Just went for a discovery flight and had a great time. During the flight I asked my instructor about using an AOA indicator while learning and he really downplayed using one and said the standard instruments are the best way to learn. For beginners, is an AOA inappropriate? Is it too early to incorporate it into training? From the brief videos I’ve seen on AOA’s they seem to enhance safety.

Edit: thanks everyone for the replies, the consensus is clearly that I’m overthinking it.

One thing I’d like to try to clarify: it appears to me that mentioning my engineering background led to assumptions about my mindset that I didn’t intend and I don’t think are correct. I don’t care if my instructor knows how the physics work. What I was uncomfortable with was the way he filled in his gaps of knowledge in a lesson. That’s all.

Either way this seems to have generated a lot of helpful dialogue and feedback, all of which I appreciate, thanks 🙏

——————

I’ve been working in aviation for awhile, it’s always been something I’ve been passionate about so I recently decided to pursue a PPL.

I signed up with what seems to be the biggest instruction company in my area. There are 3 or so, this one has the largest fleet and offers training from PPL through ATPLs. Anyway, they seem legit and convenient so I paid a €500 signup fee and am happy to make forward progress.

My first lesson before flight is a basics of flight and controls classroom thing. I have a degree in aerospace engineering and I’ve been working in the industry for awhile so a lot of it seems obvious to me, but I don’t want to be “that guy” so I’m smiling and nodding my head, and paying attention to the bits of info that are new to me (my experience is all jets so I have a lot to learn about little Cessnas).

Anyway: there were several parts of this guy’s theory instruction where he was just absolutely wrong. There were a couple minor things, such as describing how LE flaps worked, where his rationale was wrong but the effect was the same so I just continued to smile and nod my head.

Then he got into secondary effects of flight controls and spent like 5 minutes trying to explain about how when you use your rudder to yaw in one direction the lift will become uneven on your wings for XYZ reason, so you should also do XYZ with your control column. This wasn’t intuitive to me so I’m trying to wrap my head around it while listening to him and looking at the PowerPoint slide, and it’s clear he doesn’t understand it at all. At the end of his 5 minutes discussing the topic he looked at the PowerPoint slide he was working off of and realised it completely contradicted him, like he said you should be applying right roll when the slide said left.

To his credit he looked at the screen, paused, then said “my mistake…” and corrected his instructions to match the slide.

I’m probably overthinking this but I’m concerned about receiving flying instructions from someone who confidently explains things incorrectly. I don’t expect my instructor to have a detailed understanding of complex behaviours of aerodynamics, that’s probably not necessary to fly an airplane, but I also don’t want them to just make shit up when they don’t understand it.

I’m thinking of requesting from the flight school that they don’t assign this guy as my instructor going forward. They seem to have several instructors and I assume they can accommodate this request.

If you’ve made it this far through my post, thanks.

My questions are: * is less-than-strong understanding of aerodynamics normal for a CFI, so if I object to this guy I’ll probably just get more of the same? * Am I overthinking this? * If my instincts are on the right track, what’s the best way to approach this with the school? I don’t want to cause any problems with/for the guy, but I’m not comfortable receiving flight instructions from him based on this.

Hello, I’m a 19 years old and recently got my CFI/CFII and i have a interview that coming up this friday with a 141 school where it’s 30 minutes of regular interview questions and 30 minutes of technical CFI questions, This is my first aviation related interview I was wondering what kind of questions would get asked and if there any recommendations.

I'm 26, have the post 9/11 GI Bill and am planning on heading to a 2 year degree program for becoming a fixed wing pilot through a part 141 school paid for by the military. I am extremely motivated and committed to becoming an airline pilot and wanna know realistically how long would it take for me to achieve this? The school is 2 years and technically if I grind as a CFI could attain my r-atp license within a year. This is everything going right (which I know probably wont happen). I read all the time that it takes so many people 7+ years to become a pilot and I always wonder if this is because most people just don't commit to it full time or have the funding available. Would it be realistic for me to potentially get a job at a regional within 3-4 years being of full time working towards this goal? I guess mentally I just wanna know that if I commit to this I can probably be earning a decent living within 4 years vs something closer to a decade. I know there are a lot of unknowns and possible delays that could put me behind but I'm super motivated to try and achieve this.

Hello Aviators

I am a commercial student at a 141 school currently in the time building faze. I’ve planned a flight to the Grand Canyon for my long 250nm cross country and wanted to make sure I’m not missing anything in regards to the Special Flight Rules.

The VFR sectional just gives altitudes through the corridors and says to monitor x frequency. Is that the whole extent of the Special Flight Rules?

