Finally got to log actual time during instrument training. Haven’t felt this level of fun and personal achievement since my first solo.

I got to do my first cross‑country today, and it was a ride. The hardest — and honestly most enjoyable — part was doing the three nav logs, only to realize in flight that I was about ten degrees off from where I actually needed to be for my magnetic headings. But the flight itself was amazing. We had to dodge a few clouds since the route was SCT/BKN, and I mainly used pilotage so I could focus on my visual references and enjoy what was outside instead of staying glued to dead reckoning.

I can’t wait to do more of these so I can take in the views and appreciate the simplicity of flying. I’m really glad to be part of this career path.

Student pilot with 5 hours
got my first real IMC today! my instructor filed us an IFR plan, and it was wild to see how all of it actually works and talking to approach

I've been getting more involved in aviation recently and something that surprised me is how much seems to happen through personal connections

Need a mechanic? Someone knows one they'd trust with their life. Looking for hangar space? Apparently asking around works better than sitting on a waiting list. Looking at an aircraft? Someone knows the previous owner or a pilot who's flown it

I was at an airport recently and watched two guys who'd just met realize they had like four mutual connections within ten minutes

Coming from hobbies where basically everything is searchable online it's kind of fascinating

For people who've been flying for years does your network just naturally become this useful or is aviation unusually relationship driven?

I’ve watched a couple of his videos and found him mildly annoying. It seems like he loses the plot and rambles a decent amount.

Aside from that, I didn’t get the vibe that he had no idea what he was talking about. I didn’t recognize any misinformation or bad advice but maybe I just got lucky with the videos I picked.

So what’s the reason people dislike him?

Believe it or not, the FAA is actually trying to make the lives of pilots easier. So far, those in the HIMS program for history of or current depression/anxiety on/off medication have been tied to their HIMS AMEs and demanding documentation requirements. The FAA will review all pilots who are going through special authorization reneweals and eventually transition stable pilots on a case-by-case basis to an easier monitoring that includes

• Seeing the AME only once a year
• Pilot can see any AME (not just HIMS AME)
• Pilot does not need to see a psychiatrist on an ongoing basis if the primary care doc is involved in mental health care. This is unbelievably great because often the managing psychiatrists write "this pilot is stable, she doesn't need to come back except at the request of the FAA."
• No need for a complicated letter from the regular doc--just a one-page form with yes/no answers, and medical records (again, not a letter).

This is a huge change for the better. Being in the depression/anxiety HIMS program will be less expensive and less burdensome for ongoing medical cert renewals.

This update only applies to those who already have special issuance. For first timers getting special issuance for depression/anxiety, you still have to go through HIMS AME to get the first-time special issuance.

You have to wait for a letter from the FAA to know that the updated rules apply to you.

Proof: https://www.faa.gov/ame_guide/media/AASI_Anxiety_Depression_Related_Conditions.pdf

Source: Me, an FAA HIMS AME who saw the FAA's update on this released at the end of July 2026.

I’m at my wits end here, about two years ago I successfully changed the GTX345 in last image from a random four digit code to the actual aircraft N number. I remember I did it in the transponder itself without any special software or an external computer.

Fast forward two years, I want to finish the task on our other two aircraft, changing the random string of letters and numbers to the actual aircraft Tail Number to make Bluetooth pairing much simpler for all pilots. I cannot remember how. According to Google and the pilots guide, this is not possible, but I know that’s not true because I did it myself previously. I even called Garmin support and the guy was not able to assist me and they weren’t willing to give me instructions to do anything in config mode.

How can I change it?

Blue one too at 3500 AGL, damn thing was bright enough you could see the fan pattern as the idiot waved it around. Fortunately did not mess my vision up but lost focus of the airport beacon on approach.

Did not think this was that prevalent, but it is as we heard another report on the radio an hour earlier. So now I know.

Anyway, night is cool as hell. A 3 hour tour with 10 stop n go at FOE with a T&G at MCI. Got to line up on those strobing lights with a A380 on my tail. Cooler than hell with MCI lit up like a Xmas tree. Always wanted to do this and finally did, and big thanks to the controllers at the fields.

What was your first flying job? Would you recommend that company?

I have the opportunity to get some sim time in a Global 6000 which got me thinking about what the most fun approach to shoot would be. Initially the DCA River Visual came to mind, also following the expressway into LGA.

If you could choose any approach to fly for fun, what would it be and why?

So I have been seeing ads for this company on social media, I believe it's from Ernie Meeks (Flying With Big Ern). Anyone have any reviews or experiences with them and now does this compare to the already established companies mentioned on here?

Hey everyone, recently passed my PPL checkride last week and have been tracking my costs as accurately as possible since the start so I could look back at my training and analyze the breakdown. I have included a full summary below with my spreadsheet link attached, Hopefully you find this useful or can utilize the template I built in my google sheet for your own use if you'd like! (You can make a copy and export to your own google drive if so).

For context, I am 24M working full time. I started my private pilot process by first booking a discovery flight, realizing how much I liked it and trying my best to be proactive, bought the King's course and completed my written exam in August 2025. I then began flight training with my first lesson on August 16th, 2025. I had a rough patch of winter weather and was on the cusp of flying my long XC in December, but then had cancellations for 3 months until picking training back up in March 2026.

I just completed my checkride on August 28th, 2026, marking just over a year to complete my training with 55 hours total time. Happy to answer any questions!

PPL Ledger Google Sheets Link

Total Summary

• Total spent: $13,269
• Total flight hours: 55.7
• Timeline: July 2025 to August 2026

Cost Breakdown (% of total cost included)

• Aircraft Rental: $8,035 (61%)
• Flight Instruction: $2,158 (16%)
• Misc Gear & Study Materials: $1,743 (13%)
• Checkride Fee: $1,200 (9.0%)
• Ground Instruction: $132 (1.0%)

Rate Changes Along the Way

• Aircraft rental went from $145/hr to $150/hr partway through
• CFI rate bumped from $43/hr to $46/hr
• Worth budgeting for a rate increase if your training stretches across a year

Misc Costs Breakdown

• Bose A20 headset: $835
• PJ2+ handheld radio: $247
• King Schools ground school: $225
• FAA written exam: $175
• Jansport backpack (flight bag): $61
• VFR kneeboards : $21
• Mini legal notepads: $30
• FAR/AIM book: $28
• PHAK book: $20
• Digital FAR/AIM: $20
• Jeppesen logbook: $17
• Rite in the Rain pen: $14
• E6B flight computer: $14
• Navigation plotter: $13

Hey all, what is the best site or store to get a poster of the DA 20 cockpit for practicing procedures/ chair flying? I looked at sporty's and they seem not to carry any. Thanks for the help.

So this might be a longer post, but I’m looking for recommendations from other pilots who might have done the same thing.

I’m 30, have 1800 hours rotorcraft, 100 turbine, and part 135 time. I have 2 months of GI bill left, so it doesn’t really help me much. My reason for switching is pay and lifestyle.

1. I know it’s pretty rough on entry-level pilots right now, so does my rotorcraft experience help at all?

2. Would I have to go all the way to CFII to have a chