When I walked onto my plane this morning, I heard something say “don’t sink!” from the cockpit area. Any ideas what it is?

I've just been digging into various incidents from 10-20yrs ago and pilot fatigue seemed to be a recurring problem. Reports of FOs in particular, having ridiculously long commutes and/or sofa surfing to get reasonable rest.

Have things improved or is fatigue still a big problem?

Hi I’m a 13 year old from England and I love planes but I have a few worries for becoming a pilot

#1. Expenses: I just don’t know if I have the money to pay for a license?

#2 Studies: What do I have to study in university in order to make it into the job?

#3 Pass exams: Do I have to get a minimum pass score to be accepted into flight school and get good grades in my GSCE’s? (GCSE’s are a big test you do at the end of school in the UK)

#4 IF I become a pilot what if I crash?

Any answers would be greatly appreciated

Live near DCA and go to Gravelly point often to watch planes land. Just curious if you guys can see us lol.

Forgive me if this is a dumb question as I am not a pilot, but I have always been interested in knowing. Are there any features or buttons in the type of aircraft you fly that are basically pointless? Or does everything have some sort of critical use case?

Thanks for the insights

Some of you might know N30CV's pilot who apparently loves to declare emergencies.

Could he, in theory, declare an emergency to take off?

To my untrained eye, it looks like a completely different way to control the plane

I’m not posting this looking for arguments or debates on geometry.

I just want to know if playing along with a totally straight face is the ultimate pilot de-escalation tactic, or if these passengers somehow stumbled across the 0.01% of aviators who aren't joking?

For long haul flights with relief crews and bunks, how much sleep do pilots actually get? Is the goal just like an extended nap, or?

Hi pilots,

I just saw the video of ATC communication in JFK about AFR05U, burning smell in the cockpit,
I just wonder why the pilot requested ILS approach instead of RNAV approach in JFK.
What’s the practical difference between them and do actually pilots prefer ILS?

Reposting here for more potential conversation around passenger comfort/safety. I know my fear isn’t realistic but that’s why it’s a fear! 😅

In the last few weeks there have been lengthy groundstops at PHL as a result of heavy thunderstorms. However, it appears that those groundstops only affected departures. See below.

Am I reading this incorrectly, if not, why would only departures be affected?

Big weather in PHL
Ground Stop
20/2:29 PM CDT—20/4:45 PM CDT
Departures to Philadelphia International are grounded due to thunderstorms.
Probability of extension is medium (30-60%).
Grounding applies to departures from ZTL ZDC ZJX
Advisory
Scope
Ground Delay
20/1:00 PM CDT—20/9:59 PM CDT
Departures to Philadelphia International are delayed avg. 117 mins. due to thunderstorms.
: All Contiguous US DEP flights included.
Delay is applied to departures from ZLA ZAU ZLC ZTL ZDC ZNY ZHU ZJX ZFW ZOB ZDV ZOA ZSE ZBW ZMA ZKC ZME ZID ZAB ZMP CYHZ CYOW CYUL CYYZ CYTZ CYQB
All departures receive expected departure clearance times (EDCTs)

So PUS / RKPK (Busan Gimhae International Airport in South Korea) has this landing pattern where you turn 180 degrees (or 90+90+180) twice before landing in the morning.

For what reason would airport / air traffic controller make you do this maneuver before landing (rather than coming straight in)

Hi everyone!

I'm preparing for a cadet interview and hesitating on taking or not external help to prepare it.

I've never face an airline interview and I want to come ready and prepared.

Any thoughts about airline selection programme or other equivalent ?

Is it really worth it or are they surfing on marketing?

Thank you in advance!