Any other tips from anyone who’s done the Grand Canyon VFR?

Hey everyone! I’m turning 16 at the end of November and I’m planning to start my PPL(A) training in Poland right around then. I’ve been thinking about flying for a really long time, so I'm glad I'm finally moving forward with it. For now, I'm just taking my time getting my Class 2 Medical sorted out. Ideally, I'd like to aim to be ready for the checkride around when I turn 17, since from what I understand that's pretty much the minimum age requirement anyway.

I’m planning to do the whole training with Zonda.aero, so if anyone here has any experience with them, I’d really appreciate it if you could share what it was like. They offer an online ground school for self-study that takes about 86 hours, and I’m wondering if that alone is enough to get well prepared for the exams, or if you’d recommend using any extra tools, apps, or books on the side.

I’m also a bit worried about balancing all of this with high school since my school is pretty demanding. I’m confident I can make it work, but I'd love to hear how others managed their time between schoolwork and flight lessons. Do you think starting at 16 will make things significantly harder, or is it pretty manageable? Any tips or insights would be awesome, thanks in advance!

Hey everyone!

I’m 24 years old, based in the San Fernando Valley, and currently working toward my goal of becoming an officer and military aviator in the United States Air Force.

I graduated from CSUN with a 3.8 GPA and have spent the past six months studying for the AFOQT while also preparing for my PPL. I’m planning to begin flight training at Wings Over L.A. at Van Nuys Airport.
I’m already involved in local aviation organizations, but I’d really love to connect with individual pilots, aircraft owners, mechanics, or instructors at Van Nuys or Whiteman who simply enjoy sharing their passion for aviation.

I’m not looking for a job or expecting free flight lessons. I’d be grateful for opportunities to help around the hangar, observe aircraft maintenance with permission, study aviation with experienced pilots, or just meet up for coffee and learn from someone who’s been in my shoes.

I’m also saving and applying for scholarships to fund my PPL, so any advice on affordable training or sponsorship opportunities would be appreciated.
If anyone is based at KVNY or KWHP and wouldn’t mind connecting, I’d love to hear from you. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I’m a 28-year-old B737 pilot with over 3,000 hours on type, an EASA ATPL and EU citizenship.

I’m facing a career dilemma: stay at a solid, mid-tier Latin American airline (not low-cost) and upgrade to B737 Captain in about 6 months, or move to Spain as a B737 First Officer at a full-service airline, with a potential transition to the B787 after approximately 2 years.

The decision isn’t just about flying or salary. My girlfriend is a pediatrician who can practice in Spain but not in our current country due to licensing restrictions for foreigners, so we’re also considering our long-term future, finances and family plans.
I’m also genuinely unsure which country would offer us a better quality of life in the long run. I’ve spent quite a bit of time in Spain and really enjoy the culture, the people and the lifestyle. However, I do have concerns about the country’s long-term economic and social outlook, and I’m not entirely convinced that moving there would necessarily be the better decision.

Option 1: Stay at my current airline – B737 Captain
Expected upgrade in approximately 6 months.
Salary: €8,500 net/month after upgrade.
Pros:
Become Captain at 28 and start building valuable jet PIC time.
Excellent salary and savings potential.
Established seniority at my current airline.
PIC experience could open doors internationally.

Cons:
Continue living in LATAM.
Mostly short/medium-haul flying.
The airline operates an all-B737 fleet, with very little chance of ever flying widebody aircraft.
My girlfriend cannot practice medicine due to licensing restrictions for foreigners.
Household depends on a single income.
Private education for future children and healthcare can be significantly more expensive than in Spain.
If I decide to move to Europe later, I’d most likely have to start over as an FO at a legacy or CP at low-cost carrier, with the associated working conditions and lifestyle trade-offs. Direct-entry Captain opportunities at European legacy airlines are extremely limited.

Option 2: Move to Spain – B737 FO at a full-service airline
Expected salary:
First 2 years: €4,000 net/month.
After ~2 years: Expected transition to B787 FO at €7,000 net/month (not guaranteed).
Pros:
Establish seniority in Europe at 28.
Potential B787 long-haul flying.
Live in Spain and build a future in Europe.
My girlfriend could work and continue specializing as a pediatrician.
Potentially higher combined household income.
Access to affordable public healthcare and education for future children.
A culture and lifestyle I already know and enjoy.
Cons:
Give up a Captain upgrade just 6 months away.
Start from zero seniority.
Remain an FO for potentially many more years.
Uncertain B787 transition and Captain upgrade timeline.
Higher living costs in Spain.
Concerns about Spain’s long-term economic outlook and future living standards.

