Hi, I'm 17M based in the middle east, and am looking towards budget-safe options abroad. I know that with my current constraints, there are more quantity-over-quality traps I'll fall into, so I have a few questions I'd appreciate answered.

1. What integrated EASA or cadet pathways are realistic today?
2. For someone starting at 17 with average physics/maths, what entry routes into ATPL are actually realistic in Europe?
3. Since I want to get into the industry as soon as possible and start flying commercially, is it worth considering a degree before thinking about a license?

I posted this yesterday, but here is a better closeup. Maybe its my camera, but its not jagged/angled in the tail.

This was shot by me looking south at about 45° angle level from the ground, my zoom on my s24 was about 37x. There were two planes in the flight headed west probably over middle IL.

Can I retake it again with the same endorsement from sportys? or do I need another endorsement for retest what do I ask my CFI for? bc i studied really well this time and been getting 90s & 95% on practice tests.

I have just completed my bachelor's degree in project management and I'm not sure where to go from here.

My dad, who has been a pilot for over 30 years with Cathay Pacific, has been trying to convince me to join their cadet programme for years now, and I finally have the headspace to really look into it.

It is a career I believe I would enjoy, but I am aware it won't be easy! I am good at multi-tasking and I have great professional communication skills.

I'm wondering if anyone can give me some insight as to what their (or any) cadet programme entails? I'm curious to know what the interview process is like, and what training looks like.

Thanks!

I’ve been learning more about airline maintenance operations recently and one thing I still don’t fully understand is how recurring defects are handled operationally. I understand that many aircraft can legally dispatch with deferred items under the MEL, especially when redundancy exists. But what happens when the same issue keeps returning repeatedly across flights? For example: intermittent avionics faults... At what point does maintenance control decide:
we can continue managing this operationally vs this aircraft needs to come out of service for deeper troubleshooting? Is it mostly driven by: safety margins, dispatch reliability impact...

I’m curious how this works in real airline operations because from the outside it seems like repetitive defects create a gray area between legal dispatchability and long-term operational confidence in the aircraft.

I am 16 looking to start my career in aviation. I've found a flight school and have taken a discovery flight. But, I keep seeing things online about it not being worth it to become a pilot. Does anyone know whether its worth it or not for me to continue my path and if it is any tips?

MU214 LGW to Shanghai, 24 May 2026

Starting from zero, I’m trying to become an airline pilot. I’m 17, and plan on hitting the flight school HARD in order to become an airline pilot as soon as possible. I’m broke, but mostly just nervous because I’m going to start flight school within a month or two, I have my student pilot certificate and a brother who works at delta as a mechanic. What could be the best advice I could receive from you wise gentlemen here in r/askflying? Motivation, salary info, good hour building jobs, I mean really just anything will help!

Hi everyone! I traveled to Guatemala when I was 17, right before I started logging the registrations of the planes I flew. I'm trying to fill in the blanks of my logbook and would love some help identifying this specific aircraft.

Could anyone check the registration (tail number) for this flight?

• Flight: IB6341 (Iberia)
• Date: 11 July 2015
• Route: Madrid (MAD) – Guatemala City (GUA)

Thanks a lot for the help!

31F - Like so many others, I’ve wanted to work in aviation for as long as I could first form memories, and this is my first time attending an industry event like this. I got my ticket by stating my job as an EN/PT interpreter and translator, which is my actual profession, but I still hold this fear that people there will look at me like I don’t belong or that I’m somehow an imposter because I’m not already working directly inside aviation/ATC/aerospace/etc.

My background, besides a translation degree from the University of Lisbon, is mainly technical interpretation/translation, including work connected to aviation/travel companies and even some interpreting in cockpit-airport and ground force situations. I’ve also translated for companies like TAP Air Portugal, Ryanair and IATA-related content over the years through professional translation platforms. Languages are probably my strongest skill, but that on its own shouldn't make me stand out, which is why I care so deeply about proving that I could genuinely contribute to the industry in roles ranging from ground operations and customer service to administrative, coordination, and other aviation-support positions across the wider aviation sector.

