r/Pilot

Hey there, kind of a rough topic to bring into conversation. My dream is to be a helicopter pilot and I go for my aviation medical today because I’m enrolled for flight school this fall. After conducting further research to prepare myself for the exam today I came across articles about suicide attempts being an issue with getting your Class 1 medical in Canada. I attempted once when I was 13 and once when I was 15 years of age (rough home life). I am now 19 years of age and I’m doing completely fine and have done so much to heal and better myself and was wondering if with this burden I can still get my medical today?

EDIT
The CAME didn’t ask me about it, he asked if I had any diagnosis of depression or anxiety which I don’t so I think that everything is good. When I tried to give him more information about myself with family history and whatnot he said “only parents” and “yes or no” so it didn’t go much farther than that…

Hey everyone,
I’m 16 years old, and my long-term goal is to become an airline pilot.
I’m going to a trade school for my junior and senior years in Fire Science. After I finish the 2-year program, I’ll be able to start working as a firefighter once I turn 18. My plan is to work as a firefighter for about 4 years, save as much money as possible, and then go to flight school around age 22.
One of the main reasons I’m interested in becoming a pilot is that it seems like an amazing career, and eventually earning $100k+ a year is definitely a big motivation for me. I know money shouldn’t be the only reason to choose a career, but it’s an important factor for me.
I was also hoping that the entire pilot path—from starting flight school to getting hired by an airline—would take around 4–5 years. Is that a realistic expectation, or does it usually take longer?
From what I’ve learned, the path seems to be:
Finish flight school and earn my ratings (Private, Instrument, Commercial, CFI, CFII, and possibly MEI).
Work as a flight instructor or another entry-level flying job to build flight hours.
Reach 1,500 hours and earn an ATP certificate.
Get hired by a regional airline.
Build experience and, hopefully, move to a major airline later on.
Is that actually how it works today, or am I missing something?
Do you think this is a realistic plan? Is becoming a firefighter first a good way to pay for flight school, or would you recommend a different route? Also, is wanting the career because it sounds exciting and has the potential to pay well a bad reason to pursue it? I’d really appreciate honest advice from people who have gone through flight training or are airline pilots. Thanks!

Im really worried that I am going to waste all of my money on flight training and not be able to find a job because of my height, so I really need to know which specific airlines would allow people with my height. I really want to be a commercial pilot. Ive heard there are adjustable seats in cockpits and if you can get all the controls in a piper warrior then you should be fine, but please anyone help. Thank you!

Hey all — long-time lurker, first time poster. I'm 30 years old and seriously considering starting pilot training, but wanted honest input before committing.

A bit about me:

I have ADHD (currently undiagnosed formally, planning to get evaluated soon)

I was a below-average student growing up — struggled with traditional classroom learning, tend to overthink decisions

I'm drawn to flying because I want something engaging that won't bore me — the hands-on, high-stimulation nature of it feels like a much better fit than a desk job

Long-term goal is something like Emirates or another major international carrier, though I know that's realistically a mid-career target, not an entry point

Questions I'd love real pilot input on:

Is 30 too late to start from zero? How common is it to see career-changers my age in training programs?

For anyone with ADHD — how did ground school go for you specifically? Any strategies that helped?

Is the "below average student" thing something that actually affects you once you're in flight training, or is it a different skill set entirely like I've heard?

Any regrets or things you wish someone told you before you started?

Not looking for hype, just honest experiences — good and bad. Thanks in advance.

Howdy yall. I’m someone looking to become an airline pilot. I’ve done my feeler flight already (or whatever the official name for it is), doing my online PPL ground school, and I’m ready to fully dedicate myself to this career change. I’m Canadian, however I’d be down to go wherever it takes to get the best education and get me in the air and working asap. I’m entering my late 20’s so I would like to get going full throttle. Curious to hear what yall think is the best pilot school/program/training for someone like me? And I know it’s gonna be expensive no matter where I go or what I do so I’ve bit that bullet. I’m based in western Canada and I know places like Pacific Flying club have great reputations but I’d love to hear opinions from people with experience before I decide where to spend all my money and time. Cheers

I am currently a student at a 4 year university that has a pilot program. I have my instrument rating and am working on my com-multi and single commercial ratings. I'll have these both done by the end of 2026 and I'm looking to start either a pilot job or internship that's willing to hire me full time but just for the summer because I need it for my degree. Im willing to go anywhere in the USA for the job as I'm not very picky, however it does have to be full time and paid, as required by the school, any advise?

Hi there,

I am a graduate student working on her PsyD in Clinical Psychology, and I am conducting a research study to understand commercial/airline pilots’ experiences related to occupational identity, stigma, workplace pressures, and decisions surrounding mental health disclosure.

All responses will be kept confidential. I am also a therapist, so I understand how sensitive and private these topics are within the aviation community. Therefore, confidentiality is of the utmost importance to me, and I will do everything I can to protect your privacy. While we will be discussing perceptions around mental health, I will not ask you to disclose any mental health or other personal information. Instead, I am interested in learning about your perspectives and experiences regarding how mental health is viewed and discussed within the aviation community.

You may decline to answer any questions or withdraw from the study at any time without penalty. No identifying or personal information will be collected or shared with employers, peers, licensing boards, or regulatory agencies. I will not ask where you work, live, or got your training, so long as participants are U.S.-based. I will not even require participants to give me their real name, just their time and willingness to be interviewed!

