JonnyUSMC Posted October 11, 2009 Report Share Posted October 11, 2009 I understand that with the old Gi Bill, the VA will reimburse me for further training after I pay for my PPL. So, my understanding is that if I want to become a professional pilot, then I basically would have to obtain all of the money($60,000) that is required to pay for training and then the VA will reimburse me for 60% of whatever I pay. Well, I visited a flight school that I am interested in and the CFI that showed me around said that I would not have to have all of the money up front. He told me that the VA would pay 60% of any fees that I would have without me having to pay the entire fee up front. So, do I need $60,000 in my pocket in order to finish a career pilot route? Do I just need to get around $35,000 in order to finish the career pilot route?(this figure is in regards to me paying around $15,000 for the PPL and the remaining 40% of what the VA doesn't cover. Rough estimate) Any insight would be great. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falko Posted October 11, 2009 Report Share Posted October 11, 2009 I understand that with the old Gi Bill, the VA will reimburse me for further training after I pay for my PPL. So, my understanding is that if I want to become a professional pilot, then I basically would have to obtain all of the money($60,000) that is required to pay for training and then the VA will reimburse me for 60% of whatever I pay. Well, I visited a flight school that I am interested in and the CFI that showed me around said that I would not have to have all of the money up front. He told me that the VA would pay 60% of any fees that I would have without me having to pay the entire fee up front. So, do I need $60,000 in my pocket in order to finish a career pilot route? Do I just need to get around $35,000 in order to finish the career pilot route?(this figure is in regards to me paying around $15,000 for the PPL and the remaining 40% of what the VA doesn't cover. Rough estimate) Any insight would be great. Thanks As you said, you need ~35.000$, depending on how much the prices for your training (Aircraft rates, fuel surcharge..etc.)will change during your training. Once you have your PVT Pilot License, the flight school will charge YOU 40% from the training expenses(Flight lesson, ground lesson) and they will have to deal with the VA to get the remaining 60% from them. Some schools may want you to put down ~35000 up front because the money from the VA takes some time until it gets to your flight school....But this is something that your future flight school should inform you how they do it. Falko Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonnyUSMC Posted October 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2009 Thanks Falko, that eases my mind a lot. I thought I would have to pay for everything up front. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choppedair Posted October 11, 2009 Report Share Posted October 11, 2009 Some places do this differently. No school should need ANY money up front. However Falko has it right, after private some 60% should be reimbursed.Occasionally a flight school will come to an agreement and only charge you 40% up front, but generally what I see is they charge 100%. At the end of the month or whenever they submit their paperwork, they will credit the reimbursements back into your account. This can take a while sometimes. Regardless you do not need the full amount up front. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NC AV8R Posted October 11, 2009 Report Share Posted October 11, 2009 (edited) I'm about to be in a similar situation JonnyUSMC. I already have my PPL in both heli and airplane (SEL). I plan on using the old GI BIll (Chapter 30) to complete my heli training when I return from Afghanistan. I've done quite a bit of research on the matter. It is my understanding that you will have to pay for your training as you go. You will then be reimbursed by the VA for 60% of the cost on a monthly basis. After the flight school has submitted verification of your training for that month, the check from the VA goes directly to you. If this is the case, you wouldn't need all $60,000 up front but you would need a considerable amount (more than 40% of the total cost) so that you aren't waiting on checks from the VA to continue your training. I would anticipate that it will take the VA at least 30 days to process your monthly verification and send you a check. I strongly discourage you from paying $35,000 upfront. There is always the possibility the school could close and file for bankruptcy. Pay as you go or in blocks if you get a discount. I'm no expert on the matter. To be sure, contact the person who handles the GI BILL paperwork at the school you plan to attend. They will enlighten you on the whole process. Edited October 11, 2009 by NC AV8R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mechanic Posted October 11, 2009 Report Share Posted October 11, 2009 Main key points to keep in mind under Chap 30 benefits, ask to see the VA program outline they use for training. The VA has to APPROVE the program the school is using. There is not a cookie cutter program the VA uses with schools. They have elements that must be in the program. Each school can customize "their" VA program and the VA signoff on it. Now, the VA uses the term "Approved Charges" etc.. The school