ERAU Daytona

[MasterBates]

I'd rather spend the money on hookers and blow than ERAU.

What do I know? I got my comm helo ticket for mostly free by working my ass off. And my non "Aeronautical Science" degree is far more useful and better paying if you can't fly.. And would pay the same if I was still flying.

You can plan your whole career as a mil to Airline guy, but remember, you are only one freaky medical problem away from not flying anymore.. And some of them (adult onset diabetes) are not that uncommon.

 

[roflsaurus]

I find that hard to believe considering I am the son of an alumni that has a successful career flying for American. It is costly, but I simply can't agree that it doesn't give you a head start in the aerospace industry. C'mon, internships with. NASA? Many students have become thunderbirds or blue angels pilots as well. Thanks for your opinion anyways.

There are HUGE differences in ERAU and the aviation labor market between then and now. Have you heard of the new 1500 hr ATP rule? There are tons of AS students here graduating 120k in debt flying banners for $8/hr trying to build hours. Even the ones who are lucky enough to get hired as a CFI by the school and manage to build the hrs required have to move into a job with the regionals making $10/hr max. I do not view my degree as anything more than a required minimum for OCS and/or graduate school.

All that being said, I have really enjoyed my time here at ERAU. However, that is ONLY because the Post 9/11 GI Bill has paid every single cent of my tuition and paid me $1254/month of top of that.

 

[zippy]

who has any experience with the NROTC program at Embry Riddle, Daytona?

I've flown with many of their students. All were far more humble leaving the debrief then they were when they showed up in the brief. Most weren't bad pilots, but none were as good as they thought they were. Other schools out there have aviation programs, and there are a lot of schools out there with better academic repuations and more diversified programs. That being said, all a degree means in most industries is that you're trainable and many employers don't care what it's in or where it's from. If you can get your college education paid for (and can fund any flight hours that ROTC won't pay for) and want to be a military officer then its not a bad choice. Just realize you aren't the be all, end all of anything aviation. You're as equally as retarded and dangerous as a pilot as every other no talent assclown just starting out.

 

[707guy]

You may want to slow your roll there, while HAL's advice is certainly blunt it comes from experience (HAL means Hawaiian Airlines btw).

Was wondering why the OP would ask a question and then dismiss the first answer...

 

[BusyBee604]

Is that the Master of "Aeronautical Science"?

That's correct.

If you think ERAU will give you a head start in either a military or civilian aviation career, you're wrong. This is from someone who has done both and has a worthless aviation Master's degree from ERAU.

Strictly your opinion... from your experience. It is costly, especially when you include the flight training (which I didn't). My post-retirement employer Garrett Aviation Division of Honeywell, valued it highly as they paid my (and many other employees) tuition & books to do it at night, while working full time. It led to several promotions before I was retired medically.

ERAU is very military friendly also, with mini-campi all over the world, in the vicinity of major military airbases. In my area, I took grad courses at Luke AFB, Williams AFB (now Gateway), and Sky Harbor Int'l. Phoenix. Major ERAU campus was in nearby Prescott, AZ. Obviously, my ERAU experience differs from that of my esteemed Shipmate HAL.

BzB, ERAU MAS '89

 

[BusyBee604]

I find that hard to believe considering I am the son of an alumni that has a successful career flying for American. It is costly, but I simply can't agree that it doesn't give you a head start in the aerospace industry. C'mon, internships with. NASA? Many students have become thunderbirds or blue angels pilots as well. Thanks for your opinion anyways.

This type response is what makes the knowledgeable winged members roll their eyes, and wonder why you inquired when you already have all the answers. This type attitude going into Navy flight training, is what somewhat tarnishes ERAU's rep amongst IPs & the community.

The ERAU degree in aerospace is a valid one, but it DOES NOT give you a definite edge over any other aviation degree. The self-proclaimed slogan "The Harvard of Aviation" is a marketing promotion.
BzB

 

[Chris94]

This type response is what makes the knowledgeable winged members roll their eyes, and wonder why you inquired when you already have all the answers. This type attitude going into Navy flight training, is what somewhat tarnishes ERAU's rep amongst IPs & the community.

The ERAU degree in aerospace is a valid one, but it DOES NOT give you a definite edge over any other aviation degree. The self-proclaimed slogan "The Harvard of Aviation" is a marketing promotion.
BzB

Yeah I could see that, I'm not cocky or anything like that, but I just thought that it would have some impact on aviation knowledge going into flight school. I'm just looking, but even with the amount of knowledge that ERAU would give you, I doubt that it would prepare me for missions in the Navy. I don't plan on going into flight school like I'm high on the horse, just getting in I would be overwhelmingly humbled.

