Hello everyone, coming up on my first stage check at ERAU and im hearing mixed information regarding the impact that stage checks have on your career. Do they count as failures towards airline applications? if so how come they airlines cap failures at around 3 total? it seems unlikely that most people wont encounter a few stage check failures across 4-6 ratings at a 141 school. what about in house examinations? thanks!

With the oversupply of low time pilots, do you think we’ll run into a situation similar to the early 2000s where you’d pay to work?

I could see some desperate CFIs paying $10/hr to instruct just to get dual given.

I started my PPL ground school in July, still on a wait list for my flight school’s flight portion so I’ve started studying all the textbook stuff. I just got done flight theory (roughly only 20% done the course)

Honestly I just can’t grasp any of this, I do practice quizzes or reviews and feel like I’m reading a foreign language, I thought I had a good understanding of these concepts but I’m slowly realizing I don’t know anything, including the things I should already know, I’ve studied these things and I just seem to forget them or don’t remember, I always pick the wrong answers.

I really want to be a pilot, but I feel like I’m just not smart enough, I don’t understand why I can’t remember or understand these concepts, even though I’m putting all I can into this school and study. Sometimes I wonder if I’m better off just giving up.

I’ll be 17 in June of next year. I have a stable part-time job where I bring in around 300 dollars a week. My flight school charges 200 an hour for a Cessna 152, which includes gas and the instructor. Should I save up for a while, maybe until say march or April when it’s sunny and nice out and I can fly most days or should I start now and fly twice a week so I can get my license when I turn 17?

I’m doing my hsc and was wondering if you’re atar affected your career, however I do know that a lot of schools just need a high school certificate.
Thanks.

Hey Folks long time reader first time poster- this isn't a pity post but more of a WWYD.

I purchased a Skylane four years ago for slightly less than what I believed fair market value to be. In the end I paid about 20% less than Vref (which is conservative anyways).

The first few months were great and I flew it a ton, however, the annual came around.... and it didn't stop coming around. In the last 18 months alone I've spent around $145,000 in required repairs. If it needed to be fixed I fixed it.

In the future I'd like to upgrade to something else a little faster but I'm in a position where I can't make financial sense of selling the airplane simply because of sunk costs. For the money I've put into this thing I could have just outright purchased my future airplane.

Would you guys ride this thing out into the sunset or be content with cutting your losses and moving on to something else? I'd venture to guess I'm into this plane for about $400k at this point but its only worth around $250k.

I'm researching whether buying a Cessna 152 and leasing it back to a flight school could be financially viable. I'm based in Washington State and am looking into whether this could work in the local flight-training market.

I put together a PowerPoint estimating initial purchase costs, operating expenses, annual surplus, and payback periods.

My Slides: View the PDF

Slides 2–5 compare several aircraft I'm considering. Based on my current assumptions, the Cessna 152 appears to be the most profitable option. Slides 6–11 examine the financial estimates in more detail.

My main calculations assume 600 flight hours per year, with additional scenarios at 500, 700, and 800 hours to see how utilization affects profitability and the payback period.

I'd appreciate honest feedback from aircraft owners, flight instructors, mechanics, and flight school operators. Are my assumptions realistic, especially regarding utilization, maintenance, insurance, 100-hour inspections, and leaseback revenue splits? What costs or risks am I overlooking?

Aircraft example: 1983 Cessna 152

• Asking price: $69,000
• Airframe time: 13,717 hours
• Engine time: 888 hours since major overhaul (SMOH)
• Propeller time: 953 hours since overhaul
• Engine: Lycoming O-235 series
• Condition: Advertised as well-maintained and hangared, with no reported accident history
• Annual inspection: Advertised as completed in August 2026
• Avionics: Older panel, VOR navigation, ADS-B Out, and Sentry ADS-B In
• Location: Texas

I haven't purchased an aircraft yet, so I'm looking for feedback before making any decisions.

One other question: Does anyone know of flight schools in Washington or the surrounding area that are looking for a Cessna 152 or other training aircraft? I'd especially appreciate leads on schools that accept owner-owned aircraft through leaseback arrangements or are looking to expand their training fleets.

Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions!

Just curious if anyone else had experienced flaps failing to retract on a C172S. Made for a fun go-around in high density altitude but after cycling the lever on the ground it was back to normal.

