HeliFreak Posted September 26, 2012 Report Share Posted September 26, 2012 Hello All! Great forum you have here tons of great information. I was doing some research and I havent really found any post's about Vets using Post 9/11 G.I. Bill. I was wondering if there were any forum members here who have used their Post 9/11GI Bill, and how they got what information they needed And maybe share with me any tips on getting started while using what benefits I have availabe to me. I checked the VA's Website and wasnt too much of help, Im just kinda lost in the sauce as to where to begin. I'm also partially disabled 30% and have the option of using Vocation Rehab as well as the Post 9/11 Bill. I'm not sure if that helps the situation at all, or if it could help with the costs of achieving this "fantasy" goal of mine to be a pilot. Thanks For Any Help!HeliFreak This is a picture of what turned me onto becoming a pilot. I was a 91B(63B) in the Army and during my depoyment in 2010. I was tasked with helping pull an engine from a Black Hawk. The CW 4 in charge of the operation gave me a full rundown of the bird and from then on I was hooked. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeliFreak Posted September 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2012 Sorry for redundant post after posting I found some threads with relevant info. But if anyone has any input on situation it would be much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nightsta1ker Posted September 26, 2012 Report Share Posted September 26, 2012 My advice would be to find a part 141 school in your area that is VA approved and talk to them, they should be able to get you started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjsemperfi Posted September 26, 2012 Report Share Posted September 26, 2012 Agree with nightsta1ker, and I've found he'll never send you astray in these forums, listen to what he has to say. As far as the Post 9/11, it is a learning process and student's going through now should be in a much better spot than when earlier students went through. I learned a lot of hard lessons and had to keep track of my money myself. Keep an eye on everyone, your school, your flight school, the VA, because they make mistakes and could cost you months of down time not training that you don't need. Also, some advice I've given others. Do not get too ambitious with your schooling. Take your time with it. Because chances are you'll finish school before you finish your helicopter ratings (at least if you go all the way to CFII). Don't run yourself out of school because you'll lose your housing allowance. Take your time and work it out before hand on how many credits you need and stretch that out. This will help two fold, it will give you more time to concentrate on your flying and studying for flying, and it will ensure you don't run out of your BAH. I've learned the hard way, and believe me, going through CFI with 2 jobs is not easy. Good luck and let us know if you have any other questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeliFreak Posted September 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 27, 2012 Great! I will follow nightsta1ker's advice, been lurking for a while and everyone of his posts generally had good advice or help in it. Jjsemperfi-I will keep that in mind... Running out of BAH would be no bueno. Thanks for the input! Hopefully I can get where I want to be and become a contributing member of the forums. I also just scheduled a Introductory Flight lesson at a local flight school(not va approved but it'll do for now!) So I'm looking forward to that! Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjsemperfi Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 Right on, have fun! That's what it's about in the first place. No one would do this for the money, we do it because we love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieselBoy Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 Not knowing what your disability is, I'd recommend taking your flight physical (medical) first. If you can't pass that, you can't fly. You can pull up a list of local AME's that perform the physicals, most charge around $100. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nightsta1ker Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 A second class flight physical will be a requirement for flight training under the GI bill anyways. If you can't pass one, you won't get dollar one towards your rating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crashed_05 Posted October 4, 2012 Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 Glad to see another veteran taking advantage of this awesome opportunity of benefits! I got out of the military right as this Post 9/11 thing was getting rolling...then I found out it can pay for my flight training. Looked up flight schools right away and started making phone calls. I moved to Oregon from Pennsylvania to start my helicopter training. Went from private to CFII in the helicopters and am now almost through CFII in the airplanes also (VA covered it all). I can PM my number to you as I'm sure you have plenty of questions. I can answer them the best I can.I see you're from Pennsylvania too...what part? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crashed_05 Posted October 4, 2012 Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 Oh, by the way...there are a few negative nancies on here who are upset that we veterans are able to receive these benefits for serving our country...you'll just have to block them out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bqmassey Posted October 4, 2012 Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 I just got up here (two weeks ago) to Bend, Oregon and will be flying with Leading Edge, through Central Oregon Community College. (Just like the person above me mentioned.) I am on terminal leave and will ETS in November. I'm using my Post 9/11 GI Bill to pay for all of this. I haven't started flying with LE yet, but I have been over to the school and have talked quite a bit with the lady that deals with the VA stuff over there. She's incredibly helpful, and everyone I've talked to from the school has been great. I've also spoken with a few people that have completed, or will soon complete, this program, and all of them have been very, very happy with their experience. Being single, I could easily pick up and move anywhere in the country, so every school was a possibility for me. I spent at least a year trying to determining the best program. Based on all of the information I could get my hands on, COCC/Leading Edge appeared to be the best. Again, I haven't started flying yet, but I haven't seen or heard anything so far that contradicts that research I conducted beforehand. I'm extremely happy with my decision. Keep in mind, there's more than one way to use the Post 9/11 GI Bill to fly. If you do it with a Part 141 school that isn't part of a degree program, your benefits will work differently (I think the VA will only pay $10k per year). If you go to a program that is paired up with a college degree program (like COCC/Leading Edge is) the VA will cover 100% of your tuition and flight costs. Seriously consider flying in a degree seeking program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crashed_05 Posted October 4, 2012 Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 Hope you enjoy your training bqmassey. I'm sure I'll run into you sooner or later at the flight school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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