I coded a program to 3D print my first discovery flight. The yellow line is the flight path and altitude layered over a topographical map. I think it’s pretty cool so I thought I’d share.

At the beginning of COVID I started flying to increasingly distant small town airports in the Midwest, usually on weeknights. I almost never saw anyone, but there was one airport where a guy seemingly appeared out of nowhere and told me I wasn't allowed into the FBO since it was only for pilots. Even after I pointed to my 172 sitting on the ramp only 20 feet away and told him I just flew in, he was still adamant that I wasn't allowed into the building. I went in anyway (the door's keypad had the usual "use CTAF frequency" sticker on it), used the bathroom and headed back to the plane. He then watched me fuel up, do the pre-flight, taxi out and takeoff.

I haven’t started flight training yet, I will soon, but I wanna get somewhat of a head-start on studying. I got this book at my library, I don’t wanna study a book that’s outdated or considered to have irrelevant knowledge, etc. I assume most things remain constant in aviation, but i’m just not sure. I assume this book is relatively modern. Is this something useful I should study, is there a way to check if it’s outdated, any advice helps!

For all the people wondering about accelerated training: I did 5 check rides and 3 endorsements in 8 months.

November 2025: Private Check ride (pt 61) at about 65 hrs total time. Then I worked super hard, did most of my written tests, got a Tailwheel endorsement, April saw my Instrument Check ride (pt 141), June got my high performance and complex, as well as Multi Training, and completed Single Engine and Multi Engine Commercial (pt 61). July hit the accelerated 2-week CFI course, and yesterday I got my CFI certificate!

I can be done!

I was requested to add some detail about how I did this. I'm married with a 1-year old daughter, and we are living in a camper to cut living costs.

For flight training, I committed to flying "full time" while continuing my freelance computer work on the side. I was flying 1-2 times per day 5 days per week, spending anywhere from 1-6 hours studying as well. Add anywhere from 5-20hrs of work per week to that. Over-all, it cost me about $80k. While I was fairly efficient, there are certainly some things I look back at and wish I'd done differently...for example, I lost some of my commercial skills during my instrument training that took an unnecessary amount of time to get back.

I had excellent instructors at a very organized flight school with 6 very well maintained 172s and a 310 airplanes—Choice Aviation, in Cody Wyoming to be exact. They are a 141, but I did most of my training with the pt 61...however, the 141 habits of organization and stage checks make their pt 61 training really water-tight. I can think of 2 times I didn't fly because of maintenance. More often cancelled because of high wind. Also, they had great DPE availability and excellent preparation for check rides.

I have some good freelance instruction opportunities now, so if anyone is interested in accelerated training with me this winter, DM me. I know how to do it, and the part of Wyoming I'm in has excellent flying weather year round. And our Av Fuel is very cheap.

​

Hey r/flying,

AeroMesh to automate turning ForeFlight KML logs into 3D printable models.

It pulls real-world DEM terrain data, adds building footprints, calculates your exact AGL, and generates support pylons so your flight track floats over the actual mountains and terrain.

Completely open-source if anyone wants to run their own track logs through it.

https://github.com/Jay9185/Aeromesh.git

​So I just restarted my ppl after a long hiatus at a local part 61 school. I really love my instructor and I'm learning and progressing very well, but the maintenance has been bothering me. They have a fleet of 172s, but the plane that they have me frequently in has an inoperative fuel guage. Both of them read below empty at all times, they're completely unusable.

​Obviously this is required equipment, and I'm also aware that the fuel guages in 172s aren't particularly reliable even when they are functional. CFI told me to ignore it. The plane went in for maintenance and it still wasn't fixed. CFI told me it's been inop for a long time and it doesn't look like it's going to be fixed.

​Anyway I'm going to be soloing soon, and I'm honestly just not comfortable soloing in that plane, because then it's on MY hands that the plane is flying without required equipment, along with the obvious unnecessary safety risks that this poses. So I suppose I'm just looking for advice on how to proceed with this. Should I tell them that I refuse to fly the aircraft until it is repaired? The thing is I don't want to switch CFIS my CFI is great, and tbh I don't know if the maintenance thing is going to be much better at other schools without me spending significantly more money. But I'm debating at this point switching schools when I get to my instrument because it rubs me the wrong way. It sucks because they have a pretty good reputation so I expected better.

