Anyone real familiar with Post 9/11 Benefits ?

[jaybee]

Apparently you can only spend $12000 a year(vocational program)

Is there any way around this ?

As in I don't want to spend four years spending my benefits !!!

Some backstory, I already utilized some of my benefits under Chapter 1606 - Montgomery Selected Reserve for my Rotorcraft Helicopter Instrument rating. I am already a working commercial helo pilot. I wanted to add-on my Multi Commercial Airplane and Instrument Airplane. I can do all that in a matter of weeks however, as previously stated I can only do $12k of training a year ? that makes no sense. Oh, and I have to convert my 1606 to Post 9/11 because I separated earlier this year.

I had spend the last 6 years of my contract scrimping and saving because the 1606 requires you to pay up front and be reimbursed. Now that I've done that, I have to switch to the Post 9/11...... grrrrrrrrrrr.....

So as said... is there any way around this ? It makes absolutely no sense why I can't just spend all 3 years of what is owed to me in one months time if I so choose. Their policy is literally preventing me from progressing my career.

ARGGGGGHHH, so frustrated right now,,,

thanks for any help and guidance

 

[RussR]

SO many things I want to say about this post, but probably won't. We'll see.

I am also a veteran and have used post 9/11 GI Bill benefits for flight training, so yes I am familiar. Personally, I think it's a great benefit and if the rules say I can "only" use $12,000 a year for flight training I'm pretty happy with that - it's certainly better than nothing.

The primary way to "get around" the $12000 limit for flight training is to take the flight training as part of a degree program at an in-state college. Then, ALL tuition and fees are covered (as they are for non-aviation courses at the same college). This typically presents itself as a "Professional Pilot" degree program which, along with requiring courses in English and Math, will also include courses such as "Multi-engine Flight Lab". There is no requirement to actually complete the degree program once you have started. The college may or may not let you just take the courses you want, depending on what other college courses you have already taken (prerequisite-type stuff).

Note that some caution is advised here, as I understand it Congress is currently reevaluating the "ALL tuition and fees" aspect of the college flight programs due primarily to some helicopter schools. The helicopter flight schools partnered with local community colleges to offer a flight training curriculum. So far, so good. But when they realized there was no limit on reimbursement, all of a sudden they were offering courses not in Robinson R-22s, but in Jet Rangers and such. There are stories of students getting $500,000 courses reimbursed.

If you post your location I am sure that you can be directed to the nearest college with a flight program.

 

[jaybee]

To clarify, I don't mean that I want to spend ridiculous amounts of money - only what is owed to me. As it stands, I can't just go out and fly the crap out of an airplane for a month or two and knock out a bunch of ratings because it is capped at $XXX per year (I could have done exactly that, with the 1606....). It sounded as though there may have been some confusion about that.

Yes I am aware of how Upper Limit and others raped the bejeezus out of the system. Not trying to do that, just trying to do all that I want to do - quickly, not stretched out over several years.

 

[jaybee]

PS - appreciate the offer of helping me find a college program but that is exactly the problem - I just want to knock out the ratings I need at a flight school, not spend four years in college.

 

[RussR]

Sorry, maybe I wasn't clear. You don't necessarily have to spend the 4 years in college. Example - I did my CFI at a local community college. I already had a degree (in something else from another college), so I met all the prerequisites to enroll in the community college. I took exactly one class, the "CFI" class. Completed it in a couple of months and that was it. If I had needed to, I could have done the same with Commercial, Multi, CFI, CFII.

That does require you to have a certain amount of college already completed though, depending on the college's enrollment requirements. I discussed my situation with the department chair beforehand to make sure it would work.