u/vintageripstik

In the year 2026 it is easier than ever to get access to granular winds aloft data. Many ground courses still show you how to get winds aloft the "old" fashioned way (apologies to anyone here lol) and interpolate. But I know I can also go to aviationweather.gov and get wind barbs every few miles. For PPL, is it fine to just interpolate between your origin and destination? As you get the CPL I understand the ACS for XC flying become more rigorous, is it worth practicing those skills of getting and applying more granular winds aloft to your flight planning now to build better habits?

inb4 use just foreflight

While studying for my license I have been using the sim as a training tool for cross country practice. The sim is an amazing tool for this and much less so for learning seat of the pants flying skills. Live weather with winds aloft are very accurate. The visual fidelity of the sim allows for usage of VFR waypoints for pilotage and dead reckoning. Many addons are of high enough fidelity that the real POH or manual with the addon can be used for realistic GS and fuel burn planning (I especially recommend the JPLogistics 152 for this, but the Bonanza lets me stretch my legs further for more of a challenge dealing with changing weather). Flying over the sometimes featureless Midwest makes for a great challenge with using a mix of visual and radio aids. adding in SayIntentions for comms really rounds out the experience when combined with running the checklists. I have gripes with SI but until BATC VFR matures and proves to be realistic, SI is the best for me with its global coverage. PilotEdge.net is amazing too, but limited coverage.

If you have never tried flying VFR this way it is something you should absolutely try. Try not to cheat by using a moving map or GPS. This video is a great intro on how to fill out a navlog. You can start simple with just using skyvector.com and work up to doing it by hand as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ydvev6B7IaY

Passing south of KSTC

Computing a navlog by hand is tedious, but rewarding - this flight was pretty straightforward as the winds aloft were directly off my nose, so no wind correction angle was necessary.

https://preview.redd.it/izbx6iycr6gh1.jpg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ff1d649fe3bd0e004affede0a261c64e350a28f8

https://preview.redd.it/2mtqmkzdr6gh1.jpg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=31c8827597d8e7519ba6211aa1bef666fd36810a

A great view of the field, turning downwind to base at KMIC for 24R - the recent CU15 has drastically improved the experience of flying around the Twin Cities.

I am interested in this jet for many reasons, curious how it has been updated and if it continues to be in your rotation or has become a hangar queen?

OP is in US

I am planning to, roughly, do PPL -> CPL out of pocket part 61 at a flying club while keeping my day job, and then find * some way * to get to 1,500 and beyond. I am very fortunate to have a pretty steady and well paying desk job, so the idea of giving up the stability for the CFI and or hour building grind is challenging when talking to my wife, but they are open if I can have some type of plan. that said, I know it's challenging to have a concrete plan in the part 61 world. I have read countless stories here of moving where there is work and need some anecdotes to share on what possible pathways there are, good and bad. I know it's impossible to say how exactly you might get to that first "stable" airline job.

Can you please share rough timelines year by year of how you got from 0 to "hero"? I know the market changes and fluctuates significantly, so I am trying to gather anecdotes beyond the 0 - > 250 CFI -> 1500 ATP -> regional picture. Did you move several times? Did you keep working a job while building hours? Did you get stuck in purgatory, or did you get hired right at 1500. again, I understand the market changes, so looking for the good bad and ugly.

E.g

US/Canada/EU based

PPL 2000

CPL CFI 2002 - FI at local field

Pipeline 2003 - moved to Odessa to live with desert oil people, ate saltines and lived off SNAP

Freight dog 2004 - moved to SoCal, worked 7 on 5 off

Regional 2007 - moved in base, reserve, fo, captain

Legacy 2013 - commuting fo

To get in front of other common comments....

Yes, I hold a first class medical and have done a handful of lessons - I do want to do this, intelligently though

Yes I know debt is sin and there is no guaranteed job waiting for you at 250 hours nor 1500

Yes I know there is not a "pilot shortage* and I'm not going to work 7 days a month and make $500k in 5 years time

Yes, I know the regionals are not glamorous, and even the legacies have challenges

I've got a heavy, funky hybrid bike with a front fork suspension, wacky 21 speed that's missing gears. It's been a great way to get on the trails and ride but I feel it is holding me back from doing more

I found a used Las Cruces for $500, but I am concerned it is going to be too much bike for a beginner. I see it is marketed as cyclocross so I expect it to be more squirrelly. Would you recommend one for someone looking for their first "real" bike to ride some roads and gravel?

Bedrooms,kitchen, office are all upstairs. Family room, and most critically, cat food and litter are downstairs. We have a door to the downstairs that has one of those cat latches that leaves a few inches open so the cat can come and go, but the dogs cannot.

This seems to lead to all the cold air looking at the bottom of the house, leaving the top hot and I comfortable, and the AC can't effectively cool the top of the house where the thermostat is.

We can't just shut the door and prevent the cat from coming and going upstairs. What other options do I have to get the top of the house a more reasonable temperature?

For reasons I'd prefer to not get into, I am looking for:

1. Resources for an adult (30s) who has a high school diploma but has never been independent and has very little life or financial skills, no drivers license, no work experience. Trying to help a family member get on their feet.
2. A talk therapist where I do not need to use insurance to avoid attaching therapy visits to my medical history. Trying to deal with the stress of helping them get on their feet.

Thank you very much

Talk me out of it

Car is listed for $6500, working on getting the VIN and Carfax report.

2nd owner purchased from a dealer after refurb. Salvage title because "windows were left down during rain in Houston" circa 2019 or 2020. Has claimed no electrical issues in 6 years of buying.

My concern is the "rain" was really a hurricane or tropical storm and it was more like flooding.

I don't NEED a car, so I'm trying not to spend a ton. The problem is I live up north where roads are salted, is it's hard to find cars in my price range that aren't rusted out. Does the fact that gremlins haven't appeared in 6 years bode well for the repairs? I know it's definitely a gamble with any type of salvage title, maybe there is flexibility in the price