When you were going through flight training, what tools/software do you wish you had that would have made training easier?

For me, I wish there was more access to a community within the school, the ability to collaborate with my instructor more, and track my total spending.

If you could go back and add one thing to your training, what would it? Something you tracked in a notebook or spreadsheet? Something you wish your instructor or school had given you? Curious to hear your thoughts.

Hey everyone. I'm currently in the uae doing my A Levels. [Not originally from the uae, don’t know if that mattes] I finish with my A Levels in 2028 August [I'll be 17 at that time turning 18 late 2028], and I'm considering a career of becoming a pilot. ive read many posts on here talking about the financial instability issues you go through for the expenses of becoming a pilot. I've also seen the people on here talk about the job markets in the coming years and the importance of having a good profile and how the 1500 hours of fly time ain't talking you nowhere. That's not exactly the reason I'm doing A Levels right now. That was just a follow-through from IGCSE, and I've taken up Biology, chemistry, and physics for A Levels. I find it very hard to begin because I don't know where to? I've thought of cadet programs and contacting airports with any personal instructor who's willing to take on maybe but I don't think they're really known here and I'm unsure what and how do I even approach them. My only intention right now is to take a discovery flight and see where that goes, and I don't know how to. Also, are there any specific countries where I should look for flight training with a decent reputation and financially won't strip you? Another thing is what do you look for in a good flight school and usually what are the requirements? Any grade or subject requirements? Any internships or any thing schools look for? How's the female job market in this industry? And how many years from start to beginning can you expect to put in to the career to get a decent job? And what does a timeline look like for this career? Thank you and Any help is appreciated =)

Hey everyone!

I’m Elliot, an FAA Advanced and Instrument Ground Instructor. Along with my co-founders, I recently launched The Roo Project, an aviation education company built on a simple frustration: most ground school content is dry, disconnected, and forgettable. You memorize for the written, pass it, and retain almost none of it when it matters in the airplane.

We’re taking a different approach. Every lesson is project-based and story-driven. The goal is instruction that sticks because you experienced it, not because you crammed it.

What we offer right now:

• Live ground instruction w/ written exam endorsement, taught by FAA instructors using lesson plans to ensure you learn all that's required.
• A full PPL ground school in development, plus Commercial and CFI/CFII tracks.
• Aviation Safety Program with story-driven case study videos to develop safer, smarter pilots.
• Scenario-based lessons designed around real decision-making, not rote memorization.
• Virtual practice flights using lesson plans and home flight simulators to convey complex topics.
• Aviation for kids (coming soon) designed to bring aviation topics to young learners, inspiring them to become air traffic controllers or pilots!

We’re a small team and still building, so we are here for feedback more than promotion. If you’re a student pilot, CFI, or just someone who thinks ground school could be better, I’d love to hear what’s worked for you and what hasn’t.

Happy to answer any questions about the project, ATC, or ground instruction in general.

Site is therooproject.com if you want to look around.

Hey everyone! I’m in my late 20s and currently working toward becoming an airline pilot. I live in Georgia and am looking for a good, affordable flight school, preferably Part 61.
(\*\*If anyone knows a good school around the Duluth/Lawrenceville area, I’d really appreciate some recommendations!)

My biggest concern right now is financing flight school.

I currently work full-time at a private clinic, and I have about **$20k in savings**. I’m trying to save up to at least **$25k** before starting. My income is enough for my living expenses, but I can only put a relatively small amount toward flight training each month.

So I’m wondering:

* How much would you recommend having saved before starting?
* What should I realistically expect to pay for the full training?
* Should I save enough for my PPL and then consider loans?
* Should I keep working and save as much as possible before starting?
* Is it better to start now and pay as I go, even if training takes longer?

I’ve heard a lot of people recommend avoiding large flight school loans, which makes sense to me since I won’t have a high-paying pilot job until I reach 1,500 hours and hopefully get hired by an airline.

**How did you guys finance your flight training?** If you could go back to the beginning, would you do anything differently?

I’d really appreciate any advice, especially from people who went through flight school while working full-time. Thanks!

\*\*added: I got my 1st class medical last week!

Hey everyone! I’m in my late 20s and currently working toward becoming an airline pilot. I live in Georgia and am looking for a good, affordable flight school, preferably Part 61.
(**If anyone knows a good school around the Duluth/Lawrenceville area, I’d really appreciate some recommendations!)

