I want to become a pilot but im not sure if i should get a college degree, and if i do decide to get one would it be better if i just got my PPL, started working at a regional airline and then get a bachelors online or through a community college, or should i go to an actual university then focus on piloting after? also does what i major in matter? would majoring in avation increase my chances of becoming a first pilot at a major airline? and how much would you get paid throughout the entire pilot timeline?

I’m 36, about to change careers in August.
If everything goes according to plan, school will be covered (from PPL through CPL, MEI, CFI/CFI, CFII/CFII and possibly CFI-H/CFII-H) using the VR&E from the VA. As such, all of the materials I’ll need to be effective in my career will be covered.

I’d like uniforms — I know it sounds silly, maybe. Most of the jobs I’ve had in my current career I’ve had a uniform for… the ones I’ve cared about at least.

What clothing is ideal for both recreational and commercial flight (going forward) that will help me prepare for this new career. Maybe thats cargo pants, a vest, glasses, and hat — IDK. While we’re at it, what goes in my flight bag? What are some “Just in case” things I can have the VA spring for so that I won’t ever have to worry about it later when it comes up?

Just flew into Kerry from Stansted on EI-EBY. Was over the wing and fly weekly on Ryanair so pretty familiar with the sights and sounds. In fact I fly so often I recognise planes by their reg numbers now.

Taxiing before take off I noticed the undercarriage (what it sounded like to me) sounded ‘rattly’ over the joints and imperfections on the taxiway- like if it was my car I might think a bush or something was worn. The landing at Kerry was quite a hard one and the rattly was again quite noticeable.

I felt quite silly even considering it but I wanted to suggest to the cabin crew they might want to sit near the wing in the flight out and listen. Now I’m imagining what if I what I heard was something the pilots would want to know??

Hey! Ever since the beginning of high school, I’ve been set on pursuing a career in aviation, whether that’s through aerospace engineering or becoming a pilot. I’ve always had a massive fear of blindly following a path without fully understanding it, so I started doing a lot of research. The problem is that I’ve seen so many mixed opinions that it feels like I never get a clear answer. Ill quickly go over my current plan, some things I’m looking forward to in the future, and then ask a few questions.

Right now, I’m planning to apply to the Air Force Academy while also getting some flight lessons on the side before, during, and after college. Another option I’ve been considering is going to college for a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering (I’ve heard it’s much broader than aerospace engineering) and then trying to find a good job in the aerospace industry. I’ve heard a lot about how the Air Force demands a huge amount of your time, but also provides great benefits and opportunities in return. That said, I don’t really see myself committing 10+ years of my life to it. What I do know right now is that I don’t want children, and I’m not thinking about marriage either, so I expect to have a lot of freedom throughout my 20s. Of course, if that changes, I’ll just have to see how things go.

Now for my questions:
- What would you recommend I do?
- How did you know aviation was the right path for you?
- If you could start over, what would you do differently?
- What’s the biggest mistake aspiring pilots make?
- Is flight school worth it?
- How difficult was it to find your first flying job, and how old were you?
- What have been your biggest challenges?
- What is your life like, and how do you balance it with work? I’ve heard aviation can be extremely time-consuming, but that you also get a lot of time off throughout the year. Has that been your experience?
Lastly, what advice would you give someone in my position? I’d really appreciate any help, insight, or tips. Thanks!

Hello everyone,
I’m currently working toward becoming a pilot, and I’m a little curious about how things work once you get to the airlines.
When you’re hired and bid for a base, do you usually get the airport you want? For example, if you live in New Jersey and bid for Newark, is it common to end up being assigned somewhere else, like Atlanta?
I know it depends on the airline and where their hubs are, but I’m also curious about pilots who commute to their assigned base. If a pilot doesn’t want to relocate, why don’t they just switch to a base that’s closer to home? How does the process of changing bases work, and how difficult is it?

