r/PilotAdvice

Im R-ATP eligible at 1,035 hours. 53 Multi, CTP-ATP done, zero turbine. I’ve mostly timebuilt with 150 hours dual given (CFI). I have one check failure and two bachelors degrees, one in aviation. I was offered a job flying a C208 Caravan SIC, but the pay was only $18,000 a year and I would have to relocate so I turned it down. I’m hearing people are getting hired for the regionals at 2,000 plus hours and they all already have flying jobs. I don’t think I stand a chance for applying to the regionals. At the same time I don’t know anyone would could help me get a CFI interview. What would you do if you were in my situation? Would you recommend any good careers to temporarily transition out of flying to?

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 guys!, Im a recent graduate of hs and i have taken a gap year to explore flight schools since i got waitlisted at mru aviation and did not get in. The ones i found near calgary are springbank air training college,compass flight and calgary flying club. Im not sure what school to pick so if anyone has prior background knowledge on any of these schools or recommendations/advice, It would really help.

Hey guys, I’m new to the group but worried my training record is gonna make it tough to get hired. Seeking any advice on what to do if you were in my position.

I train at a large 141 school, I have 4 stage check failures and 2 checkride failures.

3 stage check failures were during private, 1 was early commercial.

The more concerning part was that I busted my commercial multi checkride, as well as my commercial single engine add on. I was pretty crushed after those back to back fails. I felt great going into both of them, I felt over prepared, and I nailed the “mock” for both.

I am working on my instructor ratings and plan on getting CFI, CFII and MEI. I want to stress that I’m really committing everything I have to pass every stage check and checkride without another failure. The past is over with, all I can do is set myself up as good as possible for future checkrides. Potentially interested in doing my seaplane rating. Adding another first try pass couldn’t hurt as well.

I know this training record is going to make my life harder getting hired to instruct and especially at an airline, I am just wondering how much harder things might be?

Any comments or advice is greatly appreciated !

Just getting into this field and looking at flying schools. Should I go for a package course (commercial pilot training) that includes ppl,multi engine, Cpl and instrument rating or should I go do them individually.

Any advice would be helpful thanks.

I’m 18 years old and currently work in the refinery industry. My long-term dream is to become an airline pilot. A couple of months ago, I took my discovery flight in a Cessna, Being up in the sky gave me a sense of freedom I’d never felt before, and it made me realize that flying is what I truly want to do. I’d really like to hear from people who have more life experience or who’ve taken a similar route. I’m hoping to get honest opinions about my plan, whether there are better options I should consider, and anything you wish you had known when you were starting out. My current plan is to continue working in the refineries for at least the next2 years. The pay is good, and in my first year I’m on track to take home around 80,000 dollars or more, depending on overtime and not including raises I expect as I gain experience. My goal is to save aggressively and avoid taking on unnecessary debt for flight training. At the same time, I plan to start working toward an associate’s degree in process technology. My thinking is that it would give me a solid backup career as a refinery process operator, and I assumed having some college might help with airline applications, though I’m not sure how much weight an associate’s degree really carries compared to a bachelor’s. If everything goes according to plan, by the time I’m around 20 years old, I’ll have substantial savings, a degree, and the financial ability to begin flight training while still having a stable career to fall back on. I’d really appreciate any advice, criticism, or suggestions from pilots, or anyone who’s been in a similar situation. Does this seem like a smart plan? Would you do anything differently if you were in my shoes? Thank you in advance.

Should I enter this flight academy and did anyone ever graduate from there and got a job with a well known company?

Hello everyone, is it unheard of to get PPL through commercial license and then go to the military for aviation? What are the drawbacks and advantages of doing this? Is this a stupid idea or if I want to serve in some capacity is looking at a guard unit a good idea as well if I don’t, I want the full-time commitment. Any advice is appreciated thank you.

What would be the best advice for someone that’s about to get into the business of flying.

Hi, I’m a CS graduate, but becoming a pilot has always been a dream of mine. Ever since I was young, I’ve been fascinated by aviation and always wanted to fly professionally. I chose CS for my education, but the dream of becoming a pilot has never really gone away.

I’m now seriously considering pursuing that dream and coming to Canada for flight training. Training in my home country can take a very long time and become quite expensive because of the shortage of aircraft and some management issues, so I’m exploring Canada as an alternative.

My goal is to complete my pilot training, build a career as a professional pilot, and, if possible, eventually get PR or even better get my fees back in Canada. I understand that PR isn’t guaranteed and would like to know what realistic pathways might be available after completing my training.

I have a budget of around CAD 180,000 for my flight training. I’d really appreciate any advice on whether this would be enough, which training route would make the most sense, and what my options could look like after completing my licenses.

Well yeah, I will be pursuing my further studies in aviation, but my mother (and i agree with her) would like me to do a degree alongside flying, just as a "just incase"

What are some degrees that are relatively okay and flexible?

