u/Playful-Researcher89

Hey everyone, I’m getting close to finishing up high school and trying to map out the smartest, most realistic route to eventually becoming a commercial airline pilot. I know I want to reach the airlines for my career, but I keep seeing mixed opinions online about whether I should go to a 4-year university aviation degree program, train at a local Part 61 flight school while getting a regular degree, or go straight through an accelerated flight program. For those of you who are currently flying for regional or major airlines, if you were starting from scratch today, what path would you take to get your ratings, build your 1,500 hours efficiently, and make yourself competitive for airline hiring? Any honest advice on what you wish you knew before starting out would be huge, thanks!

Hey everyone, I’m looking into the pathway to become an Air Traffic Controller and trying to figure out if the newer Enhanced CTI (E-CTI) college programs are actually worth the tuition compared to just taking the off-the-street (OTS) route. Bypassing the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City sounds like a huge plus, but I’m wondering if skipping OKC is worth paying college tuition for, or if it makes more sense to just build a year of work experience and roll the dice on an OTS bid. Also, for anyone currently in the field, how do you feel about the compensation once you actually reach CPC status relative to the stress and schedule, and what does realistic career growth look like long-term beyond just moving up facility levels or taking step increases? Appreciate any honest perspectives or advice from people on the floor.

Hey everyone. I'm entering my senior year of high school and evaluating my options for the future. I originally planned on a long academic track, but due to academic burnout and wanting financial stability early on, I'm seriously considering pivoting toward Air Traffic Control. Since I don't have a four-year college degree yet, my understanding is I would need three years of full-time work experience to qualify for an off-hire bid. For anyone in the field or who took a similar route: Is building three years of work experience right out of high school a practical entry route? How should I spend the next few years to best position myself for the AT-SA exam while building up that work history? Thanks for any insight

Hey everyone. Entering senior year of high school and realizing I have some pretty massive knowledge gaps in core math and science due to years of online classes and bad study habits. My original goal was to go pre-med in college, but I know jumping straight into college chemistry or biology without solid algebra and basic science skills is a recipe for failing out. Is it realistic to rebuild these foundations completely from scratch, maybe by starting at a community college with intro or remedial classes? I'm wondering if anyone else started from low academic discipline, built up good study habits from zero, and made a tough college track work. Also open to advice on how I should spend this senior year to start catching up on basic math and science on my own, or if I should look into pivoting toward a direct work path instead. Thanks for any insight.

I have a rheumatology appointment coming up for possible Accutane-related joint issues. I made a 1-page timeline with all the doses, symptoms, MRI, ANA result, etc.

Would you guys hand the doctor the timeline at the beginning and let them read it, or would you mostly explain everything yourself and just use the timeline as a backup?

The history is kind of complicated, so I’m worried I’ll forget details, but I also feel like explaining it myself helps show how much it’s affected me.

What would you do?

I have a rheumatology appointment coming up for possible Accutane-related joint issues. I made a 1-page timeline with all the doses, symptoms, MRI, ANA result, etc.

Would you guys hand the doctor the timeline at the beginning and let them read it, or would you mostly explain everything yourself and just use the timeline as a backup?

The history is kind of complicated, so I’m worried I’ll forget details, but I also feel like explaining it myself helps show how much it’s affected me.

What would you do?

I have a rheumatology appointment coming up for possible Accutane-related joint issues. I made a 1-page timeline with all the doses, symptoms, MRI, ANA result, etc.

Would you guys hand the doctor the timeline at the beginning and let them read it, or would you mostly explain everything yourself and just use the timeline as a backup?

The history is kind of complicated, so I’m worried I’ll forget details, but I also feel like explaining it myself helps show how much it’s affected me.

What would you do?

I’m 17 and took Accutane for about 5 months. Before Accutane I was extremely active. I played basketball regularly, sometimes multiple practices a day, and would easily get 10k+ steps without any knee issues.

The morning after my very first 20 mg dose, I had a weird locking episode in my left knee around the kneecap area. My knee could lock both straight and bent. This happened on and off for about a month, mostly in the mornings. During that time I saw an orthopedist, got an MRI, and was told there wasn’t any major structural damage. I started physical therapy.

Once I got up to 40 mg, the locking and weird kneecap tracking sensation mostly went away. I played my full basketball season and was functioning pretty normally. I did develop some heel pain, back soreness, and muscle soreness after long practices and games, but it wasn’t too bad and usually improved with sleep and stretching.

Everything changed when I increased to 80 mg. Within a few weeks I started getting much worse pain around and under my kneecaps, around the patellar tendon area, and on the inner side of both knees. I also had heel pain, stiffness, clicking/crunching, and my walking tolerance dropped a lot. Sitting with my knees bent would cause a tight pulling sensation above the kneecaps.

I stopped Accutane a little over a month ago. Since stopping, the heel pain, back stiffness, and general muscle soreness have improved quite a bit. The knee problems have not.

Shortly after stopping, I went on a trip that involved multiple flights, a lot of sitting with bent knees, poor sleep, and stress. During that trip my knees flared badly. Walking and standing became so painful that I ended up using a wheelchair for most of the trip except for the bathroom and getting ready.