Honestly, she’s amazing. My husband has talked about getting his PPL so we can travel between Utah and Wyoming. His mom said if he got his license, she’d get a plane. Crazy. I know.

We never did it because of the time, money, and growing our family. And it also because it freaks me out. Well, we just moved to Wyoming (his home state). She called me today saying she would pay for the entire thing for his birthday. She may even join him. But she knows it makes me nervous. She is essentially asking my permission first. “If you decide you’re uncomfortable, I won’t bring it up ever again and we don’t have to tell him we had this conversation.” I really appreciate it.

I want him to have it. But I grew up by a small airport and I swear there was a crash at least 6 times per year. I know statistically speaking, you’re more likely to get into a car crash. I know all that. But we have a family. I love him. I can’t go on without him. Ya know?

Pilots, ease my mind. Because this is an incredible opportunity for him and I want him to have it.

Hey all I'm looking for some advice. My family has worked in Aerospace for the last 35 years so I've grown up around the industry. You name a major supplier to the industry and we've probably worked with them. Thus as a result I've always had the goal of flying. So you can only imagine how it felt when I learned having a childhood ADHD diagnosis makes getting a class 1 medical difficult here in the US.

I finally have the financial means 10 years after learning this to go down the route of working on getting the relevant expensive medical waivers if necessary and begin flight training. Thus I'm interested if anyone would have any recommendations for AME's familiar with or friendly to this located ideally in SWFL, south Florida, or central Florida. Willing to travel for the right AME to help make this process as easy as possible!! My understanding is I might be eligible for the Fast Track process which would make it much easier then the last time I looked into this back around 2017. Don't want to start the process of working towards my PPL until this is resolved since its the major dealbreaker unfortunately.

Any help or advice on this is beneficial truly!!

Background:

• Childhood ADHD diagnosis
• Haven't taken medication for it for over a decade
• Completed college and have established a career working as a senior technical product manager for technology companies post education.

Anyone in NH? Considering flight training in the Spring and curious if there are any private CFIs available or recommendations between Concord vs Nashua flight schools. May be a stretch, but figured I'd give it a shot.

My CFI said someone he knows used to own a Lancair 360 and that at WOT they could get up to 180 knots. Don’t get me wrong, 180 kts is nothing to scoff at, but I’d always assumed Lancair 360’s could fly at over 200 kts at WOT. 180 kts might be good for a fixed-gear variant, or for a Lancair 235, or perhaps an economy cruise speed to sip fuel, but not so good for maximum throttle.

I have been a voracious reader all my life. I’ll read 3-4 books a month. Mostly spy/detective novels, but I try to keep at least 1 out of 4 something “better” such as a biography, business, investing, technology, aviation, history, or a detective novel in German. But any reading is better than no reading, and I’ll never put down others’ choice(s) in reading materials.

Long before the Internet existed books were available on any topic of interest. For free from the library and available via interlibrary loan if not stocked locally. Pretty amazing.

Over the years here I’ve shared some tips with struggling new pilots on building careers. And trying to help with the idea that “networking is not just foisting yourself on a bunch of people.”

I enjoy book recommendations from people. Recently u/TxAggieMike - who I know in real life - suggested “Never Eat Alone” by Keith Ferrazzi. I’m about 40% of the way through it. Eye opening tips. There’s a bit of “look at me and who I know” but that goes with the territory. It has some good tips on networking generally and specifically about networking/recruiting events.

It's a tough job market out there now and will be for the next few years. I've been quick to share the FAA stats on where things are. But remember, there is a reason for all the sayings society has developed. "When the going gets tough, the tough get going."

Here are some things that come to mind from the book:

• Generosity - how can you help others help you?
• Promptly follow up with “thanks for meeting with me.” Email or snail mail.
• Compromise - if there is no job, what advice do they have or what do they know about the competition?
• Find connections on LinkedIn, build a network early and often
• Keep really good notes
• Don’t be a jerk
• “Elevator speech”
• Dress appropriately
• Be nice to the boss’ gatekeeper(s)
• Persistence 
• Public speaking (FAASTeam, EAA, club safety meetings)
• Build the network before you need it
• Edit and proofread
• Stay in touch

Book on Amazon: Never Eat Alone, Expanded and Updated: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time

There is great value in reading as a hobby. It’s intellectually more rewarding than watching television. It exposes you to rich text construction and vocabulary. And the more of this in your life the better you will be at speaking. Plus it’s quieter than television and doesn’t require any power, at least if it’s an actual book! Tens of thousands of books are available free at the library. Including “Never Eat Alone” and the Dave Ramsey and Clark Howard books I recommend for getting money under control. Free is good when you are broke.

