I didn’t do it, just looking for an explanation on the process. Looking for some clarity on how filing NASA report on busting bravo, or other such incidents protects you from adverse action by the FAA. I didn’t see a spot on the report that asks for your tail number, and if they strip your Identifying information when you submit it, how would they know to grant you immunity if they come after you? Hopefully the way I typed this makes sense😂

I'm instrument rated and have a bachelor's degree. Which branch gives the best odds for a pilot seat: Army officer, Air Force, Navy, Marines, or Coast Guard? I'm also wondering whether a Guard unit is a better option than active duty for getting a pilot slot. Any firsthand advice on selection and what to expect would be appreciated.

I have CJOs at both.

I live a little over an hour (driving) away from a junior UAL base. EWR.

I live about an hour and a half to two and a hour hours (driving depending on traffic) from a Delta. LGA/JFK.

I cannot move.

Which would you choose?

I’ve seen people wait 9-10 months but also heard recently someone got their class date within 3 months of a CJO from SkyWest. Does anyone know what their typical timeframe looks like right now?

Hi everyone!
I would like to know which schools should I choose to start a flight training in Asia? Especially South East Asia.I am now looking for schools in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines. Which schools are good for career pathway and the quality of teaching?

I’ve been taking Lexapro for a few months now switching from Zoloft and have some cuts on my upper arms and shoulders. I really like flying and want to do it as a career. But I’m afraid that being marked as a MDD single episode on my medical record will stop me before I even begin.

I’m 21yo and haven’t had any thoughts about committing suicide, only ones of self harm. Can anybody help please?

For context, I am a CFII nearing 1000 hours and am expecting to hit 1500 sometime next year (like many other pilots out there). The school I instruct at is pretty much in the middle of nowhere though and I really have no networking opportunities in-person aside from the occasional student who may fly different types of piston aircraft.

I'd like to set myself up for success in the coming months since pretty much every mid-level job seems to be filled up instantly, but without being at an airport with an FBO or within reasonable distance from a major city, what are my options to excel?

I have been considering planning trips to attend networking/career events but would love any advice on other avenues that may help my chances to stand out. It could be anything. Where have you found success if you have been in my position in the past?

I'm one of those second career guys, I still have my full time job in Cyber that pays really well but I have been slowly instructing on the side to get to 1500, I'm at about 500ish hours and started to re-think the airline life.

I'm going to be having kids in a few years and I want to be home a lot while they're growing up which my current office job allows. It just seems silly as I spent $90k on my training to make $40/hr as a part time CFI if I'm not continuing towards the airlines/part 135 jobs.

The only other thing I could think of is being a part time charter pilot, but I highly doubt that's easy to break into.

Im a new ish student but have had experience at tons of different airports, different planes, different instructors.

How do I become better at listening to my instructors? I feel like whenever they are talking its going in one ear and out the other.. maybe im just having a hard time digesting info. Out of all the things he talked about today i remember him talking about wanting to get his helicopter license and going to texas which has nothing to do with anything im learning lol

I also had an instructor tell me I interrupt them too much. I don't know if it's because flight training is always the last thing I do during the day so college and everything else on top of it makes me feel tired but I get excited at little things and start rambling. Especially when i spot planes i know

My schedule allows me to fly 1-2 times a week. I no longer find training enjoyable but flying for fun is an absolute blast. Although i dont feel like im progressing, hopefully it'll change.

I am currently in instrument training and hear that the FAS is changing the questions in October 26. I have nine days to study Shepherd Air and memorize the answers. The other option is to study and really know the content and not worry about the new test where Shepherd Air will be useless because the questions will all be new. Please give me your thoughts as it is going to take massive amounts of time to be ready in that short period of time?

Last time I went to Orlando I flew into ORL. Looking at it now avgas is cheaper at ISM and even MCO. I would have expected MCO to have “we don’t want you here” prices for single engine pistons but that doesn’t seem to be the case. 99% sure I’m going to ISM this time but I’m intrigued.

Flying in on Monday, leaving Saturday. Am I being crazy or is flying a Cherokee into MCO not as stressful and “in the way” as I thought it would be?

Hey everyone,

I'm a CFI applying to law school because why not. Anyhow, as I'm editing my resume, I'm wondering whether flight training would go under an education, professional experience section, or extracurricular subsection? On my aviation resume it's just under aviation experience, but for an academic resume I just lumped all of that into professional experience.

Thanks for your thoughts :)

I’ve been debating a checkride scenario and wanted to get the perspective of the CFIs, DPEs, and recent checkride-takers here on how this should actually be graded under the ACS.

