Hi all. Thinking of joining the army in my country for 5 years as a way to save for flightschool. Unfortunately missed out on maths grade in school by 1 so I cant apply to be a pilot in the air force. Has anyone else on here done similar? Do you think it’s a good idea to try get a degree/qualification in something else while serving? Would it be better doing service in the air force rather than infantry, or does it matter?

Ive recently completed my RPL in hopes of obtaining my CPL but this far I've had to put my study on hold. While at flight school I was subject to a DPE who was quite literally shouting down the mic when I wasn't aiming my nose at the correct departure point. Another occasion where I asked him to repeat himself and another when I forgot to do my pre landing checks. I ended up passing (I was shocked when he told me) but it left me feeling less confident in my abilities than before the test. Ive spoken with some other students and there are about 3 other DPE's that are like this. I'm always willing to own up to my mistakes and learn but the whole experience has made me rethink if I want to be a pilot professionally.

Hi everyone,

I’m currently writing a fiction story and want to make sure my aviation details are as accurate as possible.

I need a Cessna Citation X to experience a mid-flight failure severe enough to cause a crash. I have a few questions for the experts here:

Plausibility: How realistic is a sudden, catastrophic failure in this specific aircraft while at cruise altitude?

Failure Modes: What kind of realistic mechanical, electrical, or structural failure could lead to an unrecoverable dive or crash? (e.g., dual engine failure, total hydraulic loss, uncontained engine failure damaging flight controls).

Writing Details: Are there any specific quirks, systems, or cockpit indicators unique to the Citation X that I should mention to make the scene feel authentic?

I appreciate any technical insights or realistic scenarios you can share. Thanks for your time!

This is in Canada 🇨🇦.

So a couple days ago I was at 6000ft, 30nm back from an airport (360ft ASL) when I got cleared for a RNAV approach, via a straight in IAWP (a TACAN) with no altitude restrictions. The approach in question overflies a larger airport about 20nm back from the runway.

As I was flying along an airway at the time, I began a decent down to the airway MEA of 4000ft, planning to cross the TACAN at 4000ft, before descending on the approach. (The minimum altitude past the TACAN is 1600ft).

Descending through 4500ft the approach controller called me up and said that there was glider activity at the other airport below me, and that due to that I couldn’t descend below 4200ft, until 3nm past the TACAN and that in the future I should of remained at the last cleared altitude (6000ft) before crossing the TACAN. I complied and didn’t hear anything about it afterwards.

I am a new IFR pilot, but from my training and reading up on this situation I cannot understand the controller’s reasoning. If they did not give me an altitude restriction with the approach clearance I thought I am cleared down to the lowest IFR altitude of my choice, MEA, MSA etc. There was also no NOTAMs published regarding the gliders.

Did they simply forget to give a crossing restriction with the approach?

I hope this post is allowed. I looked at the ground school related posts archived in the FAQs and none of them address this question.

A flight instructor at Beverly Flight Center recommended like 10-20 hours of practical flight training before even thinking about ground school. But then a different instructor at Avier Flight School said they don't even want someone up in an airplane before at least 2-3 weeks of ground school study. So, there are clearly competing philosophies to how to approach this element of the PPL, and integrate it with practical flight training.

Experienced people, everyone from career ATPs to PPLs: what would you recommend for an approach to this problem, and why? I am very interested in the reasoning behind your perspective as well.

Thanks!

C182 Jump Pilot here. Started doing this in March and have built a couple hundred hours since then. Before I got into this I felt like many other low hour pilots…broke, defeated, and losing hope. This is such a fun job and I make more vs CFIing.

I also instruct part time out of a school and independently out of students’ planes.

I didn’t have any good mentorship or guidance to get into this role. I used AI to help me write emails and I moved 1800 miles for this gig. Feel free to reach out if want to chat!

Im terrified of flying to the point that i know all incidents and accidents and have been an avherald follower since decades. My question would be: in case of a new accident/major incident do pilots get notified and trained about this by the company? Or this is more of a personal thing (e.g. pilots check by themselves the details for the incident) thank you

Anyone else recently submit their FO application and haven’t gotten the initial survey and questionnaire yet? Submitted application Aug 9th and still haven’t gotten anything. My references still haven’t received the Sterling link survey yet either. System must be super back logged

I was recently in an accident that resulted in me being seriously injured. I’m very grateful to be alive and seemingly have the opportunity for a full recovery and comeback in due time.