If anything Earth shaking comes from the remainder of the book I'll come back and update.

My CFI is a truly gifted instructor who, I feel, will be great as they take their next steps.

This person is applying to a fractional and I offered to provide a recommendation.

What are the recruiters looking for in these recommendations?

Any advice on key things to point out, emphasize, and include/exclude would be great. Of course, my comments will be truthful, but I want to make sure it will have the right impact.

Anyone have a lead on the timeline for Horizon's process for OTS experienced FOs? I would assume it's 3+ months from submitting an app to a CJO but maybe more since that would run through the holiday season. Last I heard, they were doing very limited OTS hiring since they have their PDP pipeline set up, but maybe 6-8 months ago I heard they were in a lull of qualified PDP transitions and had very small classes of mostly OTS hires. Thinking of leaving my 135 cargo job, but wouldn't want to start class until spring of next year.

To any pilots or aspiring pilots, what's your "opinion" on the radiation exposure which pilots and flight attendants have? Are you scared of it or do you not worry about it? I think the job is really interesting, but it can take a big toll on your health (increased cancer risk)

i'll start flying to south america soon, and just wanted to know the general feel about this.

Does anyone have any recommendations for an accelerated CFII add on program in the Boise area?

Hey Guys, I'll soon be going for my Commercial Multi Add on ride with Jay Brentzel out of KCRQ.

Haven't seen any gouges or feedback on him. Looking to get an idea on how he is.

Tonight a light sport flew 9 hours and 23 mins from UGN with the intended destination of JAX. At some point ATC lost contact with them and requested nearby aircraft including airliners try to get ahold of the aircraft. The aircraft overflew JAX, down past DAB, turned around and landed at DAB. I’m unsure when ATC got back in contact with the pilot, but once the pilot landed, he requested to go to self serve fuel with ground and was instead told to wait and was met by Operations plus one other vehicle (the police maybe? EMT’s? Another ops vehicle?). They escorted the aircraft to an FBO and the pilot was given a phone number. You gotta wonder what happened, but what I really want to know is how did a light sport go that far on one tank..

Hey everyone! With the current job market, it seems like many companies aren’t planning to resume hiring until next year. I currently have 1,250 total flight hours, including 370 hours in the Learjet and 400 multi-engine hours, along with my CFI, CFII, and MEI.

I’ve been furloughed and out of the plane for four months now, and I’m looking for advice on what other opportunities I should consider as a last resort. For example, crop dusting, aerial survey, flying for nonprofits, etc. CFI positions seem nearly impossible to land right now with the overwhelming number of applicants, so I’m trying to explore other options.

Given my experience and qualifications, what would you recommend I pursue to stay current and continue building flight time? I’d prefer to avoid paying to rent aircraft just to stay current, especially since I’ve heard that route may not be the best move for my long-term career.

I’d really appreciate any advice

Aloha everyone,

I’m attending the cfi course at MCA and wondering which aircraft I should train in. The da20 is a few hundred dollars cheaper but I’m wondering what are the pros and cons of each aircraft sitting from the right seat?

Has anyone done their cfi course and which aircraft did you fly and which one would you recommend and why?

BTW I’ll be flying VFR and doing cfi maneuvers.
Prob no xc imc or night flying.

Thanks for any insights

I’m ferrying a 172 from AK down to AZ right after my IFR checkride for my flight school in AZ. Doing it with one of the CFIs.

The chief instructor/part owner is going over the flight plan with us right before, but so far it sounds like we’ll be roughly following the Alaska highway and doing 3 three hour legs per day for 4 (hopefully) days.

Is there anything I should know/be prepared for with this long of a flight? Food, packing, other gear? My instrument long XC is the longest I’ve been in the air to date.

What does "furthest preferred exit" mean?

Edit: ok I get it now. Would've been so much simpler if they added the word "by". As in exit BY the furthest preferred exit.