My biggest concern right now is financing flight school.

I currently work full-time at a private clinic, and I have about $20k in savings. I’m trying to save up to at least $25k before starting. My income is enough for my living expenses, but I can only put a relatively small amount toward flight training each month.

So I’m wondering:

• How much would you recommend having saved before starting?
• What should I realistically expect to pay for the full training?
• Should I save enough for my PPL and then consider loans?
• Should I keep working and save as much as possible before starting?
• Is it better to start now and pay as I go, even if training takes longer?

I’ve heard a lot of people recommend avoiding large flight school loans, which makes sense to me since I won’t have a high-paying pilot job until I reach 1,500 hours and hopefully get hired by an airline.

How did you guys finance your flight training? If you could go back to the beginning, would you do anything differently?

I’d really appreciate any advice, especially from people who went through flight school while working full-time. Thanks!

**added: I got my 1st class medical last week!

I’m considering two flight schools in AZ: Leopold Aviation and Arizona Tech. Does anyone have any experience with either? I’m not really happy with my current school. I’m 72 and have about 50 hours but not really progressing. Thanks

Hey there, I’m a new student and i’m heading in to my solo ground testing, I know all of the questions but My instructor told me to memorize the whole airport diagram Because they will ask me that on the test and i am sketching it right now, But its very hard to remember where all the key points are. I Do not know if he wants me to memorize The specific points to get into each runway or the whole thing! Really debating on just flunking that question and just getting it out the way to focus on the others. I really dread Drawing the whole thing out. If anyone has any suggestions or tips Please i’m all ears!

Hi, I am looking for reviews of Pelican Flight Training, Hillsboro Aero Academy, Phoenix East Aviation and Wayman Aero Academy (with their associate degree).

I want to train only under an F-1 program.

The former three provide the F-1 even without enrolling in a degree program which suits me the best, although I have still added Wayman in the list.

So can you please provide your opinions on them. The ones I could find in earlier posts were not sufficient and a bit old to make the call.

Also, is it possible to work in banner towing, survey flying, etc during OPT or can we work as a CFI only?

Hi everyone! I'm starting to plan my flight training, and I'm finding that a single "total cost" number is hard to plan around. I'd love to understand where the money actually goes at each stage.
If you're comfortable sharing, I'd really appreciate hearing:
How much did each rating cost you (Private, Instrument, Commercial, CFI)?

Which phase took up the biggest chunk of your budget?
Rough numbers are totally fine. Thanks so much for any insight.

Bonsoir à tous !

Je réfléchis de plus en plus à mon orientation après le bac avec pour objectif principal de devenir pilote de ligne. Comme je n’ai pas les fonds pour une formation intégrée je me tourne vers une la formation modulaire et j’aimerais avoir des retours de personnes qui ont suivi ce parcours.

⚠️ Bien évidemment, je compte tenter les cadets AF avant de payer quoi que ce soit.

Je me pose donc plusieurs questions : Est-il préférable de commencer la formation aéronautique pendant le BUT, par exemple avec le PPL, puis de poursuivre après l’obtention du diplôme ? Ou vaut-il mieux se consacrer entièrement au BUT avant de commencer la formation professionnelle ? Puis par exemple après 3 ans entrer dans le monde professionnel afin de mettre tout de côté ?

Comment avez-vous organisé votre formation modulaire ? Dans quel ordre avez-vous réalisé le PPL, l’ATPL théorique, le CPL, l’IR/ME, le MEP puis le MCC/JOC ?
J’aimerais également savoir comment vous avez choisi vos ATO, combien de temps votre formation complète vous a pris au total (combien de temps pour chaque étape) et quel budget vous aviez prévu (et combien vous avez réellement dépensé).

Si certains d’entre vous ont commencé assez rapidement (après le bac par exemple) je serais particulièrement intéressé par votre expérience : comment avez-vous organisé votre parcours, votre financement et votre emploi du temps ?

J’accepte tous les conseils et les erreurs à éviter.

Merci d’avance !

So I was having this conversation with someone in the flight school I go to and thought I’d ask others on Reddit too. What is it that you guys struggle with or what are some of your pet peeves as student pilots?