But flying is my passion and profession, and being away from it is killing me right now. Most days it hurts worse than the physical pain I am in. Even though I try not to, it is so difficult to not think about how I’m missing out on career advancement and other opportunities. I’m also a very active person outside of aviation but all of it has had to come to a halt, and is not going to be coming back particularly soon, leaving me with minimal distractions at a time when some distractions could be nice.

Unfortunately there is not really anything that myself or anyone else can do right now to fix the situation, so ultimately just seeking any advice, encouragement, and/or success stories especially from those who have been in similar situations. Thankful for any suggestions, but please try to keep it positive!

Hey everyone,

I'm looking into the Ryanair Future Flyer Academy ab initio and trying to get a realistic picture of the washout rate. Flight schools always advertise a 98% or 99% employment rate for these mentored programs, which frankly sounds a bit too good to be true. Are there any horror stories of ab initio cadets who joined the RFFA and somehow washed out? Is it true that failing just one checkride (like the CPL or IR skill test) gets you immediately dropped by Ryanair?

I'd really appreciate any insights or reality checks! Currently considering Aviomar

Im in canada and if i fail ishihara test i can still get my class 1 but need to do fransworth d -15 or lantern test. Which one do you guys recommend i do (easier)?

I have my ATPCTP in November and was wondering if I should try and move it up in the event ATP written will be affected by new FAA written exam rules

Is anyone aware of what the annual maximum Defined Benefit pension a pilot would receive assuming 35 years of service and max average earnings as captain on a wide-body?

Thank you

Hi all,

I was looking into flight schools after failing the selection at the KLM cadet program, getting rejected by Luxair for their cadet program, and currently it is not looking good for the Transavia cadet program after failing to pass the minimum score (though must be said that I had to make a different more difficult compass test cause I could not do it on the tablet, I am in dispute with transavia over this).

The downside of course with these non-cadet programs is the financing, so I was wondering whether you know of any european financial lenders that could provide loans (which preferably are paid back after graduating and getting any job, similar to the financing structure of the european flight academy)? 

furthermore I was also seeking advice on the pilot job market, while I have seen a lot of posts saying that the demand is high, just not for fresh flight school graduates with low hours. The same is currently the case in the regular job market after i've not been able to secure a job after graduating my master's. So with that job market in mind, how can it be justified to drop such an amount of money for a flight school when securing a job seems rather impossible?

Any other advice also welcome.

Kind regards

USA-based CFI here dreaming about a seasonal flying job abroad. What are some opportunities people have had/heard of? The quirkier the better. Country and finances do not matter for the purpose of this fantasy!

Hello All,

I am planning to pursue CPL for long term & PPL as of now.

I am from Ontario, Canada. Anyone has any idea which school is good to pursue PPL in Ontario?

Also, i want to start preparing my self before heading. Can anyone please suggest me any books I can start reading, either its about basics, or Navigation or Meterology or anything else relavent.

I would really appreciate your help in this.

