I'm needing some financial aid advice for pilot school?

Question

My husband is going to be applying at a Helicopter school here in Florida. (to be ems/life flight pilot)

We're wanting to know if government aid is available for someone wanting to go through a flight school? Or what is the best option financially for him??

Thanks for any advice you have on this!! :)

Answer 1

There are pell grants and other grants availible but you can only get those grants through the schools that are listed.Try the bigger schools first,

Answer 2

Financing

Unfortunately for aspiring pilots, civilian training will be costly no matter what you do. I have never heard of anybody funding their training with grants. For example, Pell grants max out at something like $4000, which is not even enough to finish your private. Also, grants usually only apply to university programs, and the tuition at a university program will eat up any grant. The bottom line is that there aren't any really great options to fund civilian training, and even getting a loan has risks and costs. Please plan the finances carefully before you start, and try to talk to people who have gone through the financing process themselves to get a feel for what lies ahead. Here are some ideas:

These two offer loans for training, but they may not be adequate to cover the entire cost, especially in a helicopter. I also understand that their interest rates are rather high:

Pilot Finance

http://www.pilotfinance.com/pages/539359...

AOPA

http://www.aopa.org/info/certified/funds...

Sallie Mae offers student and career loans. Check if your flight school is set up with them. I have heard mixed reviews from student pilots, so caveat emptor. Understand fully the terms, repayment requirements, and interest rates of any loan prior to getting it.

http://www.salliemae.com/

Also look for aviation college programs like Utah Valley State College. You train at a flight school of your choice while doing UVSC's online classes. You don't need an aviation degree to be a pilot, but you may have better financing options through them. Many people have had success with their program. The disadvantage is that you will have the additional costs of their tuition, and the online classes are designed for airplanes instead of helicopters. Take a look at them and see if it may work for you:

http://www.uvscaviation.com/

Spend some time on the following helicopter websites. They have a lot of information, as well as discussion forums for pilots and flight school listings. The forums would be a good place to search for others who have been through the financing process:

http://www.verticalreference.com/

http://www.justhelicopters.com/

You can find helicopter flight school listings here:

http://www.sacusa.com/1directory/states....

http://www.verticalreference.com/helicop...

Aviation is an awesome and rewarding career, but you can get burned if just dive in head first. Talk to pilots, research schools, get information from several different sources, figure the costs, and go into it fully prepared and knowledgeable about every possible path towards your goals. Don't start until you can prove to yourself that the path you have selected is the right one.

Good luck!