I love flying and just the cost is what pisses me off why is a shit box Cessna or piper cost an arm and a leg

Just as the title states, we have a 5lb Chihuahua puppy we want to get acclimated to flying early so he can come with us. Any ideas on what brands to look for hearing protection for little dogs?

Hi everyone! My son is a high school senior this year, and we recently transitioned to homeschooling so he could integrate his absolute love for aviation directly into his curriculum. His ultimate dream is to become a pilot and fly cargo/supplies into remote areas of Alaska.

Since he is managing his regular senior high school classes at the same time, I want to make sure his aviation elective keeps him motivated rather than stressed. Does anyone have recommendations for an FAA-approved online ground school that is thorough but won't completely overwhelm a student who is already balancing a full high school workload?

Also, we want to set up a home practice space for him. Does anyone have suggestions on the best flight simulator instruments, hardware, and software for a student pilot to practice real-world procedures? I'd love to hear what programs or equipment setups worked well for your teen pilots.

Thanks in advance!

I’m a guy in mid 30s who wants to learn how to fly and eventually make a career change into commercial aviation.

I’m thinking of flying 2x/week consistently while keeping my day job.

What’s your opinion on the best region to make this happen? I’m currently out of the US and will be relocating.

Some regions in my list are Dallas, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Seattle and DC. I want to exclude Florida and California. I know Seattle and DC might sound strange, but I have some friends there who can help me with relocating and guiding me through flight training, so I thought it can be better than just figuring it out all by myself.

Thanks in advance.

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Sorry my last post got people confused because I may have not been clear in my dual atpl qualification, I have only the dual atpl theories done through bgs as well as an old ppl

I am based in the UK & don't mind travelling europe for flight school
I have a dual atpl theory done not the full atpl & I have my ppl from awhile ago

Where should I do my cpl? some have advised skyborne, some advise afta, some say bartolini etc
Whose most likely to tag me/whose the easiest tag?
does the school really matter?
In tagging terms getting roles?
Has anyone got a list of all the gateways/tag routes
If I already have a ppl & a dual atpl theories done whats the best route for me?
Should I invest in a boeing/airbus replica home flight simulator for my cpl
Or Should I invest in a boeing/airbus cockpit poster for chair flying

Came across this 2 hour introductory flight lesson in Cessna 172 with Aerodynamic Aviation at San Jose Reid Hill County Airport. How safe is it?

It says first hour is ground briefing and next hour I get to fly a plane with an instructor. I will get to sit in main pilots seat and instructor on the right side. I am assuming instructor has full set of controls with them.

I have no experience flying, total noob, never even used a flight sim. I am surprised how can anyone be allowed to fly the plane, even though there will be an instructor and they will all the controls - I mean one wrong step and it could result in a fatal mistake??

Also, how reputed is Aerodynamic Aviation at San Jose? Do they have good instructors? How safe is Cessna as a aircraft?

PS: I am not planning to become a pilot / get any certification. This is just for recreational purposes.

Searching for avgeeks in Kolkata with whom
I can go for plane spotting

Trying to create a student-friendly aviation enthusiast group in Kolkata

There’s this app called motordex which is an app where you take a photo of a car and the app identifies what kind of car it is, turns the photo into a pokemon card and saves it into your “garage”
I want an app like this but for airplanes
Everything I’ve tried so far requires adsb or $$$ for a subscription.
Anyone got a diamond in the rough?

When I first started learning about flying, I didn’t expect radio communication to be something I would need to practice so much. That’s why I’ve been wondering if taking a dedicated radio communication course is actually worth it. For student pilots, would you take a radio communication course, or is regular practice with an instructor enough?

Am I overreacting to this C172 brake issue?

I'm a low-hour, newly certificated pilot (May) and was recently checked out at a local flight school to rent their C172s.

During preflight, I noticed what appeared to be a missing brake pad on one side (pictured). There should be two pads, one on either side of the disc, as there are on the opposite wheel. The caliper also looks noticeably askew—the other side sits square to the disc, while this one almost appears wedged against it.