Right now I’m about 4–5 weeks off Accutane. My pain is mainly around and under the kneecaps, around the patellar tendon area, and on the inner side of both knees. The inner knee pain can move around and sometimes shoots up or down the inside of the knee. I still have a lot less tolerance for standing and walking than I used to. I don’t really have noticeable swelling, redness, or warmth.

I recently had blood work that showed a positive ANA (1:320 Dense Fine Speckled pattern), but my ESR was normal at 2. I’m currently waiting to see a rheumatologist.

Has anyone else had severe knee or tendon problems from Accutane that took months to improve after stopping? Does this timeline sound more like Accutane side effects or something autoimmune? I’d appreciate hearing from anyone who’s gone through something similar.

Before Accutane I was very active — multiple basketball practices a day + 10k+ steps with zero knee problems.
Timeline:

• Morning after first 20 mg dose: First knee locking episode (left knee — could lock straight or bent) along with kneecap tracking sensation. Locking and tracking happened for about a month, mostly mornings. MRI was done during the locking period and reportedly showed no major structural damage. Started PT.

• On 40 mg: Locking and kneecap tracking sensation resolved. I continued my full basketball season. During this time I developed heel, back, and muscle soreness after long practices/games (which improved with sleep and stretching). After about 2 months on 40 mg, I was functioning mostly normally, the muscle stuff got a lot better/almost gone in the last month, and I finished PT.

• On 80 mg (~5 weeks): Major worsening — pain around/under kneecaps, patellar tendon area, inner (medial) side of both knees, heel pain, stiffness, clicking/crunching. Walking tolerance dropped sharply. Also developed a tight pulling/tightness sensation above the kneecaps after sitting with my knees bent for a while.

• Stopped Accutane 4 weeks ago. Heel pain, back stiffness, general muscle soreness, and post-sitting kneecap tightness improved noticeably, but knees remained the main problem.

• Shortly after stopping: Trip with multiple flights, long bent-knee sitting, poor sleep. Knees flared severely — ended up in a wheelchair for most of the trip (standing/walking extremely painful).

Current symptoms (~4 weeks off):

• Pain around/under kneecaps, patellar tendon, and shifting medial (inner) knee pain that can shoot up/down.

• Reduced tolerance for standing/walking, stiffness, clicking/crunching.

• No major visible swelling, redness, or warmth.

• Flares can happen randomly (even while sitting) but often improve with knee extension and gentle movement.

Recent labs:

• ANA positive 1:320, Dense Fine Speckled pattern

• ESR normal (2 mm/hr)

Questions:

1. Has anyone had severe knee/patellar tendon problems on Accutane that took several months to improve after stopping?

2. Does this timeline sound more like Accutane-related musculoskeletal side effects, or something autoimmune?

3. Has anyone had a positive ANA with Dense Fine Speckled pattern in a similar situation?
   Any experiences or advice while I wait for rheumatology would be appreciated. Thanks.

Before Accutane I was very active — multiple basketball practices a day + 10k+ steps with zero knee problems.
Timeline:

• Morning after first 20 mg dose: First knee locking episode (left knee — could lock straight or bent) along with kneecap tracking sensation. Locking and tracking happened for about a month, mostly mornings. MRI was done during the locking period and reportedly showed no major structural damage. Started PT.

• On 40 mg: Locking and kneecap tracking sensation resolved. I continued my full basketball season. During this time I developed heel, back, and muscle soreness after long practices/games (which improved with sleep and stretching). After about 2 months on 40 mg, I was functioning mostly normally, the muscle stuff got a lot better/almost gone in the last month, and I finished PT.

• On 80 mg (~5 weeks): Major worsening — pain around/under kneecaps, patellar tendon area, inner (medial) side of both knees, heel pain, stiffness, clicking/crunching. Walking tolerance dropped sharply. Also developed a tight pulling/tightness sensation above the kneecaps after sitting with my knees bent for a while.

• Stopped Accutane 4 weeks ago. Heel pain, back stiffness, general muscle soreness, and post-sitting kneecap tightness improved noticeably, but knees remained the main problem.

• Shortly after stopping: Trip with multiple flights, long bent-knee sitting, poor sleep. Knees flared severely — ended up in a wheelchair for most of the trip (standing/walking extremely painful).

Current symptoms (~4 weeks off):

• Pain around/under kneecaps, patellar tendon, and shifting medial (inner) knee pain that can shoot up/down.

• Reduced tolerance for standing/walking, stiffness, clicking/crunching.

• No major visible swelling, redness, or warmth.

• Flares can happen randomly (even while sitting) but often improve with knee extension and gentle movement.

Recent labs:

• ANA positive 1:320, Dense Fine Speckled pattern

• ESR normal (2 mm/hr)

Questions:

1. Has anyone had severe knee/patellar tendon problems on Accutane that took several months to improve after stopping?

2. Does this timeline sound more like Accutane-related musculoskeletal side effects, or something autoimmune?

3. Has anyone had a positive ANA with Dense Fine Speckled pattern in a similar situation?
   Any experiences or advice while I wait for rheumatology would be appreciated. Thanks.