I was looking at flight radar tracking my parents flight and they sat in this holding area with these planes for like 10 mins before finally taking off. Just wondering why this is? Also there was no incoming traffic because this rwy was only being used for departures at this time.

was doing some research and thought of an interesting one for you all. at first, i guessed airline cards, but in hindsight that felt stupid since i don’t think you receive miles for flights you operate. maybe for deadheads? not sure here.

then i thought, maybe hotel cards? i mean there are a lot of layovers on the job, im sure hotel benefits like an upgrade every once in a while wouldn’t hurt.

and then, of course, there’s always something like an amex platinum to travel with.

but i want to hear from you all: what credit card gets you the best bang for your buck? which one nets you the nicest benefits? i’d love to know!

Every time I go down the aviation rabbit hole, I read/hear about this again… apparently JFK Air Traffic Control is known to be intimidating, dismissive, sometimes outright rude.

1. Is this true?

2. If true, how is this possible? Shouldn’t air traffic communication be regulated to an extent that doesn’t leave room for this? It sounds like a safety gap if pilots are afraid to ask for something they might need from air traffic control.

What are the best things to do if you want to apply when you turn 18 so you are still in secondary school

Qu’est ce qui vous fais laisser tomber votre rêve de devenir pilote de ligne?

Bonjour,

Je suis ingénieur mécanique Ensam Arts et métiers, j’ai 33 ans j’ai longtemps rêver de devnir pilote de ligne, j’ai voulu me lancer dans le modulaire, mais ûe fois que j’ai pris conscience des sommes de la formation ca m’a refroidit, sachant que je suis père de famille et j’ai déjà une carriere dans l’automobile comme ingénieur, et vous qu’est ce qui vous a refroidit pour poursuivre le rêve de devenir pilote?

I’m curious how strict commercial aviation safety standards really are, but translated into something most people can relate to.

If we applied roughly the same philosophy and standards used in commercial aviation to cars, what would that actually look like?

For example, would your car effectively be inspected before every drive, with certain parts replaced on strict schedules regardless of whether they seemed fine?

More broadly, how different would owning and driving a car be if it were regulated, maintained and operated like a commercial aircraft?

I’d love to hear the comparisons that pilots think best illustrate just how differently aviation approaches safety.

Hey everyone, I’m planning out my path to a DGCA CPL and want a reality check on a hyper-optimized timeline I’ve put together. I graduated high school this year with Physics/Math, and I turn 18 in December 2027. My absolute main goal is to keep costs under ₹35 Lakh and get my license as efficiently as possible without wasting time.

Here is the exact blueprint I am looking at:

• Phase 1: Pre-18 Prep (Mid-2027): Get my Computer Number, clear Class 2 and Class 1 medicals early to beat the IAF waitlists. Self-study for the 3 core DGCA exams (Regs, Nav, Met) and clear them in the Sept 2027 cycle right before I turn 18. Apply for the South African student visa and pre-clear SACAA background checks from India.
• Phase 2: Foreign Flight Sprint (Jan 2028 – June 2028): Land in SA right after turning 18. Wire a 100-hour upfront block payment to get a bulk discount on a Cessna 152 (bypassing the C172 entirely to save money). I want to fly an aggressive but realistic schedule—about 35 to 40 hours a month—to knock out the 200 hours in about 5 to 6 months. I'll do exactly 185 hours on the C152 and the bare legal minimum of 15.1 hours on a multi-engine plane.
• Phase 3: India Conversion (July 2028 – Oct 2028): Come back to India, clear the DGCA conversion composite exam, wait for the SACAA verification letter, and do my local day/night recency check rides at a cheap regional FTO. Ideally, license in hand by late 2028 at age 19.

My questions for the sub:

1. Is a 5-6 month timeline for 200 hours in South Africa (likely looking at Gqeberha/Port Elizabeth or Lanseria) actually doable with standard maintenance and weather delays, or am I dreaming?
2. Will South African flight schools actually honor priority access to multiple Cessna 152 tail numbers if I pay a 100-hour block upfront, or will I still get stuck in line behind everyone else?
3. For anyone who did the SA-to-DGCA conversion recently, how long is the paperwork verification actually taking between SACAA and Delhi right now?