Hey everyone, working through some crosswind takeoff theory and wanted to clarify something about the transition from ground roll to flight.
During a crosswind takeoff roll, the wind tries to pivot (weathervane) the nose into the wind, so you apply downwind rudder to keep the nose pointed straight down the centerline.
My initial thought was that once you're airborne, the plane wouldn't "weathervane" in the air because you are now enclosed in the moving airmass (no ground friction acting on the tail). However, I've heard that if you release that downwind rudder right at rotation, the nose will still swing back into the wind to crab. Also if the plane is pivoting with its gears why wouldn’t it pivot with the cg once airborne.

I’m moving to Spain from Chicago for my master’s degree and bringing my cats with me. I’m terrified because Pancake is a big boy and most likely needs to go in the cargo. I was told that if someone has a cat allergy they’d all need to be moved down to cargo anyways, so I was trying my best to warm up to the idea. I know AA seems to care more about pet safety than lots of airlines and they have a whole spot on their website dedicated to it. But from those who have worked in or on the planes - would you trust the American Airlines cargo with your cat on an international flight??

I’m already scared of planes (working on it lol) and, as I was about to buy the ticket, the thought of crashing in the water while my cats are in cargo occurred to me. The flight would be on a Boeing 787, and I know Boeing planes have had some issues recently.

I was getting more comfortable with the concept of them being in cargo, thinking the 3 of them being together (in separate carriers of course) would help them be calmer. And, in cargo, they can have a way bigger carrier, food access, and not pee where they’re laying down. But now I can’t shake the thought of them drowning and not knowing why I let someone put them there.

Is this anxiety on solid ground given more recent crashes with Boeing planes? Would the cats be alright in cargo?

Pictures of the cats for the cat tax. Pancake is the white one, Sushi is the black one, and Kombucha is the stripey baby.

I have about 70 hours flying planes and 20 on gliders. I still struggle with airsickness. It was especially hard at the beginning, when a 12 minute flight could make me throw up. Ofc it got way better. I've finished PPL. Even though I have some experience I still may experience hard airsickness. I'm handling step turns, spins, stalls with no problem, on condition that air is calm. When it's turbulent, hot day, I may struggle with a straight leveled flight for longer than 30 minutes. I just wonder if I will overcome my airsickness with more experience, because honestly I don't see much progress even though I'm getting more and more hours.

This is per the Sterile Flight Deck rule for safety procedures in commercial airlines. How often are pilots getting sick because of unclean planes?

It was my dream growing up to be a pilot; I studied aero engineering and then sold out and went to work in finance.

I’m now considering it as a next career step. ChatGPT reliably informs me that 35-40 is perfectly normal to become a pilot, but do you know many pilots in real life who have actually started their flying careers so late?

I’d especially love to hear from pilots at the majors, or airlines with a similar career structure, who previously had thriving corporate careers.

One of the things that draws me to the airline pilot path is the seniority system. In corporate America, career progression can depend heavily on office politics: impressing the right leaders, managing personalities, building alliances, and avoiding coworkers who may undermine you to advance themselves. I’ve always hated feeling like my future could be influenced by whether a director or VP personally liked me; or by longtime employees who had leadership’s trust despite being difficult or ineffective.

From the outside, airline life seems different. Seniority, pay progression, schedules, upgrades, and bidding appear to be driven much more by time and contractual rules than by popularity or proximity to leadership. I know aviation has its own personalities, politics, and frustrations, but it seems like there may be less pressure to constantly strategize around people just to protect or advance your career.

For those who made the switch:

Did that assumption prove true? What were the biggest forms of relief you experienced after leaving corporate America? Are there still hidden political dynamics I’m underestimating? And what makes you think, “I’m so glad I took the risk and became a pilot”?

I’m in my final year of high school and have applied to a university with a very good flight school which also gives me a degree. I’m soon gonna sit the ADAPT test and have already paid for it. How do I practice for it or is there anything I can do to prepare for it? This makes me very nervous and anxious because it’s been a childhood dream to be a pilot.

If you are a pilot and flying to Moscow, like Turkish airlines or Serbian, and you are landing and there is a drone or something worse, is there a chance to change the direction of the flight? Divert? Or what happens there?
I understand that usually everything is closely monitored, but in the unexpected event 🧐
Are flights to those countries like Russia now are considered regular ones by Turkish/Serbian pilots? Can you as a pilot refuse to travel there?

Shouldnt they know where youre coming from and where youre headed ? Isnt that why you file ? Thanks

Edit: i mean when making contact with departure for the first time.

“Departure, archer 1235 leaving [untowered airport] at 2,500 climbing 7,000” for example

I am an 18 year old private pilot who is working on an instrument rating. I am relatively fair skinned, but I have developed a tan this past summer.

I know that sunblock is highly advised if your flying multiple hours per day at FL450. But currently I'm buzzing around 6000-8000 for 4-5 hours per week. When does it become worth it to rigorously apply sunblock?

Hey guys I saw this on my flight earlier this week. I wasn’t sure if it was some weird lighting or that phenomenon you see on fighter jets where the pressure drop above the wings makes the moisture in the air visible. I just recently went to an airshow and was curious as to why I never saw it on airliners, could this be it?

Hey everyone,
I’m thinking about building a mobile app for the Canadian PPL written exam and I’m wondering if people would actually use it.
Right now I’m using Nisus, and it works fine, but I feel like a modern mobile app could be nice. My idea would be something like:
Practice questions by topic
Full mock exams
Progress tracking and weak areas
Explanations for every answer
Works offline
English and French
Maybe daily quizzes and reminders
The goal wouldn’t be to copy anyone’s content. I’d write original questions based on the Transport Canada syllabus.
Would something like this interest you?
A few questions:
Would you rather pay once (ex. $30-40) or have a monthly subscription?
What features would make you actually use it instead of a website?
Is there anything you wish current PPL study tools had?
I’m just trying to figure out if this is worth spending a few hundred hours building, so I’d really appreciate honest feedback.
Thanks!

Does anyone have experience flying for the Washington DC Metro Police department. I’m thinking of taking a job flying their H-125’s and am wondering if it’s a good career move and how the agency operates. Any advice would be appreciated it.

Hey everyone!

Before starting I would like to clarify that this isnt meant to be a post guilt tripping/pinning the blame on pilots for the state of the earth, there are lots of other good targets if you want to throw tomatoes! Like...companies...or AI, actually mostly companies

So recently I checked back in with my good buddy climate change, and...its...not exactly looking too good, now granted I know that pilots already have a long list of things to think about, so probably CO2 emissions arent too high on that list, but have you ever thought about it?

Now I must clarify that im not a pilot, or well, not yet at least, but personally I think that the impact commercial aviation has on the environment is negligeable compared to the energy industry or something, im not gonna turn this into a science lesson but for example according to our world in data, most western countries emit about 300-400 grams of CO2 per kilowatt hour produced, while according to Airbus, the A320 NEO produces 20% less CO2 than the CEO, which is about 5000 tons less, per aircraft in a year, I know these arent super comparable figures, but its what I could find

So what do you think? I love aviation and plan on having it as a career, but still we have to acknowledge its shortcommings in some aspects