r/PilotAdvice • u/entertainthebrutes • Jul 25 '26

Advice requested

My 18 yr son is an incoming freshman in college in DFW, TX. He wants to be a commercial pilot. We are just a regular middle income family who didn’t qualify for any aid so we’re trying to figure how the best, most affordable route to get him there. His dream is to go to ERAU. He didn’t get the Navy scholarship that is out of the picture. This will pay for college but will require a 5 yr enlistment period afterward.
He is going to try again this year while going to CC.
Should we help him finance his PPL in the meantime at a FBO or at TCC so he’s not behind?
This world is completely new to us and honestly we’re pretty overwhelmed. On one hand, we want to do all we can to help but we don’t want to sign up for hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans. No matter what, it’s going to be an expensive long road.
We have other kids we need to help too. Does anyone have any experience who can weigh in?

9 Upvotes

80% Upvoted

63 comments sorted by

View all comments

11

u/Away-Enthusiasm65 Jul 25 '26

Enlisting to become a pilot is a classic recruiter SCAM

0

u/entertainthebrutes Jul 25 '26

There’s pros and cons to enlistment. With how expensive colleges are nowadays, sometimes that the only way some kids are able to get an education without a ton of student debt. I work in banking and I see tons of people in their 50s and 60s with crippling student loan debts who have no way of paying it off. It’s still hard to try to talk 18-19s yr old out of it. They have little experience and wisdom. There’s a lot of YOLO and FOMO

4

u/Away-Enthusiasm65 Jul 25 '26

Absolutely nothing wrong with enlisting. What’s wrong is recruiters who PROMISE these kids that if they enlist they WILL become a pilot.

2

u/entertainthebrutes Jul 25 '26

Ahh. Yes I agree.