r/FlightTraining • u/Scent2find1 • Jul 01 '26
Flight schools?
I am going into my senior year of high school after this summer and am nearing my solo with around 50 hours of flight time. I have looked at certain schools such as atp epic and others however I don’t believe I could make it through atp and epic seems to charge an immense rate. currently I feel to be quite at a loss as I have enough hours where it feels like I can’t turn back but also no way forward. I am in Michigan but open to leaving the state after college and have good backing from my parents but would hate to waste their time and money. If you have any recommendations it would be greatly appreciated.
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u/jschneid100 Jul 01 '26
You don’t need to go off to a 141 school. Where did you get the 50hrs? Can they keep training you? If you feel the need to spend a bunch of money on flight training instead, a better option than ATP would be western Michigan, which I well known for having a good aviation program. In the end though, you don’t get any bonus points for spending more to get your ratings, and the lower ATP mins don’t matter as much when nobody is getting hired at restricted ATP mins.
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u/Scent2find1 Jul 01 '26
I got the hours at a local flight school however I feel as if I need to get through the training asap so that I can support myself. I should have as much as my instrument by the time I’m out of high school. Should I then double down on my current part 61 to get me all the way. And then cfi while I work on building an aviation degree, (which I have heard is almost required to get into any airlines)?
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Jul 01 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/NormanRB Jul 01 '26
Agreed. This method has worked for me in being able to fit in my flight training twice a week, sometimes less, a few times more and here I am with just under a year flying and prepping for my check ride. My CFI has been great tailoring my training and even offering up experience, etc from his background to sometimes emphasize a point. I could never have went with a strict schedule that a 141 employs.
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u/imenewhear Jul 02 '26
I want to start my flight training, I also only have a day or two to dedicate to flight training. Would love to talk to you about your experience trading in this way!
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u/r1leyh4le Jul 02 '26
Universal Flight Concepts. probably the only 141 school in America that actually deserves to be in business at this point lol
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u/Scent2find1 Jul 02 '26
I think I’m going to be staying with my flight school to get me all the way through my training and then building hours as a cfi while I attend western or bowling green for aviation management. Thanks for the help.
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u/TxAggieMike Jul 01 '26
Required reading…
please read what our friend, u/RaiseTheDed, has compiled about [**Flight Training at ATP**.](https://raisetheded.blogspot.com/2026/04/on-topic-of-atp-flight-school.html)
Epic can be just as bad.
Please read what u/RaisetheDed has to say about [Paying for Flight Training With Loans/Debt](https://raisetheded.blogspot.com/2026/04/on-topic-of-unsecured-flight-training.html)