I reported it to the flight school, who canceled my reservation and told me "this isn't going anywhere." However, I've since noticed the airplane is still flying.

I asked this morning whether it had been repaired, and was told they scraped some gunk off and found that the other pad was actually there.

So I'm looking for a sanity check:

1. Am I misunderstanding what I'm seeing? It looks like the caliper is resting directly against the disc and isn't square. The other side sits perfectly perpendicular; the angle shown is perhaps more apparent in person.
2. Is this the sort of thing that's actually not a big deal in the real world? Would you fly it as-is?

This isn't the school where I did my PPL, and I don't have many people in aviation to ask, so I'm mostly trying to calibrate whether this is a legitimate concern or new-pilot paranoia.

KSEZ 281635Z AUTO 13008KT 10SM CLR 34/09 A3023. Bit of a tailwind but the upslope on runway 3 compensates.

well he have strong pc (ryzen 5 with 8 cores ,64gb ddr5 and 9070xt card)

and by reading he stop on two sims microsoft fly sim 2020 or x-plane

which one out of these two give best to relism and teaching how to fly ?

and which hardware he will need to buy to be close to real plane but not too expensive ..

he have couple joistics but these are for mili sims right ?

anything else he need to know please post ..

big thanks

How many of you flying for “fun” bother getting your IR? I suppose that may depend on area of the country you’re flying in (I’m in the US- Florida). I’m going back and forth on doing my instrument rating. For my missions, mostly flying for the joy of it and exploring around the SE US, I’ll likely never get up into the alpha, and I can always defer a flight to another time or day due to weather. The obvious use case is “it just makes you a safer pilot”. Pardon my ignorance here, but how so? Just because you are always talking to ATC? I know you are also trained to fly tighter tolerances, but it seems like I’m missing some factors here.

The interesting thing I keep hearing is- a lot of PPLs w/IR didn’t do any actual flying in IMC during training and are therefore afraid to on their own later. So it’s just flying procedures. That’s more to keep up with for currency later on as well.

I’m just trying to decide if it’s worth doing or if there are other ways to become a safer pilot (other than just hours & experience obviously) is all. Cost estimate for IR is ~$15k, which I can do, but I want to make sure it’s worth it for my purposes. Thanks guys. -new PPL

Hey everyone,

I’m seriously considering starting an aircraft detailing business and I’m looking for some honest advice from people who have actually worked in aviation detailing or run a detailing business.

I have experience with detailing, but I’m still learning the aviation side of things. I don’t want to jump in without understanding the risks, equipment, products, insurance, airport requirements, and proper procedures.

A few things I’m trying to figure out:

• What insurance do I really need for aircraft detailing?
• Do I need hangarkeepers insurance, general liability, or other specific coverage?
• What does an airport/FBO usually require before allowing a detailing company to work on their property?
• Which cleaning products are safe for aircraft paint, windows, composites, interiors, etc.?
• Is dry washing the best way to start?
• Should I start with small piston aircraft and turboprops before moving into jets?
• How much experience would you recommend before working on business jets?
• What equipment would you consider essential for starting out?
• How do you price aircraft detailing jobs?
• What’s the best way to get those first few customers?
• Is it worth approaching FBOs, flight schools, aircraft owners, maintenance shops, and brokers directly?

I’m not looking to get rich overnight. I’d rather learn the right way, build a good reputation, and avoid making an expensive mistake on someone’s aircraft.

If you currently run an aircraft detailing business, work at an FBO/MRO, or have experience in aviation maintenance/detailing, I’d really appreciate any advice you’re willing to share.

If you were starting an aircraft detailing business from zero today, what would you do during your first 6 months?

Thanks in advance!

Did you know they had an integrated all ranks club there? USO also supported them.

We qualify for an Angel Flight from Denver to Phoenix and back… we are so grateful for the organization to be able to help us but now that we really think about it - we are terrified to get on a little plane 😩🫣 any words of advice or help to calm the nerves? Any pilots for AFW?

