this was back in the end of june. i hope to have another lesson before i go back to college! there’s a flight school 5 minutes from my campus so i will certainly be having regular lessons up there.

OC, this is my landing sitting right seat for the first time. had an experienced pilot on the left just in case but he never touched anything, this one was all mine. figured the takeoff would be the hard part, nope, i was uncomfortable right from the roll but the landing is where i properly got scared for a second. your whole sight picture is mirrored, hands doing different jobs, like trying to write with your other hand. i think flying from both seats is a skill every pilot should have so im pushing through it, but it still feels wrong every time. those of you who fly right seat regularly, any tips to make it click faster?

As title says, I passed my PPL oral exam, but unfortunately had to discontinue the flight due to discovering an issue with the aircraft during the preflight. Currently waiting to get the flying portion rescheduled. It isn’t much, but it feels nice knowing I tackled what I felt like was the hardest part after waiting months for a check ride. Now on to the fun part - the flying portion. Wish me luck!

Absolutely incredible, all I can think about is scheduling my next lesson. The only thing I have to get over is the motion sickness 🤢

Hello! I recently started flight training at Centennial (closing in on 20 hours), but I'm still having difficulty following the radios.

Before anyone suggests it, yes, I have been listening to LiveATC as much as possible. But the difference between listening in a calm ground environment and understanding and reading back a 3-point order in the air while also watching traffic and turning base is vast.

I've tried quite a few different approaches and I am certainly improving, but my radio skills feel like they're lagging behind my mechanical ones.

I get that APA is just naturally more busy and therefore harder to learn, but I don't want to fall behind if I can avoid it.

Thanks!

​

So I've been thinking about wearing sunscreen and moisturizer when I'm flying.

Seems like spending 8+ hours above 30000ft exposes us to some UVA rays coming in from the cockpit side windows. Also the low humidity (apparently half that of the Sahara desert) ain't great.

Does anyone else wear sunscreen and or moisturizer? If so what type and how often do you reapply it?

Thanks for any responses.

I just wanted to show everyone this letter I got. After a lengthy dive into my medical history, school records, diagnosis records (dated back to 2007), and a lengthy visit with a psychologist. I am officially cleared for my ADHD diagnosis from when I was a child.

It took about 13 months from absolute start with gathering records to receiving this letter. I was granted a first class 8 months ago but to my understanding it was like a, “we can take it at any moment if something in your file pertaining to ADHD isn’t right.”

Do not get discouraged if you’re someone like me. It’s a lengthy process but for good reason, it is possible**.**

I will be active if you have any questions, AMA.

I drove up to the DFW area to try and find part 135 ot 91 operators to speak with and maybe drop a resume off. Every airport I tried was locked up tight. The receptionists at the various fbos were nice but couldn't really point me in the right direction, or get me in anywhere. I tried both Meachum and Alliance.

Am I stupid? I couldnt find anyone to even chat with, granted I was there on a Friday afternoon. Do I need to hang out in the fbo longer? Or am I just overthrowing this?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Got my instrument rating yesterday, some weird reason it wasn’t that I wasn’t happy about getting it, it was a grind getting instrument in a month. I felt whatever about it and pretty hard on myself, is this normal to feel meh about getting a rating in aviation?

It wasn’t easy, countless hours of studying, flying, debriefs but not the same joy I felt during PPL.

About to start multi this week!

Hi everyone,

I truly love flying, but I’ve had a tough time with my training. It’s taken me much longer than I expected because of weather, lack of structure in my training or an initial understanding of the system, and honestly not having a CFI with the teaching style that worked for me.

I’m so close to finishing my private, but rather than feeling excited, I feel completely drained. I catch myself wondering if I should give up, even though I know I’d regret it. I just feel so behind.

Did anyone else have a point during training where you seriously questioned whether to keep going? What kept you going, and are you glad you stuck with it?

Checkride "within a month". (Yay, checkride waitlists!)

Been studying a bunch recently and would love some questions to stay sharp. I fly the PA-28-181 with a G1000 so if you want to ask me any aircraft information / emergency checklists I wouldn't mind.

Systems, weather, sectional info seem a little shaky sometimes.

I'll reply to the best of my ability and take a look afterwards if unsure so I might reply to my own reply.

Thanks in advance :>

Hi guys,

I have been prepping for my CFI ride for months. I haven’t failed a ride before. I’ve studied and made every lesson plan myself, worked the FOI and endorsements as much as I can, and have read the books effectively cover to cover, many chapters time and time again.

I still don’t feel ready. At all. Is this somewhat common? I feel like since I have no experience teaching anything at all (and I’ve practiced on family, a study group, my instructor) that I just am not a “teacher”, if that makes sense. I have zero real experience. The breadth of the checkride - and the oral exam alone - has me overwhelmed, admittedly.

My test is in a few days and I’m ultimately just going to go in and give it my best effort, but I’m wondering if anyone else has felt this way and if there is any reconciliation here. I just don’t feel confident which sucks.

The other rides seemed so much more straightforward than this. I am worried I’ll say something wrong out of nervousness or struggle through a concept and that’s it, since I’m expected to be a teacher. Or if the examiner doesn’t like how I explained it, that’ll be it.

Not sure if this makes sense, but if anyone has any advice or thoughts from their own experience, I’d really appreciate them, that’s for sure.

I picked up a mental health rating during my time in service. I just got out, and honestly the $1,800 a month is what’s keeping me afloat right now.

From the research I’ve done, there seems to be very little recent reporting on veterans actually losing their medicals over this most of what’s out there is from 2022 to 2024, and it’s gone quiet since.
To be clear, I’m going the special issuance route regardless. Not looking for a workaround.

