at your local flying school for a CPL + Multi IFR.

[Vsquared]

It is very possible, however there are many factors involved.

I will not say common, but if your life turns around your training (I saw a student doing a practice exam in the waiting room as his wife was giving birth because his CPL exam was 2 days after!), it's possible. Most of the self-paced CPL will take more than a year as they are still working.

Luckily im not married haha! I would do it in a full-time basis so I guess it should be fine?

Full time you should be able to do it within a year with ease, granted that you go to a school where you can get multiple bookings per week.
I did ppl,night,cpl,multi-ifr in a timeframe closer to half a year than a full year. Feel free to pm if you need any guidance.

[Bede]

Are pilots required to have medical knowledge and skills?

Like what, first aid? Doing surgery? No to both.