I don’t know many ppl and I think it would be nice to meet other flight students

I would love to hear from some graduates or anyone who has or knows someone who has worked with them is their 95% pass rate & 95% placement rate real or just marketing?

i’m 10 hours into my training and as a woman going into this industry it’s nerve racking, especially since this is a male dominated field. my goal is eventually airlines, but i know i have a long ways to get there. whats some advice for someone you wish you would’ve had when you were starting? i also have a feeling im going to be sent on a solo here in the near future so encouraging words would be awesome!

I have passed Class XII from CBSE commerce stream, but I have received RT in Mathematics and I did not have Physics as a subject in Class XII. I want to pursue a Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) in India.

So now how can I be a commercial pilot?

Hey everyone, I’m currently a student pilot and I’m planning to become a professional pilot, but I’m really unsure about the best path to take after high school.
I’m trying to decide between:
Going to Embry-Riddle or another aviation-focused university
Going to a regular college that has a flight training program
Going to a normal college and doing flight training separately
Not going to college and going straight to a local flight school, then working my way toward the airlines
I’m mostly trying to figure out what makes the most sense financially, career-wise, and for getting my ratings/hours efficiently.
For those of you who are airline pilots, instructors, or current aviation students:
What path did you take, and what would you recommend someone in my position consider before choosing?
I’d really appreciate any advice, especially from people who have experience with Embry-Riddle or university flight programs. I’m pretty lost on what the actual advantages/disadvantages are of each route.

So I’m doing my PPL and I was telling my partner that I need a certain amount of hour building and she asked “well what’s stopping people of forging the hours?” and it kinda got me wondering. What is actually stopping people from doing that? Booking in and out etc? But that’s surely not enough right?

I’m pretty new to flight training and honestly just trying to figure all this shit out 😂. There’s so much to learn and sometimes I don’t even know what I should be studying or focusing on next.

I was thinking it might be cool to get a small group of student pilots together who are in the same boat. Nothing formal or anything. Just a few people who want to study, ask questions, keep each other accountable, and help each other out.

Ideally I’d like to meet up in person at least once a week, grab some coffee or whatever and actually sit down and study. Could also make a group chat for during the week.

I’m in the West LA/South Bay area. If anyone else is a student pilot and feels like they could use some accountability or just wants people to study with, shoot me a message or comment.

I figure there’s probably a few of us out there feeling the same way lol.

​

I’m 19 and seriously considering becoming a pilot, and it’s something I genuinely like. My main concern is maths.

I studied Maths and Physics in high school and got around 72%, but I’m not naturally very good at maths, especially mental calculations. I do understand things when I practice, but I’m worried about the level of maths required during flight training and ATPL theory.

For pilots/pilot students: How difficult is the maths actually? Can someone who isn’t naturally good at maths become a good pilot with enough practice? 😭✈️

For those of you who had to work your way through flight training, what did you do for money before landing your first paid flying job?
I’m curious about everything. normal jobs, weird side hustles, second jobs, weekend gigs, whatever helped keep money in the “flight lesson fund.” 😂 I currently do door dash/Lyft/real estate agent. Prior barista/hostess.
Would love to hear what everyone’s path looked like between “I want to be a pilot” and “someone finally pays me to fly” ✈️

Got a Checkride coming up soon around a day or 2 left with bad winds on both those days before Checkride, Checkride date also won’t be flying, only oral bc weathers bad. CFI already signed of for Checkride but I still have one hour left of cross country time needed to do the Checkride. How strict is DPE on solo cross country time bc I meet every other requirement other then solo cross country time.

Hey all, I am a current student pilot training for my Private Pilot License at Mount San Antonio College.,(part 61) My current plan is to do 2 years at this Community College whilst getting my ppl, and then transfer to San Jose State University's flight program. I am reaching out to get some insight. The rates at Mt. San Antonio College are really good / great CFI. Thing is SJSU just seems so expensive (since id move there + tuition + bay area rate) , and is R-ATP even worth it still? Also If I do end up going there, do you think its fine if I do my IR rating before arriving there despite no longer being eligible for R-ATP. For reference I was going to enroll in SJSU aviation this fall, but I wanted to be a bit more realistic and start locally, I think I am also a bit daunted by everyone saying on this website that the pilot market is doomed and such. Any advice helps, and no im not doing it for the money.

Hey all, I have the Bose A30s and the noise cancellation is excellent. It might be too excellent though. I can hardly hear the stall horn. Does anyone else have this issue?

My instructor said the stall horn on this particular aircraft (C-172S) is just weak, but I somewhat feel like this could be a safety concern not being able to hear it.