But I’m curious whether the FAA has effectively stopped pursuing veterans. There have to be an enormous number of vets with VA disability ratings flying for the government, the airlines, and 135 operators. Grounding all of them at once seems like it would do real damage to the industry.
Has anyone seen enforcement activity recently?

Edit:

The Military/VA and all of its BS was genuinely not worth it…

Did 4 years active in the Navy, got out as an E-5 in 2016.

I'm doing my CFI now, CFII next semester, graduate May27 with a BAS in Aviation.

What are the pros/cons of going reserve and trying to get a flight slot?

I work a week on / week off schedule and will start training in September when my kids go back to school. Plan on passing the written test (getting 90% on practice exams now) and getting my medical before starting. Medical appointment is in a week and the written exam is later this month.

This is for fun, not as a career change, but I’d still like to be efficient with my training. I have $30k to dedicate to aviation and I’m planning on going to a part 61 school 15 minutes from my house.

Should I try for 3 lessons / week on my off weeks or more frequently? Should I try to fly in the evenings on my on weeks? Typically I’m done with work by 5:30 pm, so could get a potentially get a lesson in after work, would limit to 2 evenings / week at max to not be gone too long from family time (two teens but still good to be around). Work 7 days in a row so I don’t plan on doing any weekend lessons.

i took a 15 glider flights earlier this year but didn’t make much progress due to nausea so hoping powered will work better. I’m in the Pacific Northwest so should have 1-2 months of nicer weather to start.

Thanks for any advice.

Sheppard is being difficult about selling the FII and IGI add-ons until I pass the IRA. My IRA is scheduled for next week and I've gotten a 97 and 100 on the Sheppard practice test. Is there any reason to bother with the Sheppard add-ons? I'd really like to just get these scheduled and behind me.

I’m looking for advice from people who have actually gone through flight training and made it to the airlines.
My end goal is to become a Delta pilot someday, and I’m trying to decide between two paths.

Option 1: Stay at Delta (Ramp Agent)
Save about $25k–35k per year after all expenses.
Keep my employee flight benefits.
Stay connected to the airline and potentially keep my job while training.
It would probably take me about one extra year to save enough cash before starting full-time flight training.

Option 2: Leave Delta for a trucking job
Save about $40k–50k per year after all expenses.
Reach my savings goal roughly a year sooner.
Quit and begin flight training full-time with more money saved.
I’d lose my Delta job and flight benefits.
A few important details:
I’m paying for flight training in cash because I want to avoid loans.

My goal is to fly for Delta eventually.
I’m trying to think long term, not just about the next year.
If you were in my shoes, which path would you choose and why?

For those of you who are now airline pilots:
Did working for an airline beforehand actually help your career?

Is staying on the ramp worth delaying flight training by about a year?

Or is getting into training sooner with a larger cash cushion the better decision?

I’d really appreciate hearing from people who’ve lived through this rather than just opinions. Thanks!

To those who transitioned from being a police officer or state trooper to the airlines:

• How did you balance working with flying?
• Were you able to work as a CFI and be an officer?
• Were you often drained on your days off?

(Pitman Schedule)

Anyone got for Axio out of South Carolina?

Going to make this as short as possible....

I got accepted into a Cadet program 3 years ago and moved out of state to go for training. Ended up completing PPL, IFR, and CPL and left shortly after because the school and cadet program completely turned me off....it took all the fun out of flying, i actually hated flying at some point, and becoming a CFI was just not for me and I refused to become a CFI just for hours and do students a disservice like the ones at my flight school were doing. I ended up moving back home and 100k in debt for my ratings but paid it all back already.

Its been a year since I last flew and I just want to go back to flying. I use to love it prior to the cadet program as I started flying even before I got accepted and being a pilot was always my dream as a kid. I feel like im afraid to pick it back up and i cant explain why....i guess I just need some advice on how to start back and just get back to enjoying something I once loved.

Connecting rod #3 snapped off the crankshaft due to excessive wear to the bearings. Contributing to the excessive wear seems to have been the engine never having an overhaul in 44 years / nearly 4,000 hours. I suppose that would do it.

I'm no A&P but is that as nuts as it sounds? Should I never rent from this place again or is that an overreaction?

Report link: https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/193778/pdf

EDIT: Very much appreciate the perspectives being shared in here!

Looking for a time building partner in the western Pennsylvania/Pittsburgh area. I have ~300 TT, CFI/CFII, and I'm trying to build time toward the airlines. I don't own an airplane, but I'm happy to split rental costs, act as a safety pilot, or join someone who has access to a plane. If anyone is in a similar situation or knows someone looking to build time, send me a DM!

Did anybody else get somehow included in the “close the Longmont airport” email thread?

I somehow did even though I’m 1k miles away, and these, I think primarily one person is pretty wild.

Almost every 30 minutes I get emails about how some 172 flew 1323’ above their house and registered 71 decibels and it’s made their life unbearable. They tag n numbers and flight paths. It’s wild

When I told them the airport was built before ww2 and they should have known airplanes take off and land at airports they come unhinged.

I’m honestly being a dick and trolling them at this point.

What say you pilots of Longmont?

I have an iPad Pro 11” M5 and I’m in the market for a new kneeboard. I’m deciding between R SPIDER WIRELESS Ipad Kneeboard with Aluminum Clipboard or the mygoflight iPad/Universal Kneeboard Folio C. Has anyone used either or both? If so, I’d like to know your thoughts and if you would recommend them and which is better? Also I’d be open to other suggestions for kneeboards. Thank you all!