Veterans Benefits for Flight Training-The Montgomery G.I. Bill

The Good News and Bad News: The Honest Information

When it comes to pilot training, the issues about Veterans' Benefits under the Montgomery G.I. Bill are somewhat complicated, so please read this page very carefully.

First of all, your G.I. Bill benefits DO NOT cover ANY expenses at ANY flight training school ANYWHERE for your Private Pilot’s license. You must pay for ALL of those costs yourself. This often comes as a BIG SURPRISE to those veterans who have been led to believe the G.I. Bill covers ALL the costs of flight training . . . unfortunately, this is not so!

Your Private Pilot’s license is the required first step in your pilot training. In the case of helicopter training, those costs will run you about $12,000, no matter where you go for flight training, to a "VA-Approved (Part 141)" flight school or to a flight school that is NOT "VA-Approved (Part 61)."

Uncle Sam will not help you with any of those costs. So the decision on where you go for your initial Private Pilot training should be based on the best school available in your area, rather than on whether the school is “VA-Approved” or not, since the VA is not going to pay anything toward your Private Pilot Certificate anyway.

First of All, What is a "VA-Approved" Flight School?

Most flight schools operate under "Part 61" of the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs). To be a “VA-Approved” flight training facility, a school must apply to the FAA to become a “Part 141" flight school under "Part 141" of the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs).

A school must also be a Part 141 school to train pilots from foreign countries who are here in the U.S. on "student pilot training visas."

That is the main reason why most "Part 141" flight schools become "Part 141" schools. Those schools want to be in the business of training pilots from foreign countries, which is a big business since it is almost prohibitively expensive to take pilot training in many other countries. We at Midwest Helicopter are not interested at this time in catering to that business or in training pilots from foreign countries, especially since 9/11.

What WILL the G.I. Bill Cover for Flight Training?

AFTER you pay for your Private Pilot rating yourself, your G.I. Bill benefits will THEN cover approximately 60% of all of the training costs for any advanced pilot ratings (such as Commercial Pilot, Flight Instructor (CFI), Instrument rating, etc.) at a VA and FAA-approved Part 141 school. Many of those school also have to be approved by State Education Departments in order to qualify as a "VA-Approved" flight school.

Your benefits, however, do not normally cover incidentals such as flight physicals, books, required test fees, etc. Nor do they cover housing, etc. while you are training.

There are NO FAA-approved Part 141 helicopter flight schools in the Midwest region of the United States that we are aware of at this time.

If you decide to go on to become a Professional Helicopter Pilot, you will end up paying about HALF of the $40,000-$50,000 required to complete all the training and earn the required ratings and hours out of your own pocket. The G.I. Bill will cover the other half, roughly.

Midwest Helicopter has seriously considered becoming a Part 141 flight school, and we may take this step at some time in the future. However, becoming a Part 141 school is a very involved and complicated process. Like many government programs, there is a lot more “paperwork,” FAA oversight, and record-keeping involved with being an approved Part 141 school. This usually makes the training at those Part 141 schools more expensive than it is at Part 61 schools, because of the additional paperwork, "red tape," and record-keeping required. There is no data to indicate that students become better pilots at a Part 141 flight school than at a Part 61 school, like Midwest Helicopter. Students at Part 61 or Part 141 flight schools end up with exactly the same FAA pilot certificates and ratings.

Are There Any Other Ways to Use My G.I. Bill Benefits for Helicopter Flight Training?

There are some other options open to those eligible for VA benefits. If you are a full-time college student (taking at least 12 credit hours per semester), the VA will pay you a flat amount of just over $1000 per month which you can use for tuition at the college, or for your flight training costs, or both.

G.I. Bill Benefits That Will Pay for Flight Training at Midwest Helicopter in Our College-Degree Program

On our website, you might want to check into our 2-year and 4-year college programs which you can take online (on the internet) through our affiliation with Utah Valley State College (UVSC). You take the courses online WHILE you are doing your pilot training in the helicopter here at Midwest.

Your benefits will normally pay for your tuition and other related expenses, if you are a student at an accredited college that requires pilot training as part of earning an aviation degree. This is a program we offer through Utah Valley State College (UVSC).

OR, if you take 12 credit hours per semester online, you can receive the $1000 per month VA benefit which you can apply towards your Private Pilot training costs, tuition, living expenses, or any other expenses you may have.