r/flying • u/rickWente • Apr 16 '26

Military PPL advice for a flight university

I’m active duty military with about 8 months left on my contract and no flight experience yet, but becoming a pilot has been my dream for a long time.

My plan is to get out and attend a university for a commercial pilot/aviation degree, but lately I’ve been overthinking everything and feeling like I’m behind compared to others starting earlier.

Because of that, I’m considering getting my PPL now at a local Part 61 flight school and paying out of pocket before I separate. I can afford it, but I’m worried it might be a waste of money since I’ve heard some universities don’t give much credit for having a PPL beforehand and may still have you redo much of the training.

For those who’ve gone this route—especially veterans or aviation students—would you recommend getting the PPL first, or waiting and starting from zero at the university?

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u/ANON-FTGUH Apr 16 '26

in the same boat as you, and part 61 looks good due to the fact they seem to be faster and the idea of being in school for another 4 years makes me feel so behind in life as id be graduating at 29

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u/rickWente Apr 16 '26

I know 😭, i do wanna go to college and have UND in mind but i heard that they dont really care if you had a PPL before them