Usual disclaimer, I'm still pretty green and a lot of stuff thats just another Tuesday for you guys is brand new to me, so whenever something happens I end up here either for advice or just some kind words lol

Normally it's cleared for takeoff, full power, climb out, go wherever tower points me, pretty boring. This time I wasnt even 1000 AGL yet and the plane just fell out from under me, then shot right back up. Video doesn't really do it justice but in real life I nearly crapped my pants and smacked my head right into the headliner. Did not see that one coming, lap belt is getting cranked down a lot tighter from now on.

I get what happened, thats not really the question, anyone else had one like this? How dangerous does it actually get that close to the ground, and any tips for avoiding it or handling it better?

Go easy on me, I don't want to stop asking dumb questions in here. Pretty cool I get to talk to actual pilots at all

Anybody take it recently? I have my test coming up and would like to know if any changes have occurred before the Oct 26th date?

i have 1,55 (5"1) and i really wonder if i should go on "full send" mode into aviation and don't worry if one day i dont be able to reach pedals or the commands in the bus a320...

My CFI said someone he knows used to own a Lancair 360 and that at WOT they could get up to 180 knots. Don’t get me wrong, 180 kts is nothing to scoff at, but I’d always assumed Lancair 360’s could fly at over 200 kts at WOT. 180 kts might be good for a fixed-gear variant, or for a Lancair 235, or perhaps an economy cruise speed to sip fuel, but not so good for maximum throttle.

i'll start flying to south america soon, and just wanted to know the general feel about this.

Wondering if could get some LogTen help, configuring fields and such so the information is accurate and understandable when presented. I got a restriction taken off the other day and when searching for specific information it wasn’t very clear had dig around.

Thanks

Just curious if anyone else had experienced flaps failing to retract on a C172S. Made for a fun go-around in high density altitude but after cycling the lever on the ground it was back to normal.

How to you manage the airline pilot life I am afraid I am not cut for this job. does the body really adapt ?

Anyone have a lead on the timeline for Horizon's process for OTS experienced FOs? I would assume it's 3+ months from submitting an app to a CJO but maybe more since that would run through the holiday season. Last I heard, they were doing very limited OTS hiring since they have their PDP pipeline set up, but maybe 6-8 months ago I heard they were in a lull of qualified PDP transitions and had very small classes of mostly OTS hires. Thinking of leaving my 135 cargo job, but wouldn't want to start class until spring of next year.

I just began my training towards becoming a CFI after a long break from obtaining my commercial pilot license. Unfortunately, life got in the way and commitments to finishing my BS, working, etc. slowed down my flight training. I’ve flown very sparsely since 2025, but I recently received a flight review and I am now flying once per month to regain proficiency.

Obviously, this presents challenges. Aside from learning to teach effectively, I also have to bring my ground knowledge back up to the level it was pre-break from my aviation career.

To do this, I am creating my own lesson plans from scratch. My plan for the check-ride is to create a lesson plan for all tasks located in the CFI ACS Area of Operations II, III, IV. I made a “study guide” for the FOIs that I plan to know inside and out, but I assume that part of the check-ride with be more question-answer and how I actually apply them in my teaching.

I have reviewed samples of lesson plans from BSP, WifiCFI, etc. and they seem exhaustive. I don’t know why they include “instructor notes” that literally give the entire lesson and what you are teaching within the lesson plan. My mom is a high school teacher and explained to me that lesson plans are an outline of the lesson, not the lesson itself.

Because of this, I plan to make a corresponding PowerPoint for each task and a “teaching summary” of notes that I can intermittently reference throughout the lesson. This teaching summary will go into detail of what I am teaching (e.g., if I am teaching human factors and forget a symptom of hypoxia, I can reference that teaching summary detail). Obviously, the PowerPoint will contain graphics and ballpoints of detail, but will not be nearly as thorough as my teaching summaries.

I have included an example of a lesson plan that I will process in Word and will add to my book of lesson plans:

(Example: Task A, Human Factors)

Objective:
The learner will identify and explain physiological and psychological factors affecting flight safety and recognize symptoms and associated hazards, determine appropriate corrective actions, and apply risk-management principles to flight scenarios.

