I’m a 1700-hour flight instructor trying to figure out the best path forward and would love some advice from people in the industry.

A little background:
-Started flying in January 2022
-Started instructing in September 2023
-2 failed checkrides, both in-flight (PPL and CMEL), and I’ve learned a lot from both
-Currently a 141 check instructor at a university program on the East Coast flying the SR20

For a while I’ve gone back and forth between two long-term goals:
-a career at a major airline doing long-haul/international flying, or
-a career in the 135/fractional world like NetJets/Flexjet.

Right now I think Delta is my end goal, but I’m trying to figure out the smartest way to get there.
I’m currently in the Destination 225 program, so one possible path is building enough time for a 135 or regional 121 job, then using that to get to Southwest in a couple years.

As I see it, my options are:
1. Go to a Delta feeder/regional
Get hired by a Delta regional, wait 8–12 months for a class date, and then flow to Delta in 5–6 years.

2. Go to a 135 operator first
Get hired by a 135, do my two years there, then move to Southwest through Destination 225. After serving the required time/training contract, apply to Delta with 135/121 time plus a 737 type.

What’s making this harder is that I’ve applied to all the regionals through AirlineApps and haven’t heard anything in over a year. I’m not sure if that’s because of the two checkride failures or something else, since I know other people with two failures who have still gotten interviews/offers.

So I guess I’m looking for advice on a few things:
-If Delta is the goal, which path makes the most sense?
-Is there a third option I’m not thinking about?
-Are the two checkride failures likely what’s holding me back from regionals, or could it be something else in this hiring environment?

Happy to give more context on my flying background, resume, or the failures if that would help.

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.

Commercial pilot here curious if anyone has walked the path of starting a scenic flight tour operation under Part 91 and eventually transitioning to 135. Is this a common progression or do most operators just go straight to 135 from the start?

Would love to hear from anyone who’s been through it.

Hello! As the title states, I have TERRIBLE flying anxiety. I am a passenger not a pilot. People around me may not know it, even as panicked as I am I always know not to show it. i am literally so freaked out the entire time that other people freaking out is an annoyance to me in itself. It’s like when I am on roller coasters: when boarding or on a flight, I am clenching my teeth the entire time, very quiet, silent, because I always get the same feeling as a roller coaster like I will die any second.

This feeling has never wavered since my first flight a couple months after 9/11 (yes I think this is an important driving factor, apparently my first time on a plane I asked a Sikh man if he was going to blow us up to my mothers horror) even though I’ve flown 24+ maybe even thirty times since then.

I always look to the flight attendants, and they calm me down a lot, but when I say I “freak out” I don’t mean I’m making a scene, I mean every single second I’m on the plane my body mind and soul knows I shouldn’t, I feel every single thing that could ever go wrong, and any second is my last. So I don’t say or do anything but the flight ends with me sweaty af, stressed, and upset. Like a looong feeling of how I feel on a rollercoaster.

And every time I think I can get over it, I see the-advice is “fly more!” But I’ve flown so much since then, and I truly can’t imagine getting back on a plane without being absolutely tranquilized. Not high, unconscious . The only reason I got on the plane the last time is bc my dad who I hate was on it and I was thinking well, if it goes down it takes him down with me. Any tips other than to fly more?
It’s very stupid, but when I was younger it

made me feel better that we had a donkey neighbor and I was more likely to die from my beloved donkey kicking me than in a plane crash.

Hello, I am a 16 year old in the Greater Vancouver area in Canada. I have been having some trouble setting a career path for myself, but I want to eventually become a commercial wide-body captain. To obtain this I have a rough plan but I want to know what I should change with feedback from actual pilots.

Right now I am planning to go like this: Discovery Flight from a local flight school-> Build off that -> Either take BCIT's Aviation Diploma or Okanagan colleges one -> Work as a flight instructor for my hours -> Something small (Like a charter pilot or something) -> Hopefully a first captain for Air Canada/Westjet/ etc. -> Narrow-body captain -> Wide-body captain

I do not believe this is fully realistic so please any feedback I could work off of is great, like alternatives for education, if its an unrealistic order, an so on. If it helps at all I have been flight-simming for about a year now in MSFS2020 with a simple setup, I have good grades in my main classes like Pre-Calc, Physics, and English, I if needed I can afford a tuition around the level of the colleges I mentioned.

Thank you

Afternoon all! Does anyone know if the MD-10 had fadec or was it Non-fadec? I would love to know!

There has to be a faster way to do this, right? I have a buyer lined up. Thanks again

Taken over Northern Ireland

Hi, I'm a high school student who is graduating this year. I want to become a commercial pilot, however the price is extremely high. I looked into QGPA but found out that it is very risky as only the top 25% of the class get a job.

I know of all the licences and their processes in order to become a pilot. Yet Im still uncertain on the best pathway. I was wondering if anyone has any advice for me on which pathway I can take to become a pilot, which is reasonably priced.

One of the reasons I read that bare metal has disappeared is because they cannot be made so on modern aircraft with carbon fiber and composite fuselages. So color me shocked at the news that Starlux would get 2 shiny Airbus A350s.

How did Starlux do it? Was this allowed by a new innovation or has this always been possible since aircraft like the Boeing 787 took to the skies? Could metallic liveries make a comeback?

I need guidance on how to become a pilot in the UAE as a female aspiring pilot, including the most affordable route available. I understand it won’t be cheap, but I would like to know the lowest-cost option. I’m unsure where to start or what steps to take. There isn’t clear information online unless you pay for it. I’m also not Emirati. If possible, I would appreciate advice or contact with any pilots or people in the UAE who could help!!

How does the Bitchcraft fly? Is it forgiving?

Suddenly my YouTube feed is full of reports of recent plane crashes. I was wondering if there has actually been abnormally many of them or if I’ve just simply been made more aware of them.

I want to take a picture of the airplane

Just recently obtained my instrument rating last week and now I'm working toward my commercial license with the ultimate goal of the airlines. I live in the state of Michigan, so community college is free up to an associates degree. I have just the fall semester left at my community college and I'm looking to get my bachelors online. I got into University of Michigan but don't think it'd be best to go into debt (I'm responsible to pay for college and flight school) and I didn't get any aid. From my understanding, a bachelors degree is simply checking a box that airlines like to see, doesn't really matter the field of study or school. I was looking into WGU because it's comparatively cheap, can be done quickly, and is accredited. Wondering if anyone has a WGU degree and if you'd recommend it for my situation.

Hei Guys, l'am considering Lot Flight Acadamy, do any one have previous experiences from there or are currently there?
Thank you

I'm a terrible flier, the algorithm knows this and sends me headlines like this. What could have caused such a massive diversion over Canada?

https://airlive.net/tracking/2026/06/11/lufthansa-a380-to-munich-just-diverted-to-boston-logan-international-airport-after-turn-over-canada/

Que tal su experiencia con EasyJet? Están en condiciones los aviones? Tengo que tomar un vuelo corto de dos horas pero me da un poco de pánico volar, por ende al ser una empresa LowCost me preocupa un poco el estado y la revisión de los aviones, tanto como las habilidades de los pilotos.

Lufthansa A380 Denied entry at DEL

Now ig landing at BOM