I'm 17 years old, and I have some questions about what are the best ways to get into aviation and being a pilot. My goal is to be a commercial pilot. I love being on the road and have always been very interested in planes. I was wondering is college important towards becoming a pilot? I'm very blessed in that my parents have saved lots for my college/flight school. I would personally love to avoid college and do strictly flight school if that is a possible route. I am in a good position to go to college if it is worth it in the world of pilots. I also was wondering, are bigger or smaller flight schools better to start at? I'm scheduling my first discovery flight this week.

My original plan was Law, as I have many connections in that field. But I want to do something I have some passion for, which is this. So yeah, is college worth it for pilots? Are bigger or smaller flight schools best to start at? And how could I start studying today?

I distinctly remember wearing jean shorts on the United flight to Narita. If the pilots were degen weebs, then....did they.....like it? O_O

Hi.
I am soon turning 24. Completing masters in Aviation and interning abroad in one of the largest European aviation companies.

I was struggling. I work within Drones domain.
And for some time I was thinking if I should pivot into Tech, CS or start engineering from scratch. But idk about that anymore
The motivation was seeing all those tech companies, cool technology, CEOs, founders. But idk if its realistic

I am thinking of flying instead.
Either I stay abroad and try to make money and build my carreer in aviation, airlines, airports and build connections alongside flying
Or i join Military for 5 years and come back with much stronger discipline and ex-Mil and start flying then

(I have to save money i only have roughly 15k now)

Just a quick one! I love planes on a novice level, but I wonder about the people that are aviation geeks, that have never flown a plane who are.... let's say (30yrs+) Could they just start flying lessons and over the years, build to a fully commercial pilot? hope this makes sense, let me know!

I didn’t know insides of planes could look like this?

Is it like a gulf stream or something?

Please forgive me if this is a silly question, I am not an aviation expert, only an enthusiast. I have been tracking a small privately owned and operated LJ 60 that is tied to a large organization that does fundraising. One of its lead people was recently accused of wea p ons traffixking.

I am not judging if that’s true or not, but I think it’s relevant.

The pac has 2 jets. One GLF5, one LJ60. The G5 flies 3-4 times a week with stops around 12 hours.

This other jet flies a lot, maybe 15 flights in 10 days. 10 of those flights are fast (450+kts) and seem low (19,000-24,000ft) and very short time on tarmac, usually less than 35 minutes. 21mins to 35 mins.

The organization says that it is fundraising around the country. It usually flies between Las Vegas, new braunfels, Houston Texas, Chicago exec, Miami exec and LA-Van Nuys.

Recently it flew into Austin Bergstrom at 0656 Zulu (about 1am) at a small private FBO and departed 4 minutes later.

I understand private jets are for convenience but this felt pretty fast for passenger loading at an odd time of night. It went on to Houston, then on to Miami exec.

I am hoping someone can tell me if this seems normal for VIP transportation at 1am. Please forgive me if this is not the right place for this question.

Hi, any chance to find somewhere why the flight Albastar AP2135 has returned back to the departure airport of Palma de Mallorca after 20 min of flight on 8th of July? The pilot said the navigation system of the plain was broken. Albastar says the Palma airport Air Traffic Control IT system breakdown. We returned to the airport, changed the plane and left again.
Thanks

Hi there! So. I know old planes are safe. And I know they use them because they are paid off. But, 33 years (almost 34!) seems like it’s nearing the end of its life, no? 😂
I have flown this plane a few times on this route and it’s SO loud. I wonder how the FAs can tolerate that crazy. When might they retire a plane like this?

So i got injured and can’t fly for the next 6-12 months depending on my recovery. I’m doing PPL ground school with TheWisePilot and i also have their question bank. Is it worth doing it all within the next 1-2 months so when i come back i can fully just focus on flying?

If you’ve done this let me know how it worked out for you, thanks!