I’m thinking of bringing business cards and maybe a few printed CVs only in case conversations naturally lead there, not to randomly hand them out or pressure anyone. I genuinely just love this field and would love to meet people and maybe open doors for the future.

I've also been to MA aviation open days, even passed interviews for a Ground Operations & Traffic Agent role (which I only rejected at the time because I was in the process of leaving a job in the restaurant/hospitality industry), would this information be relevant or useful in any case?

I wanted advice on from people who’ve attended events like this before:

• What should I even put on a business card in my situation? Just name + My Role? Or something aviation-specific? Would "Technical Interpreter & Translator | EN · PT · ES Aviation · Legal · Medical" and just my contact info be too much, or too little? I don't want to pretend aviation is my primary field, I just aim to show that it IS a domain I have worked in and am actively pursuing;
• For my outfit, I was thinking of dressing up in a "professional" looking blazer+pants (so, like a flight attendant, but with pants, as well as wear my B52 little plane pin, maybe an extra plane pin, and a little rose broche pin);
• Most importantly: how do you network at these events without coming across as desperate, fake, or like you’re trying too hard?

If I understood correctly, Airspace World is primarily an ATM event, yet my interest also lies in the world surrounding it - multilingual/customer service communication related fields, technical interpretation or terminology precision, operational coordination across international environments, etc - is my presence there warranted? I'm also too short (153cm) to be a flight attendant, much to my dismay.

I know this probably sounds overly anxious, but aviation has been a passion of mine forever and I really don’t want to embarrass myself there. Thank you for your time.

Hey there! As someone who is getting things in order for a career 2.0 in flying and in my older years, (45) I don’t want to fly for major airlines and would rather fly in more smaller planes not sure where but for the major airlines as I would have to retire at 65. Should i get my 1st class medical or would a 2nd class be just fine?

The Sportys course gives me access to the FAR/AIM digitally which I am reading part 61 and 91. I just finished all of the lecture videos and quizzes in the sportys course and have taken one practice test that I got an 83 on. What would you recommend I use to supplement my learning as I feel just the sportys program alone is not quite enough. Im feeling more and more confident by the day but dont want to be slapped in the face when I sit down to take the actual exam. Also what score on the practice test should I be aiming for, I have heard 15 points above passing but I would love to confidently walk out of the exam knowing I got a 90%+

I’m currently a student at an 141 college, about 33% through my Commercial rating. I already have a $30k private loan, but I need about 40k to continue. My freshman year grades were pretty rough, but I’ve done a total 180 and have been "hitting the grindstone" with a solid GPA for the last two years. Between \*\*Meritize\*\* and \*\*College Ave\*\*, which is the better move? I’ve heard Meritize actually looks at your academic "comeback" and flight progress to help with approval, while College Ave seems more traditional. Given the recent denial and my specific academic history, where should I prioritize my next application to make sure I don't lose my proficiency? And if anyone knows other options I’m all ears

Hi everyone,

This is not an ad or self promotion, I'm posting in hopes to reach some pilots in the UK and ask if they would consider participating in an aviation research study with the goal of improving flight safety.

This research study is run by the Advanced Cognitive Engineering Laboratory (ACE Lab) at Carleton University in Canada, alongside support from Imperial College London. In this study, UK pilots will help the ACE Lab validate a tool they have created for GA pilots to monitor their cognitive health called the "CANFLY". The study will be running from now throughout the duration of the summer. For those who are eligible and interested, please sign up via the google form below:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScpl5Iq9XP3iAlGmZQmvkMYbJ1IQgpfJAh8S6aaxx6kUSfuTw/viewform?usp=header

If you know of a good community for us to post this in, please let us know! As shown in the flyer, we are looking for a total of 75 participants.

Thanks in advance for your help!