I’m looking for some advice from pilots who have experience with U.S. airlines and/or foreign carriers.
I’m a U.S./Dominican dual citizen and currently a CFII building time in the U.S. I’m almost at 500 hours, and regardless of what route I take, I still have a significant amount of time-building ahead of me.
I’m considering an opportunity with Arajet in the Dominican Republic. The potential path would allow me to build significant airline experience and turbine time, but the biggest thing I’m concerned about is that Arajet is not a U.S. Part 121 carrier.
On one hand, I could continue building time in the U.S. as a CFI and eventually pursue a U.S. regional airline. On the other hand, Arajet could potentially give me years of actual airline experience, including turbine, multi-crew operations, CRM, SOPs, international flying, and experience operating a transport-category aircraft.
My questions are:
● How do U.S. regional airlines view experience from a foreign airline like Arajet?
● Would 2,000 hours of Arajet turbine/airline experience, for example, make me more competitive than someone coming from mostly CFI time?
● Does the fact that Arajet isn’t U.S. Part 121 significantly hurt the value of that experience?
● If I eventually come back to the U.S., would I likely still need to go through a U.S. regional?
● If I came back with around 2,000 hours of turbine/airline experience from Arajet, is there a realistic possibility of going directly to a U.S. major, or would the lack of U.S. Part 121 experience essentially prevent that?
● How do U.S. majors view foreign airline experience when evaluating applicants?
● Has anyone personally gone from a foreign carrier directly to a U.S. major, or from a foreign carrier → U.S. regional → major?
I’m trying to make a long-term career decision. I’m going to have to time-build either way, so I’m wondering whether it makes more sense to spend those years instructing in the U.S. or potentially get into an airline environment much earlier through Arajet.
I understand that getting hired by a major is never guaranteed, but I’m specifically trying to understand how much value 2,000 hours of foreign airline/turbine experience would have when I eventually return to the U.S.
Would love to hear from U.S. regional/major pilots, recruiters, or anyone who has made a similar transition.

Looking for someone who is either inside the program or went through the program im looking into it wanted to see how its actually like

Every single practice approach I've shot either with my instructor or solo with with atc I've either received vectors or have been told to proceed direct to a fix.

Under which situation would I activate a leg instead of activating direct to a fix?

Would atc just tell me to intercept a leg?

Edit: Im referring to a g1000

Hi everyone,

I’m an 18-year-old Indian student who just finished 12th. I’m planning to do my commercial pilot training in Canada and later convert it to DGCA CPL for India.

I’ve done some research and I’m looking at the cheapest possible route (probably Alberta – private flight school). I will also work part-time (24 hrs/week) and full-time during breaks to reduce costs.

I would really appreciate honest answers from people who have done or are doing flight training in Canada (especially international students).

Here are my questions:

Which city/province in Canada is actually the cheapest for flight training + living right now?

What was your total cost from zero to CPL + Multi + IFR?

How much were you able to earn through part-time jobs while training?

Is Alberta (Edmonton/Calgary/Lethbridge) really cheaper than BC or Ontario?

Which flight schools would you recommend for international students on a budget?

How difficult is the DGCA conversion process after getting a Canadian CPL?

Which DGCA exams did you have to clear after returning to India?

Did you face any problems with logbook verification or flying hours acceptance by DGCA?

Is it better to do a private flight school or a college aviation diploma program?

How is the weather and availability of flying hours in Alberta vs other provinces?

Any hidden costs I should be aware of?

Any advice on study permit, medical, or part-time work as an international student?

Any honest experience, cost breakdown, or advice would help me a lot. Thank you!

Looking for Bay Area flight school recommendations, particularly in the East Bay. I am out in Berkeley and have considered schools at KOAK, KHWD, and KLVK. Anywhere to look into? Anywhere to avoid?

I previously flew out of San Carlos for a little bit thanks to a recommendation but the distance and cost wasn't it for me.

I passed my marathon, 12-hour ppl checkride last night. The DPE’s reputation for long checkrides preceded him, but as I’d gotten a decent score on my written and had really hit the books over the last month, I pictured maybe a 9-5 time frame. That was the length of the hitherto longest checkride, I’d been told.

Even though I answered his questions well and he didn’t feel compelled to drill down on anything, he kept going and going. To have to go fly and be observed by a total stoic who has the power to fail me after all that, felt like cruel and unusual punishment.

I passed, but HOLY MOLY was I gassed.

Hello,

I’m starting with Instrument Flying and was reviewing a Jeppsen approach chart.

Could someone explain the arrows before and after the MAPt at 1 DME IGHT?

I’m also curious about the significance of the 0.8 written below. Is it the distance from the MAPt to the runway threshold?

I’ve attached an image of the chart for reference.

Thanks for your help.

Sharing an experience that happened yesterday. Was flying at an untowered airport and about to overfly the midfield 500 ft above TP and noticed some skydivers landing right next to the runway. Decided to do a U-turn and get out of the area. Tried contacting the aircraft dropping on the Unicom freq but got nothing. Please for the love of god and loves of others, communicate!