Flight Training with Your VA Benefits

Thank you for serving.

Flight training at Horizon Aviation is approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide flight training to Veterans with GI Bill Benefits. You may be able to use you VA Benefits for flight training with Horizon Aviation. Currently, Horizon Aviation is one of the few fixed-wing flight school in New England where you can use your VA benefits for flight training.

For those who are eligible to receive GI Bill Benefits, the process is simple. If you have never applied to use your VA Benefits before, you should click here.

The rules and procedures can be confusing and the VA, no matter how much they want to help, can only work under the rules defined by the law. Read this document, then give us a call or stop by and talk with us if you have any questions. Even though the VA requires you to do most of the legwork, we will be happy to guide you through the process and answer any questions you have along the way. The bottom line is that, if you qualify, we will help you use your benefits to pay for flight training.

Using Your VA Benefits for Flight Training

Have you served in the military and want to use your VA benefits to obtain your advanced flight ratings for vocational purposes? Your Veterans Administration benefits are intended to help you obtain career training. There is some important procedural information you must have and things you must do before you actually start. They are not difficult, but not doing them or doing them improperly will result in your request for reimbursement being denied - possibly after you complete your training - with no recourse.

Eligibility and Payment

• First, you must have obtained a valid Private Pilot certificate before you can receive VA benefits for advanced flight training. The VA will not pay for any portion of your primary training, but they will pay for a portion of your advanced training if you are eligible.
  
  
• It will be your responsibility to make sure that you are eligible for the program you want to enroll in. The flight school has no authority to do this for you. This process can take more than 8 weeks. Doing this application for benefits online can cut down the time to 4-6 weeks.
  
  
  
• Begin by calling the VA at 1-888-GIBILL-1 and talking with a counselor there. They will tell you what you are eligible for and what your reimbursement will be.
  
• Your advanced training must be done under FAA Part 141 rules and at a school approved for VA benefits.
  
  
• Your training must be completed within 10 years of your date of discharge from the military.
  
  
• The VA will pay a maximum of 60% of the MINIMUM number of hours stipulated by the FAA under Part 141 up to your maximum benefit.
  
  
• You will pay for the cost of your training as you go and the VA will reimburse you monthly assuming you are eligible and have completed all of the forms and requirements correctly.
  
  
• Many of our students take out a student loan to cover the up front costs and use their reimbursement to pay it back

Enrolling

• Student receives approval from VA to enroll in training program. This approval is specific to New Horizon Aviation, Inc. If the student was approved for another school or program, the student is NOT approved to enroll at New Horizon Aviation, Inc. until completion of VA Form 22-1995 is completed and approved by the VA. Form 22-1195 is a "Change of Program of Place of Training."
  
  
• Student must receive an approval letter from the VA.
  
  
• Student must possess a valid 2nd class medical certificate BEFORE starting flight training. This must be sent into the VA when you enroll. THIS IS IMPORTANT! Remember that a Second Class Medical Certificate reverts to a Third Class 12 calendar months after the date of the medical examination. Failing to have a valid 2nd class medical on the first day of your training WILL result in your claim being denied by the VA, even if you receive a 2nd class medical the next day!
  
  
• Student must meet eligibility requirements detailed in New Horizon Aviation, Incs catalog for the specific course in which the student wishes to enroll.
  
  

• If you have never used your VA benefits, you must verify your eligibility and register for benefits with the Veterans Administration. Once that is done, you must enroll in the specific training program at the flight school. If you have used your benefits in the past for any type of training and still have benefits left (verify this with the VA) you must obtain a letter from your previous place of training stating that you are no longer attending classes there. Then you must complete the program enrollment with the VA for your flight training.
  
  

• At this time, our Rhode Island location is the only site where you can use your VA benefits. If you live closer to Norwood but would like to use your VA Benefits, please
  give us a call in Providence - we'll make it worth the drive.
  

Ongoing Use of VA Benefits

• Once you are enrolled and have verified with the VA that everything is ready to go, you can start your training. You will fill out a monthly activity report that we will verify and send to the VA. You will receive your reimbursement after the VA receives and processes the form. Whether the VA reimburses the student or not is the sole responsibility of the student, not the flight school.
  
  
• You must have a valid 2nd class medical at the start of each new license. For example, a medical that is 2nd class when you started your instrument training must still be a valid 2nd class to prove eligibility when you start your commercial, CFI or any other subsequent training. In short, you MUST have a valid 2nd class medical on the day you start each course. It is ok if the 2nd class medical reverts to a 3rd class during the course, but it is required that you have a valid 2nd class medical on the day you start another phase of training.
  
  
• You must successfully pass all FAA Part 141 Stage Exams, both written and practical.
  
  
• You must conduct a minimum of 18 hours of flight instruction in each 90 day period following your date of enrollment.
  

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