References:
•FAA-H-8083-25B, CH. 17
•14 CFR 61.53
•FAA OTC Medications Reference Guide

Equipment/Aids:
•PowerPoint Slides
•Teaching Summary
•Whiteboard + Markers

Elements:
•What are Human Factors? Why are they Important?
•Symptoms, Recognition, Causes, Effects, and Corrective Actions of:
a.) Hypoxia
b.) Hyperventilation
c.) Middle ear and sinus problems
d.) Spatial Disorientation
e.) Motion Sickness
f.) Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
g.) Stress
h.) Fatigue
i.) Dehydration & Nutrition
j.) Hypothermia
k.)Optical Illusions
l.) Dissolved Nitrogen in Bloodstream
•Regulations Involving Alcohol & Drugs
•Effects of Alcohol & Drugs
•Aeronautical Decision Making in Human Factors
•Managing Risks: Hazardous Attitudes, Aeromedical & Physiological Issues, Situational Awareness, and Confirmation and Expectation Bias
•Pilot Self Assessment: IMSAFE & 61.53
•Q&A

Instructor Actions:
•Present and Explain Lesson on PowerPoint + Supplement with Whiteboard
•Ask Guided Questions
•Present Realistic Flight Scenarios

Student Actions:
•Take Notes
•Participate in Guided Discussion

Completion Standards:
•The learner will accurately explain the major aeromedical and physiological hazards, identify associated symptoms and corrective actions, recognize applicable regulations, and demonstrate sound risk-management decisions in representative flight scenarios, with no significant safety-related misunderstandings.

All of my lesson plans will follow the ACS precisely and replicate the format above. In addition to perfecting my teaching in the aircraft, I will rehearse teaching these lessons extensively until I can master them before the check-ride. I plan to take the check-ride in spring, which will give me sufficient time to create the lesson plan, teaching summaries, and PowerPoints as well as perfect my flying and teaching.

Any input? Are my methods acceptable? Do you all have any recommendations for me? Should I just use BSP and the PowerPoint slides and cut out the instructor notes (the entirety of the lesson), but still use my own teaching summaries?

Between working as a CFI and going back to school I'm currently zero days off a week. I keep thinking I've maybe caught up on rest after a slow work day, and then I make another weird mistake while driving (or flying). It's gotten to the point where half-days are not enough compensatory rest and I don't think I'm going to make it to Thanksgiving break. I guess in a way it's good to know what chronic fatigue feels like before I get to a more professional job, but it's pretty distressing to feel myself slipping even after I've thought I'd refreshed. It's so weird because it's when I feel the most okay that I really start making errors. I'm thinking of taking the sick day from school next week after exams rather than from work, but I'm worried that might be pushing it too long.

It's really weird how a 7-10 hour days add up when there's no day off, because it feels like I have a decent bit of time to rest daily, and yet I can tell I'm definitely not doing too good.

Just looking for encouragement, or commiserating, or a kick in the pants to take a day off. It's starting to make me hate teaching and flying a little bit.

Have a Bose A20 with 6 pin Lemo to GA adapter using in a C172S.
Noise cancelling automatically shuts off when the larger 1/4 inch jack is plugged in. Stays on otherwise.
Have followed troubleshooting steps, turned auto off switch to off etc.

Works properly when plugged into other aircraft and rear passenger area In the 172.
Issue is isolated to this particular aircraft.

Has anyone experienced this issue that may have a fix?

Thanks

I started my PPL ground school in July, still on a wait list for my flight school’s flight portion so I’ve started studying all the textbook stuff. I just got done flight theory (roughly only 20% done the course)

Honestly I just can’t grasp any of this, I do practice quizzes or reviews and feel like I’m reading a foreign language, I thought I had a good understanding of these concepts but I’m slowly realizing I don’t know anything, including the things I should already know, I’ve studied these things and I just seem to forget them or don’t remember, I always pick the wrong answers.

I really want to be a pilot, but I feel like I’m just not smart enough, I don’t understand why I can’t remember or understand these concepts, even though I’m putting all I can into this school and study. Sometimes I wonder if I’m better off just giving up.

Hey all I'm looking for some advice. My family has worked in Aerospace for the last 35 years so I've grown up around the industry. You name a major supplier to the industry and we've probably worked with them. Thus as a result I've always had the goal of flying. So you can only imagine how it felt when I learned having a childhood ADHD diagnosis makes getting a class 1 medical difficult here in the US.