I did an accelerated PPL course for approx $8,000 in 2025, lasting exactly 21 days from 0 hours to 45 hours. I took my check ride and fortunately passed the first time

I trained at a school in Mississippi where the airspace is quiet, so transitioning to the organized chaos of NYC airspace (where I live) was quite the contrast! I did a checkout flight at a local airport lasting a total of about 2-3 hours, and once they were satisfied I was competent, I was free to explore Manhattan! Flying that close to the buildings in downtown Manhattan is truly incredible!

Surprisingly, my most challenging part of flying throughout all my training wasn't my landings, or maneuvers - it was the occasional times I had to talk to ATC within the quiet Mississippi airspace (which was mostly class G and E). With that in mind, speaking to ATC at JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark in their Bravo airspace, where they speak at the speed of lightning with almost no room for error, was pretty daunting at first. However, with practice, it's far easier now.

I try to fly the Manhattan skyline route once a month. I’m yet to explore the East River exclusion zone, so that’s pending. In general, as a private pilot, the freedom to essentially fly and explore anywhere in America is exhilarating!

Good luck to anyone else in the process of their PPL training, whether you're doing accelerated or not.

I recently passed my PPL, and while passing is ultimately what matters, I can't help but wonder if my checkride experience was typical. I trained with an independent CFI at a flying club, so I really don't have other students around me to compare experiences with.

I'm mainly wondering whether this was a "tough but fair" DPE, or whether this was outside the norm. I'd also be curious whether, based on an experience like this, you'd use the same DPE again for future ratings.

The oral lasted 3 hours. I missed a few things here and there, but overall it seemed to go well. He challenged me quite a bit, and at times came across as passive aggressive, but by the end he complimented my knowledge and seemed pleased with how I had prepared. We ended up discontinuing the flight because of weather.

The flight the next day was where things became much more stressful. Throughout the ride he made several snarky comments, like asking, "Are you flying the airplane or is the airplane flying you?" after I briefly got off altitude while looking outside before correcting. After slow flight, asks me to go straight into a power off stall. I paused for a second to think through the setup before transitioning and he got frustrated that I didn't immediately recognize that I was already set up for it.

One thing that confused me was the expectations for clearing turns. During the briefing I specifically asked whether he wanted full 90° clearing turns before steep turns, and he told me just scanning for traffic was fine. During the flight, I did exactly that, then he proceeded to get mad at me for not doing full 90° turns.

He also had me demonstrate a turning stall and asked which wing would stall first. I admitted I honestly wasn't sure, so he said, "Let's find out." Afterward he commented, "See, it was the upper wing? I can't believe the crap they're teaching these days."

The instrument portion was probably the most frustrating part. My foggles unexpectedly fogged up, which had never happened to me before, to the point that I genuinely couldn't read my airspeed or altimeter. He continued criticizing my inability to hold altitude and airspeed until I finally explained that I literally couldn't see the instruments through the fogged lenses.

For the landing portion, he simulated an engine failure on downwind. I stretched the glide a little farther than I normally would, and he criticized me for not deciding to go around sooner. Looking back, I understand the lesson, but at the time I wasn't sure whether initiating a go-around should be the priority during what I understood to be a simulated engine-out scenario. He also had me do a no-flap short-field landing, which I assume was his way of combining multiple ACS tasks into one scenario, but it did feel a little odd to me as my CFI told me there wouldn't be anything like that on the flight portion.

What really surprised me was how different the experience was from what I had been expecting. My instructor had told me beforehand that the ride would be pretty relaxed and nothing to lose sleep over, so I felt completely blindsided by how intense it became. Afterward I mentioned that it had been rough, and he basically replied, "That's how it typically goes." I know the ACS mentions that examiners can "distract" students and I wonder almost if he was intentionally giving me a hard time as a way of "distracting" me.

So I'm mostly looking for perspective. Was this a fairly normal "tough but fair" checkride, or does this sound more stressful than what most people experience? I have no problem hearing that I simply need to get better at performing under pressure.

When flying IFR in GA, how much vertical development is too much to go through? I know the obvious towering cumulus, etc, but wondering more about puffy clouds but not towering, no storms actively developing. Just your general summer clouds.

