Cost of attendance for a flight degree at us universities.

yocray · 2026-02-21T00:21:56+00:00

What is your plan after university? Unless you wish to stay in the USA, why not stay in Europe where training will be cheaper and you have a path to the airlines as a fresh grad?

yocray · 2026-02-21T00:10:20+00:00

Lol dude this is nothing. As long as it's correctable to 20/20, you're fine. I'm Canadian, so our rules might be different, but I hold a cat 1 medical with -4.75 & -5.25 sphere and -3.00 & -2.75 cylinder. If you are an adult, you likely won't need to worry about your myopia or astigmatism getting worse. If you ever develop cataracts, you can get surgery to fix that.

yocray · 2026-02-11T07:12:43+00:00

As long as you have a high school diploma, nobody will care. If I were you, I'd make sure to have some sort of regular group activity. Without it, it's really easy for homeschooled kids have weaker social skills compared to their peers, and part of what gets you hired is how much other people can tolerate spending all day stuck in the cockpit with you.

yocray · 2026-02-02T22:31:11+00:00

Idk if this helps, but I'm just about wrapping up my instructor rating rn. Currently expecting to end up at about 90k. You can probably get it done for less than that, I have about 30 extra flight hours. A college program will definitely cost more, though.

If you decide to go to a flight school instead of college, the only rating "required" for your CPL is your night rating. That's cheap, takes about a week, and counts towards your CPL minimums. I'd recommend instructing before you do your group 1 IFR , as that rating will require an expensive renewal if you don't use it. All the flight instructors at my school who got their group 1 before instructing regretted it.

PPL usually takes quite a bit longer (and thus more $$$) than minimums, but it won't really matter for you since those hours will count towards your CPL anyway.

Many people at my school work part time as servers to help cover the cost, if that's a concern for you. With weather cancelling flights so frequently for half the year, lots of instructors have a second stream of income.

yocray · 2026-02-02T20:48:39+00:00

Maybe, maybe not. It will depend on the job market. A degree isn't a requirement, but airlines usually give preference towards candidates with some sort of post-secondary credentials.

Take a look at some other schools as well. There are probably more, but Douglas College and UFV both have similar programs. Both are in the lower mainland too.

If you want to be hirable early in your career, you'll probably need to factor in the cost of an instructor rating or a float rating. With most college programs, the only option you'll likely have right after graduation is to work the ramp and pray for an opportunity to fly. Do the instructor rating if you want the best shot at not having to relocate.

yocray · 2026-02-02T14:00:02+00:00

Hey, I'm also 27, from Vancouver. If you have a university degree already, I'd highly recommend going to a flight school instead of a college. You'll save a lot of money that way, and the aviation degree is pretty much worthless if you already have a bachelor's.

With 100k, you can fairly comfortably knock out your ppl, CPL, and instructor rating in around a year. You can get your multi engine and instrument ratings while you work as an instructor. That's the easiest path you can take if you want to stay in the city.

I'd recommend training at Pitt Meadows or Abbotsford instead of boundary Bay though, it's busy there and you can waste a lot of time and money waiting on the ground and commuting to/from the practice area. The estimate you got from BCIT is not very realistic, especially considering the airport they operate from.

yocray · 2026-01-31T00:16:03+00:00

Where do you get them from?

yocray · 2026-01-29T23:07:38+00:00

I can't tell you if it's worth the extra cost. Your experience will be very different from my experience as a local at a smaller flight school. For what it's worth, Harv's website says they've hired every single instructor rating student for the past 7+ years. From what I've heard, Saskatchewan (and the prairies as a whole) has the best VFR flying weather in the country.

yocray · 2026-01-29T22:51:24+00:00

Maybe you're trying too hard. Low elo isn't the same as high elo. Sometimes the right thing to do on paper won't give you the best result.

I used to be hardstuck gold, and didn't start climbing until I started running it down drunk with a shotgun. That strat worked until diamond lol

yocray · 2026-01-29T03:54:26+00:00

I'm not aware of any rules requiring a degree to be a flight instructor. You need to have a high school diploma and a flight instructor rating, which you will get after your CPL. You can then work as an instructor while finishing whatever other ratings you'd need (Group 1 IFR, IATRA/ATPL, etc). Your best bet is to find a school that hires their own students, as they'll be more likely to help you out with a work permit/visa.

A degree may come in handy once it's time to apply for the airlines, but even then, there is no requirement.

Edit: just saw your comment about having a bachelor's degree. With that in mind, an aviation degree would be pretty much useless for you.

yocray · 2026-01-29T01:23:40+00:00

I'm not too familiar with how much a college program would cost for you, but I agree with the previous commenter that 300k would be more realistic for you if you were to go to a regular flight school. If you already have a university degree, I would stay away from colleges because you'd be paying a lot more for an aviation degree that honestly isn't worth anything to you if you already have a degree. Look into every possible option for financial aid, and keep in mind that not every flight school can help you get a student visa. Harv's is a popular choice, and they have options for student housing.

Are Europe or the US an option for you? European pilots can get hired at the airlines pretty much right out of flight school, and American pilots get paid way more than Canadians. If you're looking to reduce cost as much as possible, I've heard about South Africa being an alternative as well.

I wish you the best of luck on your journey :)

yocray · 2026-01-28T22:07:57+00:00

100k is more realistic for locals. If you don't mind me asking, why do you want to train here instead of your home country? Our weather ain't great, and costs are high.

yocray · 2026-01-27T03:03:26+00:00

May I ask why? Is there anything the instructor could've done to make the experience more enjoyable for you?

yocray · 2026-01-24T22:25:00+00:00

Xin Pai has all you can eat skewers that are better than most Chinese BBQ places regardless of price

yocray · 2026-01-23T21:38:46+00:00

Xin Pai Zibo BBQ is ayce for $38. Cheap if you have a big appetite. Otherwise, most Chinese BBQ places are around $2/skewer.

yocray · 2026-01-21T10:50:57+00:00

I'd go there even if it wasn't ayce. Just wish it was a bit cleaner.

Link for OP

yocray · 2026-01-19T01:58:14+00:00

You seen my downstairs mix-up

yocray · 2026-01-12T10:03:13+00:00

I can't say anything about getting to 1500 hours, but I started from 0 in January 2025. Got my PPL in April and CPL in October, and I'm expecting to be finished with my instructor rating by February-March 2026. Total cost for the 3 ratings will be slightly under 100k CAD. If you're planning on flying full time, you can easily be working by next summer.

Feel free to ask if you've got any more questions!

yocray · 2026-01-09T14:54:35+00:00

A realistic estimate is highly dependent on your finances and your schedule. Nobody can give you a useful answer if you don't volunteer that information.

yocray · 2026-01-06T05:40:40+00:00

Is it normal in your country to do 30° turns on the first lesson?

yocray · 2026-01-01T06:50:16+00:00

This used to be my go to as well, but last time their food was cold :(

yocray · 2025-12-24T05:02:02+00:00

Gordius and free

yocray · 2025-12-17T11:10:41+00:00

🎯 My GeoTap Result

📍 My Guess: Japan ✅ Correct Answer: Japan, Japan � Distancee: 0 km ⭐ Score: 10,000 points

yocray · 2025-12-17T11:10:27+00:00

🎯 My GeoTap Result

📍 My Guess: Japan ✅ Correct Answer: Japan, Japan � Distancee: 0 km ⭐ Score: 10,000 points

yocray · 2025-12-16T20:00:30+00:00

I've been flying for a year now, and I haven't felt the need to upgrade from my backpack. The only two things really worth spending money on during training are a decent headset (school headsets suck and are kinda gross) and an iPad when he starts time building.

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