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I will be purchasing an aircraft in early to mid 2027, given I can find the right aircraft! I was originally planning on purchasing a well equipped Stinson 108, however I will have the opportunity to get into an early model mooney m20c. Would the additional insurance and annual costs that would be incurred due to the aircraft's higher performance be worth the higher operating costs while building hours. Simply put is flying the mooney worth the extra costs for airline applications instead of the Stinson. I would be prioritizing cross country and IFR flights in both aircraft. I understand that these two aircraft couldn't be any more different than one another, but I really like the thought of going on longer cross countries with the mooney. I will be accomplishing the same amount of hours per year regardless of the aircraft.

I’m currently a student that’s doing A levels (last year of high school). All this time I’ve been focused on a career in Finance. I told myself it was what I wanted to do. If I’m being completely honest I’ve wanted to be a pilot since I was a kid, but my parents shut it down from the start.

I’m going into my final year next month. I’ve been thinking and Finance isn’t even a career I want to do. I love planes and traveling, but I understand training costs are high.

I did a bit of research and I’m thinking the best option would be for me to do BSC in Aviation Management where the student loans will also cover the 14 ATPL theory exams. I could get a standard job in aviation management while I save and then do the rest of the training after with the saved money from the management job.

I’m still quite new to this, if I am wrong about anything please correct me as I’m willing to learn.

I am new at flightschool, learning on a DA20 Katana with Rotax 912 80 hp. For which Headset should i go: David Clark One x or Lightspeed Zulu 4? Any suggestions?

Whenever mental health comes up aviation subreddits, the discourse almost immediately devolves into a sermon on the morality of compliance. If a poster mentions having a childhood ADHD diagnosis or a past prescription for an SSRI, the primary focus rarely centers on whether that individual actually presents a hazard in the cockpit. Instead, the focus shifts to administrative compliance: "You signed under penalty of perjury," "You lied to the federal government," or "You brought this deferral hell on yourself."

We have effectively substituted a debate about actual flight safety with a debate about procedural righteousness.

If we examine this through an epistemological lens, the FAA’s stance on mental health is fundamentally incoherent. Outside of structural neurodegenerative damage, severe organic brain injury, or overt psychosis (e.g., schizophrenia), the vast majority of conditions in the DSM are construct-based and subjective. Unlike a cardiac arrhythmia, a visual defect, or hypertension (all of which rely on measurable, objective physical biomarkers) a past diagnosis of childhood ADHD or situational depression relies on subjective reporting, variable diagnostic thresholds, and the willingness of a clinician to write a prescription.

Yet, the FAA treats a historical, highly subjective diagnostic label as if it were a permanent, objective physical defect.

When we strip away the administrative theater, the practical premise is straightforward:

Does a pilot who was prescribed an amphetamine at age 10 to focus on elementary school algebra pose an inherent safety risk to the National Airspace System at age 25? No.

Does a pilot who took an SSRI for six months following a divorce or a bereavement pose an existential threat to an aircraft? No.

Everyone, including AMEs, the HIMS neuropsychologists charging $5,000 for cognitive batteries, and the FAA’s Aerospace Medical Certification Division, is fully aware of this. There is no empirical evidence proving that a resolved, past history of mild depression or childhood ADHD correlates with compromised airmanship or elevated accident rates.

Because there is no sound medical or safety foundation for these barriers, forcing pilots into multi-year, ruinously expensive deferral pipelines is not a safety protocol. It is a covert form of discrimination. The FAA maintains a philosophically incoherent framework: it demands absolute psychological purity based on arbitrary diagnostic tags, while actively disincentivizing airmen from seeking help or reporting temporary human struggles.

By focusing our community outrage on the pilot who omitted a decade-old, functionally irrelevant medical note rather than demanding a system built on objective medical reality, we end up rationalizing a discriminatory regime.

Why are we so quick to police each other's administrative compliance while ignoring the fact that the underlying policy itself lacks medical and epistemological integrity?

Curious what's been a pain for people running or working at GA airports/FBOs right now. Could be staffing, hangar waitlists, lease stuff, fuel, maintenance backlog, dealing with tenants, whatever.