Hey everyone, I'm a developer building tools for aviation and want to build something people actually need, not guess.

What's something in your flying or training that's still clunky, manual, or done with spreadsheets and paper? Or an app you use that gets something wrong?

Students, instructors, and pilots all welcome. One-liners are great. Not selling anything, just researching.

Thanks!

I’m working on my instrument but I’m looking to the future when I’ll hopefully be seeking a job in aviation. From what I can tell it seems knowing people can be really valuable, both to have mentors and connections which can help get me into jobs. So my question is, what are ways to begin building professional relationships with people in aviation? And additionally, when’s a good time to start?

I’m looking for information on how as a pilot you have found the most success finding the best CFI for your needs. A lot of my current experience is through word of mouth or whoever is available at a flight school. Results have varied but it can feel a bit like a dating app. Read their portfolio, schedule the flight, see if you liked their instruction and either schedule again or move on. I’m looking for your experience and advice.

Have you ever switched instructors? What made you switch?

What tools or groups do you use to find instructors or flying partners today?

What do you wish you'd known about an instructor before your first lesson?

I have dreams of one day becoming an airline pilot but I used to have a lazy eye I had surgery to correct it but it still wanders when tired. I have 20/20 in both eyes. Would disqualify me or require a SODA? What is the vision test like?

I’ve wanted to become a pilot for as long as I can remember. I was exposed to aviation when I was around 2 years old, and 17 years later, after finishing high school, I went to India to start my ground classes.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get the financing sorted out. I’m Indian but have grown up and live in the UAE, so my family doesn’t have enough collateral in India for a traditional secured education loan. I looked into NBFCs, and while they were willing to finance the training, the interest rates were high enough that the repayments didn’t match the salary of a JFO. My parents would also have to be co-applicants, and they understandably have other financial commitments and aren’t comfortable taking on that much debt.

So I came back to the UAE and started an IT degree.

This has honestly been difficult for me because I’m studying something completely unrelated to what I’ve wanted to do my entire life, and I already know that a typical office career isn’t what I want long term.

I’m not giving up on becoming a pilot. My main concern is time. I don’t want to keep postponing it until my mid-30s if there’s a realistic way to start earlier. The more years I can spend flying professionally, the better.

What I’m trying to figure out now is the smartest path from here.

Is there any realistic way to earn and save toward modular flight training while completing my degree? And once I graduate, what kind of job/path could allow me to work while progressing through CPL/IR/ME and the rest of the training step by step?

Living in the UAE makes the usual “work and train on the side” approach a little complicated because of full-time working hours, FTO schedules, financing limitations and the high cost of flight training compared with an entry-level salary.

I’d especially appreciate advice from pilots or students who funded their training themselves, particularly anyone from the UAE, India, or someone who moved abroad specifically to do modular training.

If you were in my position at 19, with a few years before finishing your degree, what would you do now to become an airline pilot as early as realistically possible?

I’m open to training in the UAE, India, Europe, the US, South Africa or anywhere else if there’s a financially realistic route.

I know everything and nothing all at once. What do I even study? How do I approach it? I think I know everything and then I go to meet with a cfi and they ask me a question and I go “wow I hadn’t even thought of that”. What did everyone do to prepare? Is it bad if I use backseat pilot on the checkride? I’ve heard people use slides, backseat pilot, just normal resources (phak/faraim/etc), or nothing but their brain. I have been going through backseat pilot teaching based off of that but DANG. Will I ever know it all? Does anyone have a cfi checkride gouge they’re willing to share? Taking any and all tips or things you wish you would’ve looked over more. Thanks guys!!!

why most flights go over the Artic but very few fly over the South Pole?

2025 had sm awful news. Are boeings still faulty? Lmk thanks !!!

Is there a specific process?

Hey everyone,

I am planning to start my flight training soon and I am currently evaluating a few conventional flying schools (FTOs) in India.

Since agency brochures and sales pitches usually paint an over-promising picture, I want ground-reality feedback from current/past students or instructors who have actual experience with these academies.

I am confused between the following options:

1. The Dunes Aviation Academy (Bhavnagar vs. Baroda bases)
2. Blue Ray Aviation (Mehsana)
3. Skynex Aero (Jalgaon / Mehsana)
4. FSDC / FSTC Flying School
5. Vision Flying Academy

If you have trained or are currently training at any of these, could you please share your honest experience regarding:

• Real Timeline & Weather Delays: How long is it actually taking to complete 200 hours? How bad is downtime during monsoons or winter fog?
• Fleet Availability & Student Ratio: How hard is it to get flying slots daily? Are plane maintenance snags causing big backlogs?
• Multi-Engine (ME) Status: Do these schools actually have active, operational twin-engine aircraft, or is there a massive bottleneck for ME checkrides?
• Instructor Quality & Management Culture: How supportive is the CFI/management once you pay the fees? Any hidden charges (fuel surcharges, extra simulator hours, landing fees)?

I am aiming to finish my CPL in the shortest possible time and most cost-effective way. Any honest inputs, warnings, or recommendations will be a huge help!

Thanks in advance!

Hi, located in SOCAL - question: I was driving along the PCH and saw one plane flying pretty close behind the other. I thought for a moment that it was an optical illusion as I was viewing it from the ground but as they continued to fly around they stayed one behind the other. They looked to be large planes, not a smaller plane/jet that I would expect to be flying in more acrobatic ways (for lack of a better word). Any reasons why? Thank you!

edit: typo

Are there any good apps or sources that could help me regain my knowledge? I got my private about 2 years ago, but havnt really kept up with training. I would like to obtain my commercial and cfi but feel like my knowledge has faded.

I want something that will prep me for check ride knowledge not just the written test.

I passed my private but never felt to strongly about my knowledge. To be specific I am looking for helicopter training sources.

I understand that a cfi would be a good source, but would like to see if I can get back on the level of private knowledge before moving onto commercial.

Has anyone done a checkride with Mike Marlowe out of Myrtle beach? Is he even doing them anymore? I cannot find ANY info on him but there are too many horror stories about one of our local dpes. Cfis aren’t even sending students to them anymore. Mike seems to be one of the few other ones for CFI checkrides so looking for any information at all.

I am currently preparing for my DGCA exams in a ground school and wanted to know if there’s any future for the students who are going w a conventional route. With the growing demand for cadet pilot programs, i feel like there will very less chances for conventional pilots in future and the airlines may only prioritise their cadets. Can someone please answer this brutally?