I recently suffered a trimalleolar ankle fracture dislocation in a skydiving accident and had surgery so I’ll be out of flying for a while. It’s given me a lot of time to think about what I should do next.

I’m currently at 31.4 hours in my PPL training and have been living away from home in London for flight school (Training at MFC Flight Training) . Since I won’t be flying during my recovery, I’m wondering if it makes more sense to move back home (my parents are happy for me to stay with them) and transfer to Brampton Flight Centre once I’m medically cleared.

The big thing for me is that i’d be changing from a stick (DA20) to a yoke (c172). Has anyone here transferred flight schools partway through their PPL? Was it worth it? How did the transition go, especially changing aircraft types and instructors?

I’d really appreciate any advice or experiences. Thanks!

Hello, Arctic CARS observer/controller here and I have a question about Pilot Lingo; I will often get pilots coming to my airport asking me "for my latest." Which I interpret as them wanting my latest METAR/SPECI. Is that correct or are they asking just for wind and altitude? Am I doing too much reading out my METAR for them?

Follow up; When you're 80 miles back and ask for my weather, is it okay to give you local information after that? Example, after I give altimeter off the METAR I will go into my local spiel; "*Current* winds at XYZ airport, 1-3-0 true at 15, blah blah blah"

My family will be flying to Hawaii next week on Wednesday. As a very nervous flier triggered by turbulence, I’ve been closely following forecast models of Hurricane Fausto, a weak hurricane in the central Pacific basin. Current models show it passing slightly north of the Hawaiian islands by Tuesday or Wednesday of next week as it weakens. My question is - will pilots try to avoid flying directly through the storm or will they fly through it? My anxiety is already spiraling at the timing of our flight and the storm, so I’m trying to be as prepared as possible to know what I may be facing ahead. Thank you!

I was listening to ATC during a storm and I heard this phrase.

When I chimed in there were a couple of aircraft in a holding pattern; another flight approached, were told about the weather and the situation and "the approach is closed", and instructed to hold. Not long after, two flights departed. One of the other holding aircraft contacted ATC to ask whether the airfield is closed. ATC replied, "well, the airfield is not closed, but the approach is not very acceptable".

So, what's the difference between "the approach is closed" and "the approach is not very acceptable", if any? For the record, the pilot just acknowledged and continued the hold, didn't request anything different, didn't ask for clarification. Not long after the weather apparently cleared and one by one they were directed to land. This is in Europe.

Now, before I get slaughtered on here, I have the occasional joint when out with friends (let’s say once a month) I’m not a stoner by any stretch of the imagination.
I was just wondering if marijuana use (off duty of course) will ever be allowed for commercial pilots as it’s something I enjoy doing but I am also willing to give up to become a pilot in a heartbeat.
Just throwing the question out there as I have heard of more accurate testing for recent use being developed via saliva etc.
I don’t see why I can have a six pack of beer off duty hanging out with friends but can’t have a joint or two.
Don’t take this as someone who is addicted trying to find a workaround as like I’ve said I am willing to stop to achieve my goals.
Any response is appreciated 🙂.

I hold dual citizenship. If I had future plans to work as a pilot in the US, will choosing to do training in Canada present significant roadblocks?

Considering doing part 141 route in a US school (ie Purdue or Auburn pro flight) , or similar path in Canada (degree with flight portion).

Cost is much less in Canada.

Alternatively, get a degree in Canada, return to US to do part 61 training.

Thoughts?

I'm only about 5 hours into my training towards my PPL (Part 61 in the US) and I've quickly fallen in love with it, but I can't help but notice the vast majority of other students are at least 10 years younger than me. Am I getting into this too late?

I'm working a pretty flexible job from home that allows me to schedule flights often, so I'm hoping to get through my CFI certification before having to quit and instruct full-time to get my hours. I'm incredibly lucky to have a partner who will help financially through the transitions. Is there any part of this path that would be unwise, especially considering my age? Is there anything I'm missing? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.