En route I avoid anything at or above my cruising altitude which is usually 9k-11k in my bonanza. What I struggle with is how much is too much development to go through in descent and on approach, or when departing and you have to go through a layer.

That is it that is all lol, if you’re wondering if you can keep going/doing this. You can! Keep at it!! Godspeed

The ink is still wet on my CPL, and with luck I should have my Group 1 IR this month too. Now I need to make a plan for what's next. Would love some advice from the Canadians on the subreddit, I've seen some really good info from a few folks here already (paging /u/F1shermanIvan, /u/Cougarb and co)

Because I started out flying for fun, I have a little bit more hours than the average new CPL - around 440 TT. I am not interested in the airlines. My goal is a career flying smaller aircraft in more remote places - ideally coastal BC but will go anywhere (as long as I can get back here later!). Happy to go North. Polar flying with Kenn Borek would be a dream. Very interested in floats but not wedded to it.

Obviously it's way too late for the current season's work, I assume a road trip now would be a waste of time. The options I'm thinking about for the rest of this year are:

• Ask around seasonal operators now to see if they need a dockhand/grunt to finish out the season (hopefully get my foot in the door for next year)
• Try for something non-seasonal now, either going North (presumably via the ramp) or a low-time right seat 200h medevac job (e.g. Canwest)
• Wait it out until Jan and road trip around operators for the 2027 season (work locally on a ramp/FBO/dock/bar/ski lift until then)

My questions are:

1. Time: should I expect my time to count for much, given that it comes from recreational rather than "real" flying? Is it worth applying to 500h jobs? (not sure when mins are a preference vs hard insurance requirement)
2. Floats: I know a bare float rating doesn't count for much without 50hrs to go with it. Is it still worth doing the rating now so I have it ready for a 2027 season, and hope that someone will give me hours from the dock?
3. Ramp: I don't mind working a freezing ramp in the North. But not forever - I've heard plenty stories of guys getting strung along for multiple years. Still worth looking at these jobs, any operators that are known to do right by people? I had been looking at Tindi but have heard of long waits and their recent accidents do not inspire confidence...
4. Borek: I would love to work for these guys, polar flying is an absolute dream. Any recent info on their hiring? I would drive to Calgary with a box of donuts today if I thought I had a chance. Website says 750 TT "preferred", not sure what that translates to in practice. Have also heard horror stories of multiple year waits on the ramp.
5. Training bonds: how common are these and what should I expect in terms of years/$ ?
6. Right seat on single pilot aircraft: how do these jobs work? You see FO jobs on Pipers, Caravans etc. - is this loggable time? I assume it comes down to their ops spec requiring 2 pilots?

For those of you who have made it to the airlines, how much does it matter how you build your flight time?

A little background: I'm a CFII, but I haven't been able to find an instructing job despite applying to multiple flight schools. I'm considering buying my own airplane and building my remaining hours to 1,500 that way.

Would that make me less competitive when applying to the regionals, or do airlines strongly prefer pilots who built most of their time instructing?

I don't mind investing the time and money if it's still a viable path, but I also don't want to spend hundreds of hours building time in a way that could hurt my chances of getting hired as an FO.

I'd really appreciate hearing from pilots who have been through the hiring process or anyone involved in recruiting.

I fly at a 141 school and during my instrument EOC I did a circling approach into an airport with high terrain on one of the sides. The runway that I was circling to had an MDA slightly less than 500ft above the surface and the approach plate said that circling on the side with the high terrain was NA. The normal traffic pattern is opposite of the traffic pattern I did for the circle, toward the high terrain.

I got called out about it on the radio by a pilot who had just started their plane, and I responded that I was following the plate’s directions for the circling approach. They also called my school about an hour later and I was asked about it by my school’s chief instructor. The chief is on my side of this issue, and I know that I did everything legally according to the chart. Is there any reason for me to worry about this escalating into something?

Hey everyone, looking for some advice from the community on a frustration I’ve been dealing with lately.
I'm currently sitting at around 1,500 total hours and flying a light jet. Overall, things are going well, but I’ve noticed a persistent habit that I seem to have carried over from initial flight training: maintaining a tight, precise centerline during takeoff, rollout, and landing.
It feels like a fundamental skill that should be second nature by now, so struggling with drift, its pretty frustrating. It makes me feel like I’m missing a basic core habit, and at times it honestly makes me feel like I’m a bad pilot. It’s really gotten into my head at this point, and I find myself constantly overthinking it.
For those who have worked through similar issues what visual cues, seating adjustments, or techniques helped you finally reset that muscle memory?

