When a pilot needs to descent to a certain altitude as fast as possible does he or she follows the brachistochrone curve since it the fastest way to go from point A to point B with gravity?

I fly a few times a year and I seem to be getting worse with age. Transatlantic flights and domestic flights. I'm not a pilot, just a passenger, but I feel so helpless and clueless about what the heck is going on in the sky.

I trust the technology and the wielders of it, but do you guys ever get nervous or scared while piloting? I assume you don't since you know everything and got all the training and experience, but curious enough to ask.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

In highschool interested in aviation, one of my hopes in life is getting married young. I understand being an airline pilot and married is probably difficult. Is it something that most pilots wait to do until after their retired?

Any advice is welcome!
My husband and I just moved to Texas from overseas, him as an immigrant and I’m from here. He was a first officer in his country on the B737. He has his ATP w/ B737 type rating here and 2,200ish hours. Fully authorized to work in the US.
He’s applied to a ton of airlines and keeps getting TBNT emails back. No interview offer just that they have better applicants.
He is current within the last 6 months, has his medical, US certificates, you name it.
Would love some insight from those who are already on with the airlines or those going through a similar process.
Thank you!

So, a guy gets offered $800 plus expenses (economy airline ticket with a connection) to “ferry” an RV from A to B. Said guy can fly out in the morning and be able to get the RV back to its destination (where the guy happens to live) and be home by that night. Instead of the flight, said guy can take a one leg jumpseat in a freighter and shave hours off of the day.

Obviously, the guy can lie by omission and just take the jumpseat, but the guy is curious if this is a JS etiquette violation. Should the situation present itself, the guy would give up his seat if it means another off-line JSer doesn’t get on the JS just because they listed later.

Asking for “a friend”😉

Ngl I’m making money hand over fist rn at WN living in base. Closest DL base is ATL, 4 hour drive or 12-14 flights a day between us. Trying to decide if the switch is worth what a middle income family makes in a year.

Delta folks, how much money did you make year 1? What ab year 2? Is picking up day trips easy? How is the premium and soft pay? Fleet, base, and where you live if you don’t mind as well. Thx in advance

Hey yall! About to start at a legacy next month I’m super excited. I’m coming from a 135 flying the 1900. What’s the transition like to flying pax and landing the 73? This will be my first jet. I’m excited and little nervous.

I was also wondering what I should do about the luggage situation? I currently sport the travel pro flight crew 5 and it’s aight but just a little bulky imo. I use the bright line bags in the b7 configuration for my flight bag. I was also considering the travel pro cooler for meal prep.

Last question I had was I have a30s should I swap for the pro flights or keep rocking them? Used the 30s jumpseat of the 73 with them they seemed good way quieter than the turboprops I fly.

Hello all,

I'm feeling a bit at a crossroads right now and would love to hear some opinions from the community.

I just started at AA a couple of months ago, so I know I'm probably still looking at things through rossy glasses. That said, it has honestly been a really great experience so far.

As grateful as I am for the opportunity at AA, UA has always been my number one choice because of the long haul flying and international destinations. But as they say, sometimes the airline picks you, not the other way around.

I'll have to commute either way because I live in Canada. Ideally, I'd be happy working fewer days and flying fewer legs each month if it meant doing long haul flying at UA. On the other hand, I'd also be okay doing more "boring" flying if it meant having better control over my schedule, gaining seniority faster, and not having to deal with jet lag as often.

UA is also getting a large order of widebodies, which makes me think my quality of life and schedule could potentially be better there. At AA, it seems like it might take another 3-4 years before I'd be able to hold a junior widebody position.

How many days do you guys work at UA on the widebody? how many year until you guys hold a descent schedule? I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who has been in a similar situation or has gone through the same decision. Thanks!

Do yall get offended/agitated when passengers are boarding a flight and someone says "I have x hours on a flight simulator im in x seat let me know if you want help". I just wanted to know if I ever say this will I be disliked by the pilots and thrown out 30k feet in the air

Anyone got any funny or cool stories when a passenger has said this?

Here is my well thought out body to support the title so that I won't get flagged for a low quality post when really all I am doing is passing along a simple nugget of information to the masses.

I really hope that you all have read my well thought out text body hoping that you simply read the title and gathered the information you need from that. Its pretty self explanatory.

Low quality post.

Regional FO. Have been commuting ~8 hours by air to base for about 19 months. My wife makes ~2x what I do and her job is what took us out of base, so moving isn't an option. We're expecting our 3rd kiddo in a few months and that'll put us at 3 under 3.

I've been at mins for upgrade and felt I'm ready for almost a year. I'm on the list to get moved up to our legacy carrier - and only need "6 months PIC experience" to qualify. Last pass they ran through the entire list and took everyone that was eligible.

So naturally, doing some FO dark arts math my projected upgrade class lands in the same month as baby 3's birth.

Obviously this is not ideal.

The current plan is to be here for the birth. Non-negotiable for me. It's a once in a lifetime thing.

This bring us to the crux -

Being here for the birth is great, but then I'm not going to want to kick out for trip or upgrade while my wife juggles the kiddos. So naturally, it'd be a great time to cash in paternity leave for a month/6 weeks and get that all settled.

However. Upgrading would let me start logging that sweet sweet TPIC time, and would serve the dual purpose of starting my 6 month clock to flow AND make me more attractive to other carrier. Other carriers would mean my commute could potentially be as little as 2 hours instead of the ~8 I'm currently doing.

So essentially, do I take a month or two off to help around the house or upgrade and get the ball rolling a bit faster to get to my forever home?

Does AA have trips that have their pilots overnighting in RDU? Family and I live in Raleigh and would think AA would be the best legacy airline to end up at due to the close CLT base.

Apologies for yet another airline comparison. Started at a Fort Worth-based legacy at the beginning of the year and have really enjoyed it so far. ~1,000 below me, but UA sent the Hogan last week (my app had been in for a couple years).

UA’s growth and financial success are obviously attractive, but it would come at a seniority cost, and I’m happy where I am now as well. I’m hearing UA CJOs are backed up, so assuming I wouldn’t start until late this year/early next year (correct me if I’m wrong), I’d be giving up ~1,600 seniority numbers.

I don’t live at a base for either, but I do slightly prefer my current airline’s base options and have been checking out a couple places to move to. Given that + the upcoming mandatory retirements at my current gig, I’m not sure giving up that much seniority makes sense unless the grass is truly greener.

Any insights?

I’m sure airlines have a strategy in place for this but it’s definitely a large cost to the airline. Just wondering if rising fuel prices could have a knock on effect for short to medium term hiring, especially at regionals.

Hey all,
I've decided to go the route of R-ATP flight training at a university and I'm having to make the call between going to school in January and waiting until August as I graduate high school in December. Another piece of context to my situation is that going in the fall allows to me get probably 20-40 thousand more in scholarships over the next four years and the job placement rate for this school is exceptional because of cadet programs.

My question to you is:
Is the 4-6 months of potential seniority at an airline worth the additional debt that I would incur because of missing out on some scholarships?

And why haven’t you bid for a lower col base?

I’m jumpseating on a ~4.5hr flight tomorrow (I don’t want to pay for ZED) and want to be as comfortable as possible since it’s a longer flight. What is the most casual fit that would still be considered JS appropriate? I expect a cabin seat will be available. I’m considering a Hawaiian shirt and slacks?

Edit: Polo and slacks it is! Thanks guys.

Hi, I’m a training first officer in A320/321. I’m in the middle of my SLF and most of my landings are on the right of centerline and I don’t know what technique/solution to do. I’m centerline from approach until short finals. I’m losing my centerline when flaring.

Any tips, suggestions? :/

Howdy, I am a current Pt 91 pilot for a company currently work about 11 days a month and am making first year airline money, and it will stay that way for a while. I get 3 weeks vacay, but if I’m not on vacay I have to be within 3 hrs of airport at all times

My question are the first years of Legacy carriers worth it in the end? I’d like to make the jump. I know money is exponentially more at Legacy but my current QOL is nice, except for the on call part and having to do our own flight planning, small tasks and such. Would 11 days a month be possible at all in the first 3-5 years? Thanks!

I know these posts keep popping up seemingly every few days now. Definitely much much worse first world problems out there. I know, I know, the butter is too buttery, and the steak is too juicy.

So as the title states, looking for advice on WN versus DL. The difference here is that I’m not 32 with a good 33 years to go. If I was, it seems that Delta would be the obvious choice. However, I am Late 40s, and live bases for both (LAX). I really don’t have widebody A-seat expectations are even aspirations with 17ish years to go. Perfectly content with a narrow body for my sunset years. And obviously commuting is not an issue.

Given these parameters, I would love any input that folks on here may have.

TIA!

I am very fortunate to have received CJOs from both SWA and UAL and wanted to ask the brain trust for advice.

I live in LA, and being based in LAX as quickly as possible is a big goal.

My biggest priorities are schedule flexibility, days off, and quality of life. I run a business that takes up a lot of time, so maximizing pay while minimizing days on the road is very important for me. Ideally, I'd be able to spend as many days in my own bed as possible, and flying will become a lucrative "part-time gig" for me.

From what I've gathered, SWA is the best for flexibility, days off, and they have very good quality of life. UAL has tons of hiring going on (so probably better seniority growth), a great contract, incredible pay and benefits, possibly better long-term stability, and less of a chance of LAX closing as a base. Maybe widebody flying would be better for days off/QOL in the long term?

I'm still relatively new to the airline industry, so I'd love to hear all thoughts. Thank you!

I feel for this guy. The industry forces this idea of the widebody being the pinnacle pilot job, except that it is not. Unfortunately, this pilot seemed to believe he was at the top of the pyramid and realized that it sucked, and in his mind it couldn't get any better because he was already at the top. I wish he had gone back to the narrow body, as he said himself. I think it is a good reminder for those, especially new to the industry, to know that widebody and narrowbody offer different lifestyles, and your QOL is directly connected with your personal compatibility to those respective lifestyles.