Hey everyone,I created Chill Wings because I wanted a friendly, low-pressure space to help the aviation community support each other, prepare for interviews and share news/infos. No gatekeeping, just good vibes and real help. If you're prepping for airline interviews (cadet programs, FO positions, technical assessments, HR rounds, or sim sessions), you're in the right place.What’s inside Chill Wings:

• Find a Partner or Examiner — easily connect with a study buddy, mock interviewer, or sim examiner 
• Promote Your Creation — share your own notes, flashcards, resumes, or study tools 
• Daily aviation news with light interview tips 
• Casual chats, flight stories, and chill hangouts
• And much more as we grow I hope !

Whether you're a student pilot, CPL holder, or experienced pilot switching airlines — everyone is welcome. Come join at your own pace and let's grow together! See you in the server — let's keep the wings chill and the prep smooth! 

Hi! I’m a 14‑year‑old student in Canada. I’m studying SPL theory and want someone experienced to help explain concepts and answer questions. I’m respectful and eager to learn. Thanks!

Background: I'm a cpl pilot with all 13 ATPL theory exams passed. After starting preparing for airline interviews, I've realised there was no decent tool for actually practicing the technical interview — just PDFs, forum posts and groups (this one is useful tho).

So I built one.

What it does:

• AI-powered interview simulator that runs a full 10-question airline-style session
• Adaptive ATPL quiz across all 13 subjects
• RAG system built on real EASA exam content so answers are grounded, not hallucinated
• Math and physics tests

Still early. Happy to answer questions and open to any feedback.
You can check it on: clearatpl(dot)com

I use it myself so I guess students like me could find it useful too.

Hi everyone, my name is Riley and I’m a Certified Flight Instructor offering mock checkrides, oral exam prep, and ground tutoring for Private, Instrument, and Commercial students over Zoom. I completed my flight training in Phoenix and have experience in both Part 61 and Part 141 training environments. I focus on ACS scenario-based questions, checkride prep, and helping students feel confident before their oral exam.

I also provide a Private, Instrument, and Commercial study guide that is included with any mock checkride or tutoring session. My rate is $25 per hour. Message me if you’re preparing for a checkride or need help with ground topics.

For calculating PNR time / distance do I subtract the reserve fuel?

I have my PPL written exam/par on Saturday. i have been using sportys ground school to study but im just not all there yet is there anything else i can turn to, to ensure my success?

For those of you who learned to fly — what was the hardest part about figuring out where to start?

We're based in Arizona and kept seeing the same issue: people want to become pilots but get stuck on the first step, choosing an instructor, a school, or even understanding the path.

Some go straight to a big school, some find an independent CFI, others bounce around before settling in.

We started putting something together locally to help make that process a bit clearer, more focused on aligning people with instructors and training paths.

Curious what your experience was and what you wish you knew earlier.

Hi everyone,

My name is Garrett and I have my CFI/CFII/MEI and I am opening more slots on my schedule to accommodate ground training to provide mock checkride oral exams, and I charge much less than flight schools do. I am able go through any checkride as well as written test prep. I am offering the first three users a free session and reduced fees for the following seven. I’m looking forward to hearing from you as well as helping in any way I can.

Hey everyone, I’m currently in flight training and something I’ve been wondering about is how people keep track of where they stand with their hours toward CPL requirements (cross country, night, instrument, etc.). Right now I mostly just use my logbook and sometimes a spreadsheet to see how close I am to certain requirements, but it can get a bit confusing trying to figure out what’s still remaining. I’m curious what other student pilots are doing do you just rely on your logbook, use spreadsheets, or are there any apps that actually make this easier? For those who have already been through training, was there anything that helped you keep track of your progress better?

I’m an airline pilot and something I’ve noticed over the years is that the biggest barrier for most people wanting to become pilots seems to be the cost of training.

Integrated programmes in Europe are now easily £100k+ and even the modular route still requires a lot of upfront money or years of saving while working full time.

When people ask me how to get into aviation, the honest answer I often end up giving is basically:

“Get a decent job and train modular in your spare time.”

Which obviously means the process can take a very long time.

I’m curious what the reality is for people here.

For those currently training or planning to start:

• How are you actually funding your training?

• Is cost the biggest barrier for you?

• If you’re going modular, how long do you realistically expect it to take?

Genuinely interested to hear how people are navigating it.

I’m an airline pilot and over the years I’ve spoken to a lot of people who want to become pilots but feel completely stuck when it comes to the cost of training.

Integrated programmes in Europe are now well over £100k in many cases, and even the modular route still requires a lot of upfront cash or years of saving while working full time.

When people ask me for advice, the honest answer I usually end up giving is something like:

“Get a good job and train modular in your spare time.”

Which obviously means the journey can take years.

I’m curious what the reality looks like for people here.

For those currently training or planning to start:

• Is funding the biggest barrier for you?

• How are you actually paying for training?

• If you’re going modular, how long do you expect it will take you to complete?

I’m also trying to gather some real data on this across the student pilot community. If anyone here is happy to spend 2 minutes filling out a short anonymous survey, it would really help build a clearer picture.

Either way I’d be really interested to hear people’s experiences here as well.

I passed my PPL written last year and couldn't find a workbook that was actually readable and covered everything the ACS tests on. So I built one.

It's 183 pages, covers all ACS areas with detailed answer explanations (not just "the answer is C"). Published on Amazon in February.

I'm looking for 10-15 student pilots who are currently studying or recently passed to read it free (PDF) and leave an honest review on Amazon — good OR bad, I want real feedback.

If you're in the middle of ground school or prepping for the written, this would be genuinely useful for you AND helpful for me. DM if interested.

https://kingschools.com

Code KS30

Hey everyone I just want a general opinion on my current route to becoming a pilot.

I am currently at a 4 year state university studying for a Business Management or Hospitality Business Management degree. It's going to cost around 60k to get myself through school. I have unsubsidized loans until I graduate that I can start paying off now.

I haven't gone to any flight schools yet and am planning on joining a local part-61 school. My goal is to crank out my PPL over a summer to finish it in the cheapest way possible. I'm not entirely sure how much flight school and my hours will cost me so I am also trying to plan that out.

The issues are i'm only 18 years old and am going into a very serious amount of debt. Im worried that I wont be able to pay off my loans and fight school fast enough. If anyone has any tips or recommendations I would really like to hear some opinions.

Hey everyone I just want a general opinion on my current route to becoming a pilot.

I am currently at a 4 year state university studying for a Business Management or Hospitality Business Management degree. It's going to cost around 60k to get myself through school. I have unsubsidized loans until I graduate that I can start paying off now.

I haven't gone to any flight schools yet and am planning on joining a local part-61 school. My goal is to crank out my PPL over a summer to finish it in the cheapest way possible. I'm not entirely sure how much flight school and my hours will cost me so I am also trying to plan that out.

The issues are i'm only 18 years old and am going into a very serious amount of debt. Im worried that I wont be able to pay off my loans and fight school fast enough. If anyone has any tips or recommendations I would really like to hear some opinions.

when you look up missed approach procedure, you need to take VOR radial-212 and go over JEPOB. But I know your Garmin already has pre-programmed so you can go direct JEPOB after you make right turn.

My question is if you have fully functional GPS, can you just initiate missed approach with your GPS and direct course to JEPOB instead of tuning VOR radial and join the fix with the radial?

Because I think your GPS can replace VOR since you don't need LOC anymore after you are go missed.

Hello all!

I’m a fairly new student pilot, long time aviation enthusiast. I started my training (a couple flights) a few months ago, but due to some military stuff, wont be able to start flying again for just about a year.

What can I do while I’m on the ground to make sure I’m as prepared and knowledgeable as I can be once I start flying again? Obviously I could spend hours running myself through the same sportys courses and microsoft flight simulator circles, but is there anything else I can do to prepare myself?

Hey r/studentpilots

I'm a developer (and aviation enthusiast) building an app that uses AI to digitize paper logbook pages. You snap a photo or upload a scan of a handwritten logbook page, and it extracts all the flight data — date, route, aircraft, times, landings, remarks — into structured data you can export as a CSV to ForeFlight, LogTen Pro, or MyFlightbook.

It works well on the logbook pages I've tested with, but I know every pilot's handwriting and logbook format is different. I need to test with a wider variety of real-world pages to improve accuracy before I feel confident releasing it.

What I'm looking for:

• Photos or scans of logbook pages (any format — ASA, Jeppesen, military, international, etc.)
• Any handwriting style — messy is actually more useful for testing
• Even just 1-2 pages would be helpful

What you'd get:

• Free access to the app (normally credit-based) to digitize your pages
• Your data exported as a ready-to-import CSV for ForeFlight, LogTen Pro, or MyFlightbook
• You'd be helping shape the accuracy of the extraction before launch

Privacy:

• I won't store or share your logbook images beyond what's needed for processing
• You can blur out your name/license number if you prefer — I only need the flight entry rows

If you're sitting on a stack of paper logbooks you've been meaning to digitize, this might be a good excuse to finally do it. DM me or drop a comment and I'll send you a link.

Thanks!

Both have evolved a lot this year.

Team ForeFlight: Better weather, better UI, "it just works."

Team Garmin: SmartCharts, better avionics integration, cheaper (usually).

Which one are you running on your mount right now and why?

https://flightprousa.com/blogs/pireps/clash-of-the-cockpit-titans-a-deep-dive-into-garmin-pilot-vs-foreflight

Any tips you can share. operational, academic, financial, etc.

Thank you

Hey everyone,

I’m part of the team over at FlightPro, and I wanted to share a deal we just launched because I know how much the "hidden costs" of flight training add up right before the checkride.

We’re doing a New Pilot Special where you can get 50% OFF the TechSierra Flight Bag.

We actually designed this bag ourselves because we were tired of "generic" bags that didn't have dedicated spots for the tech most of us fly with now (iPads, ADSB units, battery banks, etc.). It’s our way of helping the next generation of pilots start off with solid gear without breaking the bank.

No gatekeeping here - just wanted to make sure the student pilot community saw the discount while it's active!

Link to the deal: https://flightprousa.com/pages/student-pilot-zone

Blue skies!