The family factor
I’ve been with my girlfriend for 3 years. She’s a pediatrician, and her medical degree is already recognized in Spain. She could work there relatively easily, earning approximately €3,000 net/month, while continuing her medical career.
In my current country, she cannot practice due to licensing restrictions for foreign doctors. There are discussions about changing this, but nothing concrete yet.
Estimated household income:
Current airline Captain: €8,500 net/month (after upgrade).
Spain, first 2 years: €7,000 net/month combined.
Spain, after B787 transition: €10,000 net/month combined.
Of course, cost of living, career progression, future family expenses and long-term savings also matter.

My dilemma
Staying would allow me to become a Captain at 28, accumulate valuable PIC time and potentially save more money early in my career. However, moving to Europe later would likely mean joining a low-cost carrier and starting over in terms of seniority.
Moving to Spain would mean sacrificing that near-term command opportunity, but both my girlfriend and I could build our careers in Europe, with potentially better access to affordable healthcare and education if we have children.
I genuinely like Spain and could see myself living there, but I’m not sure whether its long-term economic and social trajectory makes it a better place to settle than where we currently live.
What would you do?
Would you give up a Captain upgrade just 6 months away to move to Europe as an FO?
Considering both our careers, future children, quality of life and long-term finances, which option would you choose?
What factors would you prioritize when making a decision that could shape both your professional future and your family’s long-term life?

Thanks in advance!

Most GA singles glide around 10:1. A 3° glidepath needs about 19:1, so from almost anywhere on a standard approach, an engine failure means landing well short of the runway. The published paths, and their lowest minimums, assume at least one engine keeps running.

I’d like to see optional steep approaches for singles: about 6° at near-idle, which is close to a 10:1 glide, so you stay within reach of the runway the whole way, then a pre-flare to shallow out just before the runway. Yes, you can stay high on non-precision approaches, but then you give up the lower minimums. Why not design for the engine-out case instead?

Hi everyone,

I’m currently in the process of converting my foreign ATPL to a Transport Canada ATPL. I’m an Airbus A330 Captain and have already knocked out the SARON and SAMRA, and I'm taking the INRAT next.

Under the new policies (CAR 421.34), to get an unrestricted ATPL that meets ICAO standards, the PPC needs to be done as PIC on a multi-engine aircraft that is required to be operated with a co-pilot. If I don't meet this specific skill test requirement, TC will issue the ATPL with a limitation stating it doesn't meet ICAO standards.

On the general aviation side, I can't find any flying schools with an affiliated multi-engine aircraft or program that actually qualifies under the "two-pilot requirement" to let me do this checkride.
Has anyone successfully navigated this foreign conversion recently under the new rules?

Are there specific flight schools, charter operators, or third-party simulator centers in Canada that cater to this two-crew skill test requirement for individuals?
Is my only realistic path to accept the restricted ATPL for now and get the restriction removed once I'm hired by a Canadian operator and go through their initial type rating/PPC?

Any recommendations, contacts, or solutions to get the unrestricted ATPL directly would be hugely appreciated!

Within the last year, I finally had the opportunity to move to live in-base (Philadelphia). My Primary Care Doctor works for Penn Medicine, and while searching for AMEs in Philadelphia, it turns out the two AMEs within the city limits are both Penn Medicine Doctors as well, albeit in a different building on the opposite side of the city from my Primary Doctor.

Keeping in mind the tried and true advice of "Don't let your AME and Primary Care Doctor be the same person", would y'all be comfortable having them both work for the same hospital, or should I try to find someone outside of Philadelphia? I'd prefer to have an AME in the greater Philly area; I prefer to take SEPTA whenever feasible, and both AMEs are just off the Airport line, but I'm open to driving out of town if that's the recommended advice.

Howdy everyone!

I'm currently based in the US, working as a flight instructor (CFI/CFII) with around 1,600 hours TT, and I'm planning to take my ATP checkride soon.

I'm an international student currently going through the EB-3 green card process in the US, but the backlog has been moving incredibly slowly. Because of that, I've started looking into Canadian permanent residency through the French-language Express Entry pathway.

If everything goes according to plan, I'm hoping to move to Canada sometime late next year with PR already secured. By then, I expect to have well over 2,000 hours TT, mostly from flight instructing.

I'm curious about the current Canadian pilot job market, especially for someone coming from the US with my experience.