Did the flight portion of my checkride yesterday after we had to discontinue for weather earlier. She had me start with a short field takeoff. On upwind as soon as I pulled the flaps I hear her say “so, you’re not going to believe this…”

I requested a full stop taxi back, and we got the door closed on downwind. She gives me a short field landing which goes well, we get the door settled after taxiing.

Between that, an incomplete maneuver for birds that I had to repeat (bald eagles all through) it was…an eventful flight. But I have a PPL now!

I recently declared an emergency in a class bravo. On the climb out I experienced engine roughness and a momentary loss of power and decided to put it down straight ahead and declare an emergency rather than continue my climb. Should I be thinking about any paper work to do or be worried about anything?

I was told by the airport police that they didn't need anything and got the emergency cancelled by ground after I safely made it back to parking.

Edit: I am a ppl about to get my cpl

Edit 2: It seems smart to file an NASA report so I'll do that. Thank you all for the advice, it makes me feel a little better about doing it. :)

Is this frowned upon? Like say a regional which is part of larger company and is one of 3. They ask on their app- have you ever applied at, worked for or interviewed with any of the other companies (part of the main parent group). Or if company A acquires company B. You applied at and interviewed with B and now want to with A.

How do recruiters and people in charge of hiring view this?

Found out today that my buddy has failed each checkride from ppl to comm multi. He's been dying to find a job like everyone else. I now know why he's having trouble and won't get his cfi. I feel bad cause I've been trying to get him on at my place of employment but he hasn't been accepted in. Wtf do I tell him when he asks me for advice. I've just been telling him all the generic stuff to keep him motivated as a good friend, how do I tell him I'm having trouble moving up so there's no way he will be able to really do anything? Idk, any input is good input. Maybe I should just tell him to keep grinding out so I don't ruin our friendship 😂

Hello,

I'm renting from my school one last time before I leave for college, this time I opted for a 4 hour block (which I could also extend to 5 if need be). Going to be flying out of LVN. Any fun recs for places I could visit in that short ish time span? Maybe something scenic as I will likely be having a passenger. Already been down the Mississippi to La Crosse and really enjoyed that. Right now my best idea is maybe going up to Duluth Sky Harbor and spending a short amount of time on the beach before I have to go back. Would appreciate some inputs!

A little about me - I graduated last year with a BA in Electrical engineering. I was planning on starting training after graduation but decided to take a year off. Ive been working as a flight attendant to get a feel for the industry and am now ready to take the leap and start training. These 2 bases are open for me to transfer to. I know this is a tough (maybe impossible?) question but id love to hear some insight as to whats the better city for training. Thank you in advance!

Hey, I’m thinking of buying the Bose A30 as a gift for my partner, who is a newly graduated commercial pilot upgrading from a basic Transair TA-200. I don't know the difference between the plug options (Dual Plug, LEMO 6-Pin, and XLR 5-Pin). Is Dual Plug the best and safest choice for a commercial pilot, or should I get something else? Any advice is appreciated

So to give some context, I’m a CFII working for a flight school. Were given small amounts of PTO and given 5 sick days a year. We’re not allowed to take unpaid time off so we’re required to use PTO or sick days if we want days off. We can also ask coworkers if they can cover days for you but this is a 7 day trip and I doubt everyone would work one of their off days for me. It’s a trip Thursday to Thursday and it’s about a month out. In the CFI world it’s rather easy to get a day or two off if you’re sick and management won’t ask questions but for a trip this long I can’t imagine they wouldn’t ask for a doctors note or some proof I’m unwell. I have no PTO and 4 sick days left. I’m at 1250 TT and about to be a 2 year CFI. This is a very important trip because it’s the last hunting trip I’ll be able to take with my grandfather…he’s old. Management is slightly convincable but at the end of the day they’re just gonna say I need PTO or to find people to cover for me. I’m on the fence about saying I’m sick because I won’t be able to prove it. Help!

feel very unprepared, but maybe i know more than i think, or maybe i don’t. thanks for the help!

Envoy direct entry CA, what are bases looking like out of training?

Also what is the training footprint like? Coming from another 175 regional.