I desperately need commercial/airline pilot participants for this study. Eligibility criteria are listed below for those who can participate. If you’re interested and eligible, or would like more information, please send me a direct message!

If you choose to participate, you will receive an informed consent document before the interview that details the study’s purpose, procedures, risks, and benefits.

What’s involved?

A one-time virtual interview

Semi-structured, conversational format

Audio only with recording for analysis purposes (no video recording, no cameras on)

Participation is completely voluntary (can skip questions or stop the interview at any time)

Eligibility Requirements:

Commercial/airline pilots (18+)

Currently employed in the United States

Hold a valid first- or second-class medical certificate

Fly fixed-wing aircraft

At least one year of commercial flight experience

English-speaking

*Retired pilots, current CFIs, and helicopter pilots are excluded from this study.

Hey guys,
I’m planning to start my ATPL course in a year, and the flight school I’m currently most interested in is AeLo in Locarno, Switzerland. I recently attended their Open Day and talked to a few students, and I was really convinced. However, after reading some posts from people criticizing the school, I got a bit worried.
I’d love to hear from anyone who has attended or is currently attending AeLo. Let me know what your thoughts are, and also, do you think there are other good schools out there worth considering?

Hey everyone,
I recently started a WhatsApp group for student pilots and aviators who want to learn together, ask questions, share study resources, and help each other progress through flight training.

Whether you’re working on:
PPL
Instrument Rating
Commercial
CFI
ATP

…or just starting your aviation journey, you’re welcome to join.

The goal is to create a community where pilots can discuss written exams, checkrides, flight training, aviation careers, and lessons learned along the way.
We currently have members ranging from student pilots to certificated pilots, and we’d love to grow the community.

Drop a comment or send me a DM if you’d like an invite.

✈️ Blue skies and tailwinds! ✈️

Hello,
I am 18 years old, and my dream is to become an airline pilot. However, I had a condition around the time I was born that left me with a very high degree of myopia in one eye compared with the other.
I have normal vision in one eye, with a prescription of around -4 diopters, which is fully corrected with glasses or contact lenses. In my other eye, however, I am extremely short-sighted—to the point where I can barely read the large letters on a board. The prescription in that eye is around -16 diopters, and even with corrective lenses, the vision only improves slightly.
Given my condition, do I still have any chance of obtaining a Class 1 Medical Certificate, by any means?

I’m planning to go to school to be a helicopter pilot later this year, I take my class 1 aviation medical this Friday. My audiogram results came back and I have perfect hearing but my ECG results are what bother me. The note on the results says sinus brachycardia with sinus arrhythmia as my bpm was 46 bpm. I’m 19 years old, female, and work labour jobs. I’m stressed about these findings can someone please lend an explanation to whether this will affect the decision of transport Canada?

Hello guys just wanted to share with you this beautiful experience i will carry throughout my whole life. I just did my first solo after 14 hrs on an aerobatic turboprop after joining my country’s air force. I really gave it all on the last check ride and i am proud to share this goal with this community 😁

Currently 37yrs old, in construction, brutal on the body. in a few years training/education could potentially land a paying role at 40?

Goals aren’t super high;

- $65,000 a year (I’m good/frugal with my money).

- interested in tourism, seaplanes, private charters and regional flying (even just for cargo). Want it to be enjoyable. I tour guided for years prior so have that experience

- Would like to be based somewhere I can return home the majority of nights. BUT willing to move seasonally (new location every 6-8months) if necessary. Alaska, Hawaii, Florida, Great Lakes, Caribbean, Mediterranean or Pacific Islands seasonally sounds fun to me (have Australian + EU passport + Green card)

No desire for long haul international flights and high ranking captain status. Looking for good scenery, nice people, a new challenge and less negative impact on my body.

How likely would it be to achieve such goals^^??

Thanks!

Hello all,

This is in regard to S.3257 which is the current iteration of the mental health of aviation act of 2025, which is currently sitting around for the last month waiting to go to the senate floor.

One major aspect of the act would require the FAA to reevaluate every year currently banned medications for mental health and decided if they should be allowed for airmen. For me the big thing is ADHD medication which I see a lot of people talk about! This bill also has a lot of other good stuff about talking care of the mental health of pilots and that’s desperately needed!

I want to be a pilot one day and like many I see talk about, ADHD is currently disqualifying me. I ask for those like me who want the opportunity to fly, to contact their representatives in the senate to ask the bill get introduced into the floor. The house version passed unanimously last year and my understanding is it probably should pass no problem in the semester but it’s still just sitting around waiting.

I know many people here can be positively effected by this bill in many ways and I think we can agree that a bill everyone agrees on just sitting around waiting to get introduced benefits no one.

Edit:
this post has got a lot of attention in regard to ADHD medicine. I made that a part of my post because of how the bill might affect mental health medications, ADHD included. This is only a small part of the bill attempting to address the overall mental heath issues facing pilots. Regardless of how people feel ADHD should be treated in aviation, the bill passed unanimously in the house over a year ago and only recently got modified by the senate in April and now waiting to go to the floor. The biggest part of my argument is that this bill should be passed so the overall problem of mental health in aviation can be addressed.

Does flying for NetJets or any other fractional compare to a major? Are there tradeoffs? I know the schedule is much worse at fractionals, but there is home basing? Would you prioritize where you would want to live over pay, and QOL? What's the flying like for fractionals? I hear some love it and some hate it.

Any NetJets or fractional pilots here?

Thanks,

hi

i applied to the luxair pilot candidate program but have not gotten any messages from there. How possible it is to be chosen?

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