Answers to a "Couple of Questions": Flight Training & New GI Bill Concerns

This post came in marked GI Bill Answers

(FlyPrescott cannot guarantee the accuracy of this info):

Question: Can the additional cost (beyond 17.5k annually) be covered with the Yellow Ribbon Program at a PRIVATE college? I.E. Will ERAU match funds with the VA allowing the helicopter flight program to continue?

Answer: If the school is a participant in the
Yellow Ribbon Program (YRP) then the student MAY have the additional cost covered by the private institution. Each institution has a different amount alloted for the YRP. For example, an institution may only have a limit of $2,000/student/year alloted for the YRP. This means that only $4,000 above and beyond the tuition and fees combined at a private school. The way YRP works is the VA matches whatever the institution contributes. So, if you are a student at a private institution which has an annual combined tuition and fees at $21,500 and the school participates in the YRP at $2,000/student/per and student student is accepted into the YRP, the student can expect that the VA will pay $17,500, the school will "kick in" $2,000 and the YRP will kick in the remaining $2,000 for a total of $21,500.

We believe that ERAU (all of the campuses)
participate in the YRP with an unlimited cap to an unlimited number of students. However, we are not sure to say that they will YR flight students. We suggest you contact your institution and counselors for specifics and we hope to see more info from ERAU shortly so we can post the most accurate up to date info. Students can search for YRP schools at the following link:
http://www.gibill.va.gov/gi_bill_info/ch33/yellow_ribbon.htm

Question: Can the helicopter FLIGHT training be accomplished at a public institution like Yavapai College and then transfered into Air Science degree at ERAU?

Answer: Yes. In most cases, a student can expect that

his/her college credits for flight can transfer to another institution of higher learning. Of course, there are several things that need to be considered.

1) The institution the student is transferring FROM should be a 14 CFR Part 141 flight training program. This does not mean that the student need to complete the Part 141 program (in some cases, it is better to enroll Part 141, complete the Part 61 requirements and earn the certificate). In almost all cases, the flight training center offered at a public institution will be a 141 school. If it is not a Part 141training center, the VA might have some concerns with the credit they are awarded. This is really a very very minor issue as most institutions with a flight training program are 141 approved.

2) What FLIGHT credits will transfer? Most

institutions, such as ERAU or UND, offer minimal credits for flight training. For example, a student at ERAU will earn 1 credit for the Private Pilot FLIGHT course. A students needs to be aware that this may take place from one institition to another.

3) If a student has NOT completed a flight course (i.e. leaves one institution for another in the middle of the instrument course) the student needs to have all appropriate FAA Part 141 paperwork...specifically training records. It would be in the best interest of the student to bring a copy of the syllabus or TCO (if they can get a copy of it). FAR Part 141.77(c)(1) says that if credit is being transferred FROM a part 141 school, then up to 50% of the curriculum requirements may be transferred. FAR Part 141.77(c)(2) If the credit is not based upon a part 141-approved training course, the credit given that student for the previous pilot experience and knowledge shall not exceed more than 25% of the curriculum requirements. Each student needs to understand how credit is transferred for flight training.

4) Lastly, the amount of transfer credit is at the

discretion of the accepting institution. These credits may be for flight training, ground school, math, English, basket weaving, etc. Each institution has a standard procedure for accepting credits from other institutions, mainly driven by accreditation standards. Generally, schools that are regionally accredited (NCA, SACS, etc) may accept credit from other schools that are regionally accredited. This is to say that students attending Yavapai College are likely to be able to transfer credits to ERAU because both institutions are regionally accredited.

*We believe that Yavapai College and ERAU have some form of agreement for transfer credits, but we do not know the details of that agreement. Check with your institution on this.

Question: Will these public programs accept transfer students from private institutions such as ERAU?

Answer: Students can expect that most public institutions will accept transfer students from ERAU. Because ERAU is a regionally accredited institution, students should be able to transfer credits to public institutions. Again, we must stress that the accepting institution is the organization that will make the final decision on the acceptance of transfer credits and the student should contact the admission department of that institution. We have read that some public institutions will not be able to accept all students immediately because of capacity constraints. This means that some institutions that have similiar programs to ERAU do not have the ability to accept a large number of students. It is in the best interest of the student, if they are considering attending a public institution, to contact that institution immediately. Students at private institutions need to consider what options are available after August 1, 2011 and begin to solidify those options before the possibility of a waiting list prevents the students from continuing immediately after August 1st.

*It should be noted that FlyPrescott has done it's best to get the most accurate information on this subject. We hope this information assists the readers and begins the conversation and thought process to help our veterans and flight students make the best choices. Locally speaking, we support both ERAU and Yavapai College, they are both excellent institutions. Like any good pilot, do your research, prepare a proper flight plan and take off. As more info comes in on this topic, or, should we have corrections from ERAU or Yavapai College, we will post immediately. Thank you.