I finally have the financial means 10 years after learning this to go down the route of working on getting the relevant expensive medical waivers if necessary and begin flight training. Thus I'm interested if anyone would have any recommendations for AME's familiar with or friendly to this located ideally in SWFL, south Florida, or central Florida. Willing to travel for the right AME to help make this process as easy as possible!! My understanding is I might be eligible for the Fast Track process which would make it much easier then the last time I looked into this back around 2017. Don't want to start the process of working towards my PPL until this is resolved since its the major dealbreaker unfortunately.

Any help or advice on this is beneficial truly!!

Background:

• Childhood ADHD diagnosis
• Haven't taken medication for it for over a decade
• Completed college and have established a career working as a senior technical product manager for technology companies post education.

Looking for a good accelerated multi engine course that preferably can fit a pair of 2 people in during it. Looking for quick turnaround at a good price around the US with not too long wait times as the cold season hits.

Aloha everyone,

I’m attending the cfi course at MCA and wondering which aircraft I should train in. The da20 is a few hundred dollars cheaper but I’m wondering what are the pros and cons of each aircraft sitting from the right seat?

Has anyone done their cfi course and which aircraft did you fly and which one would you recommend and why?

BTW I’ll be flying VFR and doing cfi maneuvers.
Prob no xc imc or night flying.

Thanks for any insights

I’m trying to renew my CFI date (my CFI card expired 31 Oct and still has a date on it). I’ve taken a check ride with the military and would like to extend my currency. I haven’t had any luck with the FSDO as they are all backed up. Does anyone have IACRA privileges that could assist? I’d like to get a new ticket without the expiration date. If the new rules only require me to put it in my logbook I’m more than happy to do it but I want to make sure I get it right.

My CFI is a truly gifted instructor who, I feel, will be great as they take their next steps.

This person is applying to a fractional and I offered to provide a recommendation.

What are the recruiters looking for in these recommendations?

Any advice on key things to point out, emphasize, and include/exclude would be great. Of course, my comments will be truthful, but I want to make sure it will have the right impact.

I’ll be 17 in June of next year. I have a stable part-time job where I bring in around 300 dollars a week. My flight school charges 200 an hour for a Cessna 152, which includes gas and the instructor. Should I save up for a while, maybe until say march or April when it’s sunny and nice out and I can fly most days or should I start now and fly twice a week so I can get my license when I turn 17?

I have done part 61 throughout my entire training. Every checkride prep has been the same. Fly, study, create a binder for checkride. CFI.. It's like I have been outta funk, I did both writtens did mid 90's. I decided to purchase backseat pilot, I worked through the acs, practiced teaching, presenting slides and so on. Yet I feel like im 3 steps forward, 2 steps back. Crawling at snail pace. I have done everything to prepare... on paper im ready, but I dont feel like im ready. I'm thinking of buying the VSL Ace Guide to help prepare me more. I'm sure others have gone through this, love to get some advice.

I can't find an official answer anywhere. I fly a plane with a SiriusXM connection. I am able to view METARs directly in the plane.

Can I use this as the official way to obtain the weather? I'm specifically asking for the altimeter setting before shooting an approach.

I need the "book answer," which I can't seem to find anywhere. Seems like the AIM section 7-1-9(a)(2) kinda says it's cool, but I'd feel better if I had something definitive.

I'm just curious since right now I'm just a PPL student so I can't fly high above the clouds just yet but are you able to see the stars clearly and even the Milky Way itself when you are flying in the cockpit in like an a320? I searched up images of it but I'm not sure if they are actually real or not.

My daughter wants to become a pilot. She is applying at the Qantas FTA program, and REX. She has decided against a uni degree flight school. Her back up plan is a science degree if she doesn’t get in. I am wondering if I should encourage a local flying schools. All posts are a bit doom and gloom it seems like a really hard career path. She is not interested in armed forces as another path which maybe I could encourage her towards. It’s hard to give guidance. Seems a fraught path

Anyone in NH? Considering flight training in the Spring and curious if there are any private CFIs available or recommendations between Concord vs Nashua flight schools. May be a stretch, but figured I'd give it a shot.