How competitive would I be for regional airlines like Jazz or PAL Airlines with 2,000+ hours? Would I have a realistic shot at getting hired directly by a regional, or would I likely need to start with flight instructing or a 703/704 operator first?

I'm also wondering how Canadian airlines generally view FAA flight experience and checkride failures. I have 2 one from ppl checkride and one from cfi.

Honestly, salary isn't my biggest concern. I just want to keep flying professionally and eventually build a long-term airline career in Canada. I'm open to relocating anywhere in the country.

I'd really appreciate any insight from Canadian pilots or anyone familiar with the current hiring market.

Thanks in advance!

Its bullshit. I started private last year in the fall. Would have finished on time to start instrument in the spring. But a string of weather cancellations for my check-ride happened and then I couldn’t join instrument.

Now I start instrument in the summer semester and it was going well until for some reason it took 2 months to get my stage 1 done which is just ridiculous because I had finished all the lessons less than a month in. Then somehow it took like a month just to get the long cross county done because where I live the weather is constantly shit in the summer. Now I finally have my checkride but now I can’t start commercial when I get it done and so I have to burn more time just waiting and that shit is probably going to get delayed.

I can’t leave my college or flying either I am too invested into the most useless degree outside of piloting specifically. If you want to do a college flight program, please double major in something useful atleast. Also another piece of my advice is please do not go to a part 61 school with a small fleet of poorly maintained clapped out shitboxes either.

Completed PPL recently and figured I’d post the cost summary. Took about 1 year and ended in 10/26. This is Kansas City metro.

Flight + CFI at 77.5 hours (59.1 RX + 18.4 PIC): $19,093

Ground school at community college: $399

Check ride: $800

Insurance: $352

Written: $175

Fore Flight: $427

Headset: $1100

Books, charts, E6B, plotter: $250

TOTAL: $22,596

Wet rate for Archer is $190/hour and includes $5/hour discount for paying in $2500 blocks. Rate was $170/hour one year ago but at 9 gal/hour they had to increase the fuel cost. CFI is $65/hour.

if there‘s any costs to watch out for, it’s the long cross-country as that can easily be $600.

Hi, I completed my solo and i had only one consolidation since. My solo went very well and I was reasonably relaxed. I don’t think for one moment that this equips me with all sorts of flying or it is constant progress from then on, but I flew my consolidation lesson in a strong headwind of 15 kts minimum and a smaller crosswind component. I am sure that I heard on the radio that wind gusts were up to 28 kts. The aircraft was thrown around a lot with bumps sufficient to lift me up from the seat within the lap belt restriction. I flew for over an hour. Another factor was very low sun which made seeing the runway on final difficult. I did my best but obviously these conditions were more challenging and once on base my instructor pointed out a drop of airspeed to 40 kts. I am sure I would have noticed and reacted but I was a bit slower to do so and he saw it first. I felt really bad and as though I had gone backwards in my flying. When I asked after if I was roughly at the level I should be in these conditions he said he would not have sent me solo today and he was building me back up to solo standard. Later he commented that he would not have sent anyone solo in those conditions. I came away feeling confused and not sure if this was a bad sign on how I am doing or if it was that the conditions were very challenging and my level of experience was not sufficient to deal with it appropriately. I accept I still have a lot of experience needed, but am I behind, is this normal? I was especially worried about airspeed. Was that drop normal in this situation and level of experience albeit I need to be very mindful of constantly checking?

Hello all, I work at a hotel that is under contract to host flight crews and I have noticed that flight crews either do not tip our shuttle drivers at all or they tip literally one dollar. Is there a reason for this? Thanks for taking the time to read/reply!!

So this may be kind of Niche so I just hope that I can get one or two people in similar situations but basically I am a Senior in High-school who is planning on attending a 4 year university with a Aviation program. However I also play football and have a few D3 and D2 offers from schools with Aviation programs. However when Ive spoken to like students in these programs they always say that it is a HUGE time commitment so im just wondering if there is anyone who has played football or any college sport and balanced it and was it worth it in your opinion?

I’m a CFII reviewing §91.185 for an interview I have next week and I’d like to clarify a specific lost-comms scenario:

Let’s say I’m flying IFR from KAUN to KSAC. My original clearance limit is KSAC.

Enroute, ATC issues one of two instructions:

Scenario A: “Cleared to PIVSE, hold as published, expect further clearance in five minutes.”

Scenario B: “Proceed direct PIVSE, hold as published, expect further clearance in five minutes.”

PIVSE is not a fix from which an instrument approach begins, and I lose communications in IMC immediately after receiving the instruction.

