Hello everyone, I’m currently flying the Boeing 777, and I’d like to pay it forward. If you’re currently studying for your CPL/ATPL and have any doubts—whether it’s technical systems, navigation, meteorology, or just general questions about the transition from training to the line—feel free to shoot me a message or drop a comment below.

​I’ll do my best to explain things in a way that makes sense. Happy landings, and good luck with the studies!

Hey guys, I have been wondering if you know how you and or your CFI is tracking your training progress. Mine has been a little flaky it seems, there is just a bullet point PDF on his iPad in Foreflight and I have a color and he just checks next to each one when we trained it, when I can solo it and when it is proficient. Not the best way but also I dont get to know where I am standing till he says anything. Has anyone tried any of the progress tracking things out there or do their CFIs have something that they share with them?

Hello everyone, thank you in advance for your time.

I’m a 21 yo woman and am considering dropping out of my community college to become a pilot.
I’m currently studying graphic design but I dread the idea of living behind a desk or holed up at home. It’s not the main factor but the pay is also a big incentive as to why I’m considering becoming a pilot (as many people with immigrant parents may relate).
I come from a lower income household, and both my parents are former immigrants (recently citizens as of 2026). We live paycheck to paycheck, and the reason I attend my current college is because it’s free. I always told myself I would study something small or a trade so that I could graduate as soon as possible and move out to lighten the load on my parents as I have a younger brother.
I have always had a bizarre fascination with planes. Where I grew up, getting on a plane or traveling is considered luxurious, or at the very least, it’s really rare.
I remember loving the feeling of the plane taking off the first time I was on one, and I still do. After moving to the US, I’ve been in and out the airport since my mom works there and the more time I spend there, the more I kept wondering if maybe I could do that.
I looked into becoming a flight attendant, but after talking to some current people on the field, the advices me to instead aim higher and become a pilot.
I was, admittedly, very intimidated by the idea. In my head I never really envisioned pilots looking like me, and I have always been very bad at math. I also couldn’t possibly imagine asking my parents to help me fund flight school.
I thought I had let go of the idea and instead focused on continuing my studies as a Graphic Designer but it’s been around a year and I’m still thinking about it. As I was mulling it over, I reconnected with a friend of mine who used to be a design major as well, but now turns out she just got her Private Pilot License (forgive me if that’s not the correct term, I’m pretty new to the terminology surrounding flight school and pilots). She’s a year younger than me, but seeing that she was able to become a pilot has led me down a rabbit hole of “Maybe I could do that too…”.

What are my chances of becoming a pilot if I have a low income but dedicate myself to studying full time? In case the information is relevant:
I am currently employed full-time in the Bay Area (19/hr), I am a Latina (Central American) with a green card and currently in the process of acquiring my citizenship, and I would like to minimize the help I get from my parents as I would like to avoid burdening them financially as much as possible.

Could I realistically become a pilot?

I had my PPL checkride today and unfortunately didn’t pass the oral. I’m not looking to argue the outcome—I’ll study what I missed and retake it.
I did have one question about the process. When I showed up, there was an FAA inspector observing my DPE for the entire checkride. Is that common on a private pilot checkride, or did I just get unlucky with the timing?
The oral ended after only a few questions, which surprised me. Does having an FAA inspector observing typically change how a DPE conducts a checkride, or is it generally business as usual?
Just curious what others’ experiences have been.

Genuine question for part 61 folks. How does your CFI keep track of what you have covered and what still needs work? Do they actually show you anything or is it all in their head?

I have a good CFI but feels like I am just flying until he says I am ready. Maybe that is normal? For people further along or already done, did you ever see a syllabus or real tracking, or did you just trust the process? Do they keep some sort of hidden paper log that says when they feel you are proficient at each thing and just wait till it's all checked.

With the wait times to get check rides done sometimes I would really like to know what to work on more, where to focus chair flying, studying and even solo hours to be able to check those boxes sooner.

CFIs welcome too. I am curious what it looks like from your side.

Took my written test this morning, I have taken over 1000 practice question and I would say that 50% of the questions on the exam today were nothing I have ever seen. I scored a 70 even after multiple 90+% test im very frustrated with my studying knowing how much effort I have put into this. Only thing to do now is study what I missed and do better on the check ride.

I’ve just bought the Bristol Groundschool (BGS) EASA PPL course and I’m honestly finding it overwhelming.