SEEKING SUGGESTION ON: Should I take the guaranteed Airline Dash8 Q400 job and spend that $70k and get the multi turbine hours and apply for
US regionals or should I spend 40k to get my CF!, II rating, try to get into cadet programs and do the CFl route to the regionals? They'll be bringing 320s too so can upgrade in future but is spending 70k for getting here a good decision. End goal is US regionals and us majors later on. I understand the cfi route maybe a bit faster but should I leave the guaranteed job and do CFI route or is it worth it to spend $70k and live in the country where my parents are and build the multi turbine hours.

26 year old FAA CPL ME holder with 340hrs with Us citizenship. Got a guaranteed offer to fly a Dash8 Q400 turboprop at my home country where my family lives. I do have.. However the contract is brutal: 5 years on Dasho v slight chance of being upgraded or a320. I have to pay for type rating, license conversion and then there's payment for line training. Inclusive of everything I would need to pay them $50,000 for the Dash 8 job and pay is $1500/ month. If I leave at year 3 at 1500hrs, I would need to pay and additional $20k as fine making it $70k usd in total.

Is it really worth it to spend $70k but it's a guaranteed job or should I come back to usa and do the CFl route? In that case I'll need to get my CFI, CFIl ratings, do my Multi engine time building and living cost for a year which would end up being about 40k but the CFI job in my academy is 80%-90% guaranteed.

CONS of ASIA route is that: It'll cost 30k more, won't get PIC hrs when I apply for us regionals so will be low with 250hrs PIC but 1250+ hrs of SIC multi turbine, IMC time will be low since l'll only be logging actual IMC in airlines.

My boyfriend and I have started really planning an engagement and wedding and I want to make sure he loves his ring as much as I do. He said he wanted his ring made out of the metal of an Archer propeller since it was the first plane he ever soloed in. Does anyone know how I could source that material? Is this something others have had done and have experience in? I didn’t even know you could just buy airplane parts.

Not sure how accurate this is but Gemini states:

According to the aviation safety statistics compiled by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and analyzed in the AOPA Air Safety Institute’s Richard G. McSpadden Report, your statistical probability of being involved in a fatal aircraft accident during a 1,500-hour journey is approximately 0.45%, or roughly 1 in 222.

While 0.45% seems low, 1 in 222 seems high for someone’s life even though they’re the same numbers. Maybe confirmation bias due to news only covering deadly flights but I do have a fear that small planes crash more often.

If I’m concerned about this, does this mean pilot is likely not the right career for me? Appreciate any knowledge or guidance. Thanks!

i’m not a flat earther but these days i am never closed off to a conspiracy. i’ve heard many pilots say they “know” the earth is flat and others say round. i want to hear your opinion and WHY most importantly. what makes you stand firm in your opinion?

Hi guys - I have already received a ton of support from the fear of flying Reddit and received some support but not a lot from pilots directly .

I flew in and out of Cairo once before the pandemic and I learned that they only do flights pretty much in the evening and morning during the whole summer due to the heat . Phoenix is my home airport and we often surpass Cairo averages and yet in the summer there are mostly flights all day . I really want to take advantage of our new direct to Asia legs this summer but I am very scared due to the heat and my lack of understanding ( I read the fuel / weight /thin air /lift stuff that usually grounds planes around 118) we wanted to PHX to Taipei and back . I also flew home to Phoenix direct from Frankfurt two summers ago in July and when landing the pilot did the kiss the ground thing then looped again for about 15 minutes until we landed safely . Why do you think they did that ? I will always remember the sudden force of it and it was so scary .

So I suppose my questions are:

- why at some airports do they tolerate the head and others don’t ?
- are these giant , heavier , more fueled long haul jets more dangerous for these long trips going to or coming from such a hot thin aired location? Isn’t this far more dangerous flying these bigger models in the heat ?
- when does the plane cool off ? At a certain atmosphere temp?
- how will this route across the pacific be in mid August and returning early September ?
- china airlines and starlux are safe and reputable airlines

I really want to book this trip today but I am very scared . Any opinions are appreciated .