Imagine a PPL checkride in the pattern where the applicant has to demonstrate three landings: Short-Field, Soft-Field, and Normal. Here is how it plays out:

* Task 1 — Short-Field Landing: On the first approach, the airplane floats a little longer than expected. Instead of forcing it down and risking touching down just past the 200-foot mark, the applicant calls a go-around. On the second approach, they nail the landing well within ACS standards.

* Task 2 — Soft-Field Landing: On the first approach, the setup is completely safe, but in the flare the applicant judges that the touchdown might be a little firmer than ideal rather than as soft as they want for the checkride. They elect to go around to set it up better. On the second approach, they grease it right in standards.

* Task 3 — Normal Landing: On the first approach, the flare isn't quite where they want it, so they execute a clean go-around. On the second approach, they land cleanly within standards.

Every single go-around (Rejected Landing) is executed promptly, safely, and by the book, and every landing that actually touches the pavement is 100% within ACS tolerances.

Here is my question: Is this a straight-up disapproval for doing 3 go-arounds across 6 approaches?

What really bugs me about the idea of failing someone for this is that all three of those aborted approaches would have resulted in completely safe landings, they just might have been right on the border of ACS tolerances. We are constantly told in training that "a go-around is always free" and to never force a borderline approach just to check a box.

If a DPE fails an applicant in this scenario, doesn't that contradict everything we teach about Aeronautical Decision Making? It feels like the DPE is punishing the pilot instead of valuing the fact that the applicant is holding themselves to high standards and refusing to settle for a borderline landing.

CFIs and DPEs, how do you view this from the right seat? Where is the line between exercising good judgment to stay rigorously inside the ACS vs. "not being proficient"?

I'm trying to create a wireless camera/mic setup with a Insta360 X4 with the bracket for a RØDE wireless GO II receiver (invisible on camera). I want to get a headset splitter cable and plug it into the RØDE transceiver and send the audio via Bluetooth to the receiver plugged into the Insta360 camera.

Any ideas if there are any EU companies that sell the cable that splits the audio cable for a headset to plug into a recording device?

I'm struggling to find an EU based company that sells the required splitter cable and also not entirely sure if the cable can just plug into the RØDE transceiver and work without a hiccup.

Any advice would be appreciated!

I’ve been working on my CFI and gosh I feel like the biggest idiot to ever exist. I’ve done all my training part 61, with 3 dif instructors (loved them all) and doing CFI with a 4th rn (all at the same flight school). He’s basically the only instructor who does CFI initial training at my flight school, and a recommendation by him would almost def lead to me being hired by the flight school. I’m not looking to do it anywhere else because I want to get hired at this school. I don’t jive with him as well as I did with my previous instructors, but he’s been instructing about 20 years so definitely very skilled and knowledgeable guy.

Not that the rest of my training has been easy, but it’s all been relatively straightforward. CFI feels like a completely new ball game and I just feel like I’m going about the whole process wrong. I’m working on the FOI written rn - will be taking the test in a week or 2.

He says he usually does about 40 hrs+ of ground with students before the checkride, but how can I make these worth my time? It feels like every ground session is him dumping info on me. I bought backseat pilot, but how is the best way to study all this, and cram all this knowledge in and not forget any of it all? I’m definitely far out from a checkride date so I’m not sure how to learn all these lessons and retain the info for such a long time? I read the whole FAQ as well and I’m just struggling with how to actually go about studying all this.

It’s hard because I genuinely think I’ll enjoy being a CFI, but I feel such a mental barrier with this training that I am dreading every ground session I have with him. I also have 2 other jobs outside of this and life has just been really hectic. Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks for reading <3

Long story long, I’m in a position where I own a Piper cub, need tailwheel hours/XC hours and have essentially unlimited access to a Cherokee 180 and only have to pay for fuel.

My wife’s family is about a 2.5hr drive away and outside of that, every weekend she wants to drive somewhere hours away.

Every single time I bring up hopping in the Cherokee she acts as if it’s a huge undertaking and I cannot get the message across to her that it will make the trip shorter and more enjoyable.

She likes flying, she’s gone up with me in my cub and my Cessna 150 before it and had fun. But only for short hops. She’s by no means afraid of flying, but it seems as if she has built traveling by air into something much larger than it actually is and I don’t know how to overcome that.

TLDR how do I get my wife to fly places with me instead of driving?

Starting 2027 SkyWest will no longer pay for ATP-CTP. Thoughts?
How does that affect the training contract? Will cadets be expected to pay for it as well?
Are we likely to see regionals asking applicants to have a type rating in the airframe?

Looking for some folks to weigh in and help me make a decision.