knows what parts of their program is approved for 60% and whats not. I have been to countless schools and "MOST" love to say 60% of their program the VA will pay for. Well, its my understanding that if you require more training than whats included in the specific training program you are enrolled in, at a certain point you will be 100% responsible to pay for the extra training. I don't recall how many extra hours you can go over before that happens. Also, thinking the VA requires you to do the IFR also, so some schools do a combination com/ifr program from my experience looking at different schools. Also, was thinking there is a cap on the max amount they pay for Voc Flt Training. I want to say it "was" somewhere in the range of $16K back when I was looking into it. I know the max payments have increased so, I am sure this has increased too. Last, do a search on this site. There have been a lot of good threads dealing with this. A lot of research in the reg's and past experience shared on VR over the last few years. Good Luck.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copter doctor Posted October 11, 2009 Report Share Posted October 11, 2009 jonnyUSMC, I recently used my GI bill for flight training. At the school I went to I had to pay for the training and then get reimbursed. I took out a loan for 15,000 to get started and then used reimbursement payments to keep going. The school submitted claims monthly but it took me 6 months to get first reimbursement payment, there was missing information but no one from the VA contacted me to let me know, luckily the school has a lady who has dealt with the VA for years and had all the right contacts to call. After that got straightened out the payments came regularly. A couple of tips, Get your physical done before enrolling, mine was after, but before flying and this caused the long delay in the payment. Each course must be approved, comm., inst. etc. The VA will allow a set number of dual and solo hours, pay close attention to make sure you don,t go over on dual or it will cost you 100% for the extra hours. The cap for money is what you would get for college, if you are authorized for $1,000 for 36 months of school then they will deduct one month from the 36 for each $1,000 you get reimbursed. So basically you have $36,000 of reimbusement money available to you. ( I believe the current monthly amount is close to $1,100 for 36 months )If I remember correctly the VA allows 110% of approved course hours, so if a course is approved to take 100 hrs, the VA will reimburse you for up to 110 hrs. of flight time. I rambled a bit but hope it helps. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crashed_05 Posted October 12, 2009 Report Share Posted October 12, 2009 I'm assuming y'all found the details on the Post 9/11 GI Bill during your research, but just in case you didn't... As long as you go to a flight school that is affiliated with a college with an aviation program of study and it is approved by the VA for Ch.33 benefits, 100% of your flight training and tuition will be covered, you'll receive up to $1000 for books and supplies per term, and receive BAH equivalent to that of an E-5 w/dependents for your zip code. Each state has its own maximum allowable figure that the VA will give you. In most cases this number is adjusted to accommodate the most expensive degree program offered in that state. If, however, you exceed this maximum figure due to the need for extra flight hours for profficiency, some schools offer the yellow ribbon program where the school will cover what the VA does not. This is what I'm doing now and it's working out great! If y'all have any questions feel free to ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilot255 Posted October 12, 2009 Report Share Posted October 12, 2009 I'm assuming y'all found the details on the Post 9/11 GI Bill during your research, but just in case you didn't... As long as you go to a flight school that is affiliated with a college with an aviation program of study and it is approved by the VA for Ch.33 benefits, 100% of your flight training and tuition will be covered, you'll receive up to $1000 for books and supplies per term, and receive BAH equivalent to that of an E-5 w/dependents for your zip code. Each state has its own maximum allowable figure that the VA will give you. In most cases this number is adjusted to accommodate the most expensive degree program offered in that state. If, however, you exceed this maximum figure due to the need for extra flight hours for profficiency, some schools offer the yellow ribbon program where the school will cover what the VA does not. This is what I'm doing now and it's working out great! If y'all have any questions feel free to ask. Where are you training? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NC AV8R Posted October 12, 2009 Report Share Posted October 12, 2009 (edited) I'm assuming y'all found the details on the Post 9/11 GI Bill during your research, but just in case you didn't... As long as you go to a flight school that is affiliated with a college with an aviation program of study and it is approved by the VA for Ch.33 benefits, 100% of your flight training and tuition will be covered, you'll receive up to $1000 for books and supplies per term, and receive BAH equivalent to that of an E-5 w/dependents for your zip code. Each state has its own maximum allowable figure that the VA will give you. In most cases this number is adjusted to accommodate the most expensive degree program offered in that state. If, however, you exceed this maximum figure due to the need for extra flight hours for profficiency, some schools offer the yellow ribbon program where the school will cover what the VA does not. This is what I'm doing now and it's working out great! If y'all have any questions feel free to ask. crashed_05, What college and flight school are you attending? I haven't heard any feedback from anyone using the Post 9/11 GI BILL. Is there a limit on the number of flight hours per month? How long will it take you to complete your flight training and how long to get your degree? Any help is appreciated. Edited October 12, 2009 by NC AV8R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crashed_05 Posted October 12, 2009 Report Share Posted October 12, 2009 (edited) crashed_05, What college and flight school are you attending? I haven't heard any feedback from anyone using the Post 9/11 GI BILL. Is there a limit on the number of flight hours per month? How long will it take you to complete your flight training and how long to get your degree? Any help is appreciated. I'm attending Leading Edge Aviation and Central Oregon Community College. Its a two year degree. The max the VA will give for flight training fees is $22,190 per term and $438 per credit for the state of Oregon. If you go over that amount, the rest is out of pocket unless the college participates in the yellow ribbon program. So I'm allowed 22190 for the fall semester and 22190 in the winter...all for my private rating. Then in the spring I'll start my instrument and be allotted 22190 for that term...and so on... You still get 36 months of coverage, but with the new GI Bill its all 100%. Check out the link below to see what the max figure is for your state.http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/CH33...on_and_fees.htm I also have a thread started in the flight training forum titled "Leading Edge Aviation" that has a lot of info. Edited October 12, 2009 by crashed_05 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IFLY Posted October 12, 2009 Report Share Posted October 12, 2009 I used the GI bill for my fixed wing commercial add-on and I am still waiting for my July payment. Jerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crashed_05 Posted October 13, 2009 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 I used the GI bill for my fixed wing commercial add-on and I am still waiting for my July payment. Jerry It took a few months to get my payment when I was uing the old GI Bill for my A&P cert. Everything's been on time with the new Ch.33 benefits though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pohi Posted October 14, 2009 Report Share Posted October 14, 2009 When I used my GI bill, there was about a 60-90 day between the first month I started. On the other hand, when I finished, I received deposits into my account for about the same amount of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonnyUSMC Posted October 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 I'm assuming y'all found the details on the Post 9/11 GI Bill during your research, but just in case you didn't... As long as you go to a flight school that is affiliated with a college with an aviation program of study and it is approved by the VA for Ch.33 benefits, 100% of your flight training and tuition will be covered, you'll receive up to $1000 for books and supplies per term, and receive BAH equivalent to that of an E-5 w/dependents for your zip code. Each state has its own maximum allowable figure that the VA will give you. In most cases this number is adjusted to accommodate the most expensive degree program offered in that state. If, however, you exceed this maximum figure due to the need for extra flight hours for profficiency, some schools offer the yellow ribbon program where the school will cover what the VA does not. This is what I'm doing now and it's working out great! If y'all have any questions feel free to ask. Hey, do u happen to know of any other colleges that work with flight schools(post 9/11 Gi affiliated) other than the school you are going to in Oregon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crashed_05 Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 Hey, do u happen to know of any other colleges that work with flight schools(post 9/11 Gi affiliated) other than the school you are going to in Oregon?They're popping up all over the US. The only ones I know of are Portland Community College/Hillsboro Aviation, Salt Lake Community College/Upper Limit Aviation, and the school I'm attending. I also heard of one in Florida but I can't remember the name of it. It'd be nice if there was a place where they were all listed. I had to find them the hard way by searching and searching. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
67november Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 (edited) another one will be opening in Jan of 2010 San Juan College will begin offering helicopter flight training in partnership with Enchantment Helicopters of Albuquerque beginning in January 2010. http://www.verticalmag.com/control/news/templates/?a=12020 Edited October 15, 2009 by 67november Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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