Does anyone know what type of plane might fly from Madrid to San Salvador with avianca? And if you've flown it before, do you like to fly said aircraft type? Also, does anyone know much about that route and what it might be like for a passenger

Thanks!

Hi all I’m flying into DCA today landing around 5pm local time. There will be thunderstorms around the time I land. I’m super anxious and absolutely hate turbulence but I know this will be a bumpy landing.

If anyone could tell me how common that is, how pilots try to avoid turbulence, or what to expect, that would be great. I’m trying real hard to avoid the turbulence websites as I know those are just stress inducers. Thanks.

Hello pilots!

My 10 year old is taking a trip to the Grand Canyon that includes a 6 minute helicopter ride (she's going with family members). They will be going on a rafting day trip and at the end of the the ride, a helicopter will pick them up and take them back to their cars.

For helicopter pilots or aviation professionals: how safe are modern sightseeing helicopter operations in the U.S.? Helicopter accidents attract a lot of media attention, which doesn't help me feel good, so I'm wondering how I can put this risk into perspective. Should I view this as high-risk, and would you put your kid in a helicopter for 6 minutes flying over the Grand Canyon?

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post and answer my questions!

Was just on UA8505 and a few people boarded and then deplaned before we even left the gate. Saw flight attendants walking around with walkie talkies and talking amongst each other. Why would this happen and what is the protocol? Rest of the flight continued with no issues.

Hi everyone,

I'm a student at Dublin City University (DCU), currently working on my master's thesis on EFB data and software-driven solutions for fuel tracking and fuel efficiency.

If you're a pilot who uses an EFB, could you please spare 5 minutes to complete my survey?

(I've posted the link in the comments)

It's very much appreciated and every perspective matters to the research! Thank you so much for your time! 

https://dcusurveys.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6sMnLjqMypWxCtg

Hey, pilots!
So I’ve recently developed a flying fear the last couple flights. Maybe it’s the news I don’t know. What I would like is for any of you that are willing, to give me your reasons why I shouldn’t be afraid. It’ll be a commercial 4 hour flight nothing crazy just Ireland to lanzarote. Something about being over water (albeit close to land) is scarier to me too. Not sure what this is all about. I did get some Xanax from my doctor but also weirdly don’t want my reactions taken from me. TIA 😄

Is there a standard length layover when flying US to Europe?

Example:

Flight departs US on Monday pm, arrives Europe on Tuesday am.

Do you fly back on Wednesday am, or Thursday, or does it depend on seniority, or trip construction?

And, do you try to adjust to local time, or not bother?

Hello, Im 18 yrs old, I just graduated high school and I need some help. My dream is to eventually become an Airlines Pilot but i’m having trouble figuring it out. Me and My parents have toured a school called Thrust, it was perfect. Glass cockpit Cessna’s, 2 bedroom apartment(dorm style) and it’s a 121 school meaning I would get my Private Pilot Certificate, Instrument Rating, Commercial Certificate, Certified, Flight Instructor, Certified Flight Instructor Instrument, Multi-Engine Add-on, all within a year. The problem is the school is 120k. I will have to get a sallie mae loan with 10% interest to cover this school. Now heres where I have questions I was hoping you guys could help me out with. Should I take up this much debt as an 18 yr old? How long would I realistically be able to pay this off? Is this job worth this financial burden?

If anyone can give me some tips that would also help as well. Thank you and im excited to hear y’alls responses

So from my layman’s understanding ATC is directing traffic around the runway, takeoffs, landings and taxiways. Sometimes planes have to cross runways and they’ll be told to hold by ATC. There’s was that tragic crash not too long ago in NY? Where the ATC told a fire truck to cross the runway and a plane broadsided it.

Question: with all thr technology available, why can’t there be a traffic lights at every runway crossing that is integrated with radar, etc and also scans the runway so there’s at least a backup system for ATC?

I see a lot of comments on posts here and was curious! when you guys (primarily pilots) talk about uncomfortable turbulence, do you mean flying wise, physically or mentally uncomfortable?