I earned my PPL in Feb of 2026 flying 2-3 times a day, and due to a variety of reasons, haven’t been able to fly after that. I’m looking to pursue an IR, likely starting in Dec. ‘26, and would be flying and studying full-time, 5x a week.

After I’ve completed my IR (hopefully 2 months). I’ll have to take another 6 month break to work my seasonal job where I likely won’t be able to fly, or maintain instrument currency. At that point (Oct of 2027), I plan on pursuing my CPL, assuming I’ve competed my instrument training.

My question is, should I just wait until after I complete the seasonal job to pursue both instrument and commercial one after the other? At that point I’ll have gone over a year without flying and will likely need some re-training. I can chair fly till the cows come home to maintain some semblance of aviation in my mind but I think we all know that doesn’t cut it.

Alternatively, will I really be doing myself any favors flying for a couple months after a 10-month break, just to take another 6-month break?

There’s a variety of financial considerations here, I’m looking to pay as I go and not take loans. I’m looking for some wisdom from folks who can comment on how these long training gaps might play out and what the best option might be? I hate to think of going more than a year without flying but I’m aware that getting my IR now may just be a checkbox as opposed to an in-depth gain in my piloting ability.

Any one has recommendations for modular flying schools only in the UK. England and wales would be preferred.

Hey everyone!

I’ve been interested in getting my PPL and wanted to get some advice from people who’ve gone through the process, especially around the Boston area.

I’m 25, have a background in mechanical engineering, and currently work full-time as an engineer in aerospace. I’ve always been interested in aviation, and lately I’ve been thinking more seriously about learning to fly.

I’m mostly wondering how feasible it would be to pursue a PPL while working a regular full-time job. My schedule is fairly consistent (7 AM–3 PM), so I’d have afternoons and weekends available for lessons.

I’m also looking for recommendations on flight schools around Boston or the surrounding areas. I have a car, so commuting for lessons wouldn’t be an issue.

Things I’m curious about:

- What flight schools would you recommend, and which ones should I avoid?
- How often would you recommend flying to make steady progress?
- How long did it take you to get your PPL while working full-time?
- What should I realistically expect to spend from start to finish?

I’m not necessarily in a rush to finish, but I’d like to be consistent and make good progress without it taking forever.

Would appreciate any advice or recommendations. Thanks!

If anyone has any info on this DPE for his CFII check ride it would be appreciated. He’s located out of KJWN in Tennessee.

I have checkride next 2 weeks is CFI has anyone taken checkride with him or have gauge on him?

Hi everyone! I’m from Hungary and I’d like to become a flight instructor, teaching only PPL(A) students under VFR.
Here in Hungary, you can take the CPL(A) theory exams, but apparently there are no CPL theory courses available, only ATPL theory courses.

My question is: Do I really need to complete the full ATPL theory course and exams to become a PPL VFR instructor, or can I study on my own and take only the CPL(A) theory exams?
Has anyone dealt with this situation in Hungary or another EASA country?
Thanks!
(I'm not planning to fly airliners anytime soon, that's why I'd like to chose the easier way)

I just finished MT7 at a regional. Through MT6 I felt very solid. My only sticking points were holding centerline after touchdown in crosswind landings and holding my heading on rotation for V1 cuts. After MT6 my plan was to get one or two more V1 cuts in to get a better feel for the rudder.

MT7 didn't go well. I woke up two hours before my alarm with a sore throat, felt run down, and was behind from the start. I made small mistakes I wasn't making before. My V1 cut was within standards but right at the edge of the 10-degree heading limit. My first two crosswind landings were good, but on the third I veered off centerline once the nosewheel touched down.

My instructor recommended me for MV but said I can take an add session if I want one. I have tomorrow off and MV is in two days. I know I've flown better than this, but my confidence took a hit, and I'd like a few more reps before the check.
Is there any real downside to taking the add? My airline allows one add without it going to ST. My only concern is how other employers might view it down the road.

hey everyone, i’ve been curious about this and thought it’d be nice to hear from people in aviation about their experiences so far.
for those of you who are student pilots, flight instructors, airline pilots, or anywhere else in your aviation journey, how has everything been going for you?

i’d love to hear how you got started, what your journey has been like, and how things have turned out for you so far. was becoming a pilot something you’ve always dreamed of, or did you discover your interest in aviation later on? has the journey been what you expected, and how do you feel about where you are now?

whether you’re just starting out, halfway through training, or have been flying for years, i’d genuinely love to hear your stories. the good, the bad, the unexpected, all of it. everyone’s journey is different, and i think it’s really interesting to hear how people ended up where they are today.
looking forward to reading your experiences! 🤗