Links to:
ERAU Program:
http://prescott.erau.edu/degrees/undergraduate/index.html
Yavapai College Aviation Program:
http://www.yc.edu/webtools/apps/academics/default.asp?dept=AVT

Flight Training and the Post 9/11 Act

Repost from a helicopter pilot: Has anyone seen the recent passage of SB 3447: The Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Improvement Act of 2010? For those of us in the helicopter flight training industry might need to consider what this says.

It looks like the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill will now possible prevent students from using their educational benefits at many flight schools. The flight schools that are eligible for veterans to use their benefits will only be allotted $17,500 in ONE year if they are an Institution of Higher Learning and approved by that state's State Approving Agency. This cuts out big schools like Embry-Riddle. How are people in the industry planning on dealing with this?

Please post your comments and opinions below, thanks!

Veterans Find Support & Success at ERAU, Prescott

Prescott, Ariz., November 8, 2010 –

Ensuring a smooth transition from full-time solider to full-time student is the goal of new initiatives at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott. The campus recently created a Veteran’s Organization that offers a slate of services to veterans and their families.

“We began to see interest increasing when the Yellow Ribbon program was announced and knew this was our opportunity not only to provide the best education for our country’s former servicemen and women, but to go over and above in meeting their specialized needs,” said Dr. Frank Ayers, Executive Vice Prescient and Chief Academic Officer of Embry-Riddle in Prescott.

The recent surge in enrollment of veterans led the Prescott campus to ramp up services geared at this unique population. Currently 178 veterans using their benefits are students at Embry-Riddle, the vast majority of them here on the Post-911 G.I. Bill, or Yellow Ribbon program. The professional pilot degree program is the most popular with students flying both fixed-wing and helicopter. The Global Security and Intelligence Studies degree is a close second; however, there are veterans enrolled in nearly every one of the thirteen degree programs, said Dean of Student Affairs, Larry Stephan.

“I think the Yellow Ribbon program is a great opportunity for rewarding our young adults who have served our country and to help them prepare for a productive future,” Stephan said.

Veteran’s Coordinator Ret. Col. Fred Cone, a former Marine Corps pilot and combat veteran, who previously taught in aeronautical science at Embry-Riddle for 20 years, oversees the programs for veterans. In addition to their own lounge where they can meet up with other students like them, Col. Cone helps arrange tutoring sessions, special events such as a recent BBQ social for the students and their families, and a hiking club that meets on weekends.

The main focus of the Veteran’s Organization is to provide support to help servicemen and women adapt to university life and re-acclimate into the community around them. Cone also helps direct them to existing services in the community, such as the Veteran’s Upward Bound program that provides academic support and career counseling.

“They are very quick at adapting but need guidance. For many of them last formal education they had was high school,” Cone said. The veteran’s lounge is a popular place, Cone said, because, “It’s a place they can gather to talk and support each other. They like to come in and talk military-ese. It’s a place to communicate with other students like them.”

Embry-Riddle has received recognitions for it strength in programs that are particularly important to former military. Military Times Edge magazine (militarytimesedge.com) recently ranked Embry-Riddle third of 100 on its “Best for Vets” list of colleges for 2010.

The impact of the bolstered support for veterans shows in their success rate. The retention rate for t veterans is higher than the general campus population, and, as group, their GPA averages above the general student population.

“Some of these guys might have taken courses in the service, but many have been out of the learning environment for four or more years. Yet they have come back to school focused and do well,” said Stephan.

They also remain connected to their comrades on active duty. The Veteran’s Organization has spearheaded an ongoing effort to collect and send “care package” items to troops overseas, via a colleague, former flight department chair Army National Guard Col. Jerry Kidrick, who was called up to active duty last year. Col. Kidrick is facilitating distribution of donated items to a local orphanage and to the soldiers stationed with him in Basra Province, Iraq. Additionally, the organization is sponsoring a golf tournament and a run to raise funds for the Phoenix chapter of the Wounded Warrior Project (woundedwarriorproject.org), a national organization that provides support and recognition to injured soldiers.

The campus will sponsor a Veteran’s Appreciation Concern on Tuesday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. in the Activity Center, featuring the 108th Army Band. The concert is free and open to the public.

For more information on services available to veterans on the Prescott campus or to make a donation for any of the Veteran’s Organizations initiatives, please contact Col. Fred Cone, Veteran’s Coordinator, 928-777-6733

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering. Embry-Riddle educates more than 34,000 students annually at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., through the Worldwide Campus at more than 170 locations in the United States, Europe, Asia, Canada, and the Middle East, and through online learning. For more information, visit www.embryriddle.edu.

Media Contact
Susan Larsen
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
3700 Willow Creek Road
Prescott, AZ 86310
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
(928) 777-6731
susan.larsen@erau.edu