 

[whitesoxnation]

I would be extremely hard pressed to call Embry Riddle a school. What they have done is take something that is really no more than a hobby (general aviation) and turned it into a $250k product. Embry Riddle is a business and in many ways represents all that is wrong with "higher" education in this country.

 

[Chris94]

You may want to slow your roll there, while HAL's advice is certainly blunt it comes from experience (HAL means Hawaiian Airlines btw).

Where you go to school is certainly your choice but ERAU has a bit of a rep in military aviation and it isn't always good. Some ERAU students show up in flight school convinced that since they graduated from an 'Aviation University' that their shit don't stink. Are all ERAU grads that way? No, but a significant enough of a minority are to gain it a rep. For me the one ERAU grad in my flight school class was a arrogant prick who let everyone know he was better for having graduated from ERAU, it may be part of the reason he got a NAV slot out of ROTC while physically qualified for pilot.

I would argue that a big part of the reason ERAU grads are represented well in aerospace is because that is what the school concentrates on, very few schools focus almost exclusively on aerospace. ERAU is very expensive and is defintely good at selling itself but there are several other schools around the country that offer 'aviation' programs for much less and are fine schools themselves. But I question the value of an 'aerospace' education anyways, the vast majority of military aviators have little to no educational or professional experience in aviation and do just fine, Blue Angels and Thunderchickens in included. And internships at NASA? Really?

Where you graduated has almost no impact in your career in the Navy or Marines or even if you get into Test Pilot School, etc. It is your performance, as an aviator it is in your squadrons and especially your first fleet tour, that is the dominant factor in your career and the options it can provide. If you want confirmation of that you can just ask the guy here who got his wings with a GED and was just selected to command a squadron.

I think I'd be humbled just to go to flight school, but that's not good to be that cocky going in. I don't plan on that if I'm lucky enough to go to flight school. As for NASA internships, yes, they do too odd internships at the Kennedy space center, at least that's what I've seen, might be different due to tough economic times? But also, several astronauts have come from Embry Riddle, that has to be saying something right?

 

[OscarMyers]

Just basically how good is the program? Do I get an advantage of getting a flying slot? How's the whole atmosphere there in general? I can imagine what's it's like for spring break

Would I have payed out of pocket to go there? No. The guys that went there on scholarship definitely had a good deal. I Had to use my G.I. Bill while there, but it got my PPL and Instrument paid for. Then again Im an SNFO with no transferable training for the FAA. Its just like anywhere else you go, if you work hard and do well the Navy might pick you up. Also remember that if you fly there you will also be going to college full time. It wasnt unusual to have a full course load then fly untill 2300 and be up again at 0530 for PT. I have seen guys go both ways as far as success with the Navy. Its all what you put into it. PM me if you have any specific questions. On a positive, I did get to take some cool aviation classes, I.E. accident investigation and survivability courses.

 

[Shakey]

I graduated from there in '09. Like pretty much everyone else said, it won't give you a distinct advantage in becoming a naval aviator. But if you're passionate about aviation in general and really interested in a specific degree program, then go for it. It actually wasn't my first college pick, and it's damned expensive; NROTC scholarships can help with that. If you have any specific questions PM me.

 

[Chris94]

I would be extremely hard pressed to call Embry Riddle a school. What they have done is take something that is really no more than a hobby (general aviation) and turned it into a $250k product. Embry Riddle is a business and in many ways represents all that is wrong with "higher" education in this country.

But what is so wrong with giving students an opportunity to learn to fly? Although I agree that the tuition is expensive, you can't deny that they have very well equipped flight facilities.

 

[whitesoxnation]

But what is so wrong with giving students an opportunity to learn to fly? Although I agree that the tuition is expensive, you can't deny that they have very well equipped flight facilities.

Is your concern getting a valuable degree or not? Value is how much you can get for your degree relative to what you payed for it, not how nice the facilities are. What you should be doing is looking at their course curriculum guide and then laughing at the classes, $1,000/credit each, that comprise an "aeronautical science" degree. It isn't even high school level material.

 

[Chris94]

Is your concern getting a valuable degree or not? Value is how much you can get for your degree relative to what you payed for it, not how nice the facilities are. What you should be doing is looking at their course curriculum guide and then laughing at the classes, $1,000/credit each, that comprise an "aeronautical science" degree. It isn't even high school level material.

Did you happen to go there? Aerospace engineering, space physics, engineering physics, homeland security, civil engineering, etc.

 

[whitesoxnation]

Did you happen to go there? Aerospace engineering, space physics, engineering physics, homeland security, civil engineering, etc.

Yes, and every time I think about it I regret it. I didn't have to pay for things other than personal entertainment, and I still think it was a huge waste of time. My contemporaries that I will be winging with soon are effectively four years ahead of me in life. When I look at them and ask myself what qualifications I have that they don't, the answer is NONE, but they have a degree in engineering, math, or IR.