I'm good at biology, and I've never liked anything to do with IT or computers, just never been interested in it.

Forensics? Idk I need opinions and stories.

Which option would you choose?

I'm currently living overseas and in the middle of moving back to the US. Planning to train Part 61.I have enough saved to cover my PPL(about $15,000), but not enough to get through CPL. Two paths I'm weighing:

1. **Keep working and saving** until I can pay cash for the whole thing, then start training.
2. **Start now** — work part-time and fly at the same time, and take out a loan to cover the shortfall so I can train continuously without long gaps.

My concern with option 1 is losing time and watching rates keep climbing while I sit on the sidelines. My concern with option 2 is carrying debt before I have any real earning ability as a pilot, and whether part-time work will actually leave me enough time and energy to fly consistently.

If you were in my position, which would you pick? Especially interested in hearing from people who financed part of their training — did the continuity gain justify the interest, and how did balancing a job with flying actually go?

I work 5am too 230pm 6 days a week

i bring home a month near 5000

i am currently a industrial maintenance lead

i have no diploma

my bills are around 1300.

im in the Dallas area

i have flown multiple planes before.

i am also to colorblind for the millitary.

i’m roughly 25 hours into my PPL training and i’m still having trouble maintaining altitude while doing maneuvers and straight/level and i struggle with flying a clean tight pattern. I tend to drop or climb 100+.

i tend to overcorrect a lot and use my instruments a lot more than my ground references which is a bit of an issue. I tend to chase the instruments truthfully which i know isn’t good for PPL.

Any tips from you guys who’ve been through this training? My instructor helps me but I like to know other point of views!

Thank you guys!

I have recently realized that I need to start thinking more seriously about my future. I’ve always said that if I can’t go into the film industry, I would want to become a commercial airline pilot.

I mainly want to pursue this career because I genuinely love flying (as a passenger) traveling around the world, and seeing how huge the Earth really is. I understand that being an airline pilot isn’t the same as sightseeing, but traveling and flying are definitely things I’m passionate about.
As for the film industry, it has become more of a dream and a risk than a realistic career path, and I’m okay with that. I’ve realized that I need to pursue a stable career, so I’ve decide to seriously consider becoming a commercial airline pilot.

I want to know what the fastest possible path is to becoming a commercial airline pilot, especially if I want to enter the industry while I’m still as young as possible.

I’ve heard that one of the best ways to build the required flight hours after completing flight school is to become a flight instructor. That way, I could earn money while gaining the flight hours I need to eventually qualify for an airline job.
The biggest challenge for me is that I don’t come from a wealthy family and will receive minimal financial help with flight school. I don’t mind taking a year or two after high school to work a decentpaying job, save as much money as possible, and then use those savings to fund my flight training.

With that in mind, what would be the fastest and most financially realistic path for me to become a commercial airline pilot?
I want to start as young as possible while also making sure I’m not putting myself into an unreasonable amount of debt.
Also please note I have ZERO flight experience just decided now I want to pursue this career also im not saying I need to be the youngest pilot and im not saying i need to spend $0 i just need a good middle ground

Hi everyone, I’m from Romania, 18 years old and I’m interested in becoming a fighter pilot. I’m curious about how the process works in Europe, especially if you want to fly for your country’s air force.
What are the usual requirements for applying (age, education, medical/fitness standards, etc.)? How does the selection and flight training work, and how difficult is it to eventually get assigned to a fighter aircraft?
For anyone who has experience with military aviation, especially in Romania or another European/NATO country, I’d really appreciate any insight into what the career path actually looks like.

Pilots who have sleep related obstacles, what makes your career possible? (Tips, tricks, medications you’re allowed to take)

I understand each scholarship is different with different requirements in terms of flight school situation but typically how do they work and mostly when should you apply to them as in before you begin flying at all, while enrolled in a school and actively flying, etc. or is it REALLY varying in terms of each specific scholarship? I’m also curious if it’s possible to put a scholarship reward on hold like say way before you even enroll in a school you applied to a scholarship and receive the reward, could you save that money and apply it to your training later? Though I would also assume each scholarship probably has its own guidelines. If that’s the case, when do most students generally apply?

So to put in perspective I'm 21 making 1300-1600 a week take home working 60-65hr weeks and i have about 13k invested as is i want to go all the way to become an airline pilot so I'm curious what would be my best plan of action to start I'm about to go get my 1st medical so that's done I'm also weighing wether i should sell my investments to pay for schooling or i just pay as I go i live at home so not to many expenses as of right now and I'm always working so not really spending tons😅 but I'm worried if I take the money out that when I have to become a CFI I won't have that money as a net if you know what I mean so my question is

If you were in my shoes and had to do it all over again what would you do?

I’m a dual citizen of Canada and USA. I live in the USA but I’m unsure what the best route to becoming a pilot may look like. I’m willing to go military but I’d prefer not to mainly cause of my dual citizenship. What would be the best route for me? I can answer any additional questions if need be.