My understanding is that in Scenario A, PIVSE becomes my amended clearance limit. Under §91.185(c)(3)(ii), I’d leave PIVSE at the EFC time, proceed to a fix from which an approach begins, and commence the approach as close as possible to my filed or amended ETA.

But in Scenario B, does my original clearance limit remain KSAC because ATC only amended my routing?

If so, would I be expected to hold at PIVSE until the EFC time, continue to KSAC, and then proceed to an appropriate approach fix?

More fundamentally, is Scenario B even a clearance ATC would realistically issue? Can an EFC time accompany a “proceed direct” instruction without amending the clearance limit?

I’d especially appreciate input from controllers or CFII/DPEs familiar with how this is handled in practice versus the literal wording of §91.185.

Thanks in advance for the help! I’ve tried to ask pilots I went to flight school with and this has been a bit of a stumper.

Edit: this has been answered for me, thanks for all the help!

So, I’ve asked on Facebook before about ownership of general aviation before and got some feedback that certified aircraft unless it’s a C152/150 is going to be a little rough just based on cost of purchase/maintence etc.

Basics behind my history, started flight training in 2020. Was flying a PA28-181 Archer II. I was one of the first students at a flight school that opened and that was the plane they had until they could get more. Flew for about 20 hrs. Soloed at 15 hrs and life got the best of me for a bit.

Went to Oshkosh in 2025 and it made me want to finish up and pursue a PPL again.

Started training again in March and been flying relatively consistently while continuing to pay off some debts I have.

When I started again, they have a Sling NGT LSA that I started flying in and honestly something LSA would fit my mission only needing 2 seats after PPL.

Curious on what people can afford based on salary. My base at work is 69,000 with a 10,000 shift differential and bonus between 8-17k per year. I’m very hands on and have history working on cars, motorcycles, 4 wheelers. Pretty much anything with a motor and I’ve worked on it. I understand with Experimental/LSA you can do a lot more self maintence bringing some costs down.

Like I said. Just curious on people’s ownership costs of owning a LSA. This is something I’m looking at in next 2-3 years. Nothing right now but it’s just been jogging my mind.

Long term is not necessarily a career in aviation but to time build and add on as I go. No rushing or anything. Just in for the fun of it and wanted to fly in and camp at EAA in my lifetime.

Hey ya’ll. Looking for advice on whether to purchase wifiCFI or Backseat Pilot presentations and lesson plans.

Both are editable and update automatically when regulatory/ACS/PTS standards change. I know everyone loves Backseat, but I figured I’d ask. Does anyone have experience with wifiCFI lesson plans/presentations?

And before you tell me to make my own- I am a very thorough person and will do my due diligence to research and learn the materials.

Thanks in advance!

Wondering if there’s any ABX FOs in here and if they have anything to say about their QOL. Including if you guys are commuting , how much are you flying and if you are on the 17/13 or 7/7 schedule with them. How the overnights are if you have any at all I guess. Im currently flying Part 91 and building time and just gaining some curiosity about flying heavies in the 121 world. Thank you!

My current “dream” career is under threat by AI. I put all my eggs in that basket, 10 years of experience, no college degree, just a resume with impressive top companies. I’m making 6 figures but I feel my layoff is imminent.

Not gonna lie I’m just in survival mode now, I do love aviation but not doing it out of love anymore. I genuinely need a long term career and want to make six figures. I’m 32 hours in and about to get my PPL soon. My instructor tells me I’m a “natural” and can really do this all the way if I lock in, not sure if he tells that to everyone.

Is this really a smart investment of my time and money?

I’m 28 years old btw

I am a 300 hour cfi who went to a ma and pa school and am having trouble finding cadet programs to join because they all require you to go to an accredited flight school. Are there any that don’t require a specific school?

We all know the market is bleak right now. I have an associates in professional piloting and am a working CFII. It’s looking more and more like I’ll need the bachelors eventually. Has anyone had experience with online programs that will accept certificates for credit? I don’t care about a backup degree. Just the cheapest possible, least time consuming road to a bachelors that will help me get a job. I have also heard of certain degrees that carry more weight? Aviation Management through SIU is what most do where I am, but some have said it is not “accredited” by airlines. Whatever that means. I guess that it carries less weight that other aviation degrees. Anyone with experience in these shoes please let me know your thoughts. Thank you

I’m moving to arizona to pursue my PPL but conflicted about what school to go to. I’ll be in glendale / peoria area but i know a lot of people train out of deer valley airport so i’d be open to that as well. please let me know if you have recommendations or schools to stay away from. I was interested in scottsdale executive which operates out of deer valley or fly glendale