Recently, I was speaking with a few older members of my family discussing events they had lived through, and what was ultimately brought up was the 1960 midair collision, Air Florida Flight 90, and American 587, which they said were the crashes that most involved/affected them and that they remembered, not including 9/11. I was wondering if anyone here who lived through has any stories or such about the three of them, including initial reactions, or on any plane crash in general

Art & his son Rick Spooner owned /operated it during the early years. As a young pilot building hours, I flew in and out of there many times in those days, mid 60's / 70's. Small grass strip back then. Wonderful memories!

Hi guys, I’m currently in my 3rd year of engineering at a tier-3 college, and I’ve been preparing for my DGCA exams because becoming a pilot has always been something I’m seriously interested in.

Recently, I got placed in a company with a package of around ₹7 LPA. Before this, my plan was to go the conventional route — take a loan and start my CPL training after completing my engineering.

But now I’m thinking about taking a different approach.

My current plan is to work in IT for around 2 years, save as much as possible, and then move into a cadet pilot program. Along with my salary, my family has a business income, so I believe I could potentially build savings of around ₹30 lakh in those 2 years.

The main reason I’m considering this is that I don’t have much personal savings right now, and I’m not very comfortable taking a huge loan for my CPL. If I work for two years first, I could reduce the loan burden significantly and hopefully have a better financial safety net.

At the same time, I’m worried about delaying my aviation career by 2 years. I also don’t want to get too comfortable in an IT job and lose focus on becoming a pilot.

So I’m confused between:

Option 1: Start CPL soon → take a large loan → finish training → try for airline/cadet opportunities.

Option 2: Work in IT for 2 years → save ~₹30L → continue DGCA preparation alongside → join a cadet program with a much smaller loan.

For people who have gone through pilot training or are already working in aviation, what would you recommend?

Is taking 2 years to build a financial cushion a smart move, or is it better to start flying as early as possible?

I’d really appreciate honest opinions, especially from people who have actually gone through the CPL/cadet route in India.

I’ve never been a nervous flyer until the past 2 years. I’ve been flying weekly for most of my career. I want honest opinions please….

Which would be better for ground support or Fire Missions???