A coalition of 13 aviation trade organizations has written a letter to Republican and Democratic leaders of the House of Representatives asking that lawmakers remove caps on veterans’ aviation education benefits from current proposed legislation. According to the letter, House Bill H.R. 7323 includes a lifetime cap on Post 9/11 GI Bill flight benefits of $115,749 for the 2025-26 academic year.
The coalition is right to urge lawmakers to remove the proposed caps on veterans’ aviation education benefits. This situation is similar to what happened after the Vietnam War when the G.I. Bill played a key role in helping the aviation industry meet its need for pilots. In the 1970s and early 1980s, many veterans, including myself, used G.I. Bill funds to complete flight training and become commercial pilots. By the early 1980s, there were 827,000 active pilots in the U.S.—the most ever—thanks to these benefits. Veterans, with their skills and training, were crucial in helping the aviation industry grow and remain stable during this time.
The coalition’s letter highlights that veterans are vital to addressing the current pilot shortage. Imposing financial limits on their flight training would unfairly block their career paths, especially when other educational programs don’t face the same restrictions. Removing these caps would allow veterans to continue playing a key role in the aviation sector, just as they did in the past, helping maintain a strong pilot workforce.
The original Post-9/11 GI Bill limited funding pilot to $15.5K/year.
That means the new cap means you’ll get funding for 7 years.
I’m sure this “coalition of 13 aviation trade organizations” would like unlimited funding of their farm system but 7 years of training seems pretty generous to me.
The sponsors of this bill are addressing the issue poorly by cutting off critical resources that veterans need. Instead of tackling the real problem—high fees charged by two flight schools in Utah—they’re unfairly punishing all veterans. Veterans shouldn’t be burdened for the misconduct of a few schools. Additionally, the bill ignores the aviation industry’s urgent need for pilots, which is already facing a shortage. Limiting veterans’ benefits isn’t the solution.—it harms both veterans and the industry.
I think it’s way past time for the airlines to assume responsibility for training their future pilots. Uncle Sam has been picking up the tab for way too long.
FWIW, Vietnam era combat vets, we got $12000 for education, including flight training. Realistically there has to be some cap. There is no limit to what could be spent for ratings otherwise.
What needs to happen is that the government should put requirements into the funding stating that these flight schools must meet certain milestones for continued funding. For example, a Veteran using their GI Bill Benefits should have earned their Private Pilot Certificate utilizing no more than $22,000 of their funding. If it takes the school more time for that specific individual, the flight school needs to eat that excess. Some students will do it for less than $22,000, so for those students, the school could do their traditional milking of students. Students going for their Instrument Rating should then have a “cost-not-to-exceed” number earning that add-on. Commercial should be the same. Expecting the government to just pay money to these flight schools with no expectation of the flight school having to get the task done in a reasonable amount of time is a bit ridiculous. Honestly, in a perfect world, flight schools looking to take advantage of these kinds of programs should be held to standards like were set for government contracts during WWII, where their profit margins are limited to no more than 4% for government contracts. As an enlisted guy who earned the college fund and GI Bill back during the first Gulf War, I find the way this whole thing as implemented as just idiotic. The only way I could have used my GI Bill / College Fund was to go to a part 141 school, and deal with all their curriculum crap. I didn’t have the money (even with the GI Bill) to afford to do that. I ended up using my GI Bill / College fund to first get an Associates of Science at a Community College, then go and get my undergrad, then go and get a Masters degree. Took me 12 years to do it (and the GI bill is only good for 10 years), but that was how it had to be. Ended up going to a part 61 school to earn my Private Pilot / Instrument Rating, and had to pay that out of my own pocket. The GI Bill / College Fund should be open to both part 141 and part 61 schools, but just as flights schools have student stage checks, the school should be held to very high standards. The schools are already getting a “known quantity” in their student because you know at least a Veteran knows how to wake up at 0500 and be at school at 0600, ready to go. No need to weed out those who can’t do the most simple of tasks.