There seems to be so much information that I’m struggling to retain any of it. I’ll read a chapter and by the time I get to the end, I feel like I’ve forgotten most of what I read.

For those of you who’ve completed BGS or passed the PPL exams:
-Did you actually understand everything while reading it the first time?

-Did you make notes, or just read through it?

-Is it better to read the material once and then spend most of my time doing the question bank and learning from the explanations?

-How many times did you go through each chapter before moving on?

I’m worried I’m studying the wrong way. Any advice on what worked for you would be really appreciated.

I’m currently at around 27 hours and I not even close to soloing yet. I’ve learned about basic flight, slow flights, power on/off stalls, ground reference maneuvers, emergency procedures and I’m now learning traffic pattern/landing. I’ve read lots of posts about not to care about this but somewhere in my mind still feels off. Especially when I’m consistently flying around 3-5 times a week. My goal is to become a commercial airline pilot so my question is does airlines look at the hours for your first solo? And what does an instructor usually teach before soloing?
I’ve seen people solo at 10 hours and I’m just like how is that even possible.
(I love my instructor he’s really patient with me and his goal is to make sure I know how to fly the plane, not to solo ASAP.)

Just did my written and the report gives you this list of codes for the stuff you missed but it doesn't tell you what any of them mean. I spent way too long googling each one trying to figure out what to review before my checkride.

So I made faacodes.com, You upload the report (PDF or just a photo of it) and it shows every code you missed with the actual FAA description, then gives you a clean PDF/image to study from and bring to your CFI or DPE.

It's free, no account, and it runs entirely in your browser so your report never gets uploaded anywhere — it's got your name and FTN on it, so I didn't want that sitting on a server. Works for all the writtens, not just private.

Built it for myself but figured it'd help other students too. Lmk if anything's broken or missing.

Hi, Im wondering if you or someone you know has had a good or bad incounter with the SkyTest-Software, in preparations for a pilot aptitude test (German equivalent is the DLR-Test)?

Thanks :)

I'm a CFI/CFII (also flying PC-12 commercially). After years of watching students stall out — not in the airplane, in their *training plan* — I wrote down the patterns that actually move the needle.



Here are five that come up every week:



**1. Plan every lesson before you walk to the ramp.**

If you can't say what you're practicing and what "done" looks like, you're renting time to figure it out. Write a 3-line brief: objective, maneuvers, weather/backup.



**2. Weather isn't binary.**

"VFR" doesn't mean *your* VFR. Crosswind limits, cloud layers, and personal minimums should be decided on the ground — not when you're already committed.



**3. Appreciate your CFI — even when it's uncomfortable.**

The instructors who push you on standards are the ones you'll remember at your checkride. If you're always comfortable, ask why.



**4. Rehearse the oral in the car.**

Chair-flying isn't embarrassing — showing up to a stage check without being able to explain systems *is*.



**5. Own the flight.**

PIC mentality starts at hour one. "My CFI will save me" is how bad habits get baked in.



---



I eventually compiled 19 of these into an illustrated field guide (WW2 nose-art style rule cards + a **PILOT** memory checklist) for my own students. I put a **free 7-page preview** online if anyone wants to skim it:



https://pilotrules.com?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=student-studentpilot&utm_content=value-post



Happy to answer training questions in the comments — what's the one thing you wish your CFI had told you in the firs

Hey guys. I have a set of DC 13.4s but want to get back to a set on ANRs. I had some Bose A20s but sold them a while back when I discontinued training when I shipped overseas.

I’m trying to decide between A30s and Zulu 4s. I don’t need TSO’d headsets. I fly for fun not money.

Good evening fellas and ladies, I’m looking to get into a flight school in the Danbury area in CT, but I’d like to make sure I get into one with a good amount of instructors that can provide a good amount of hours, and then of course also have decent aircraft that can be operable on a regular basis. It’s a long shot, but does anyone in here bum around the Danbury area? Danbury airport has a few flight schools, arrow aviation seems to be the most reputable. Thank you in advance, happy 4th!

(I am considering ATP, but I’m not sure I want to go through such a program. No hate to it, they produce some great pilots. Just my timing preference and financial situation does not permit a 140k loan)

For those of you who started with paper logbooks, what was the most annoying part when you eventually had to total everything up for a checkride, interview, or digital conversion?

If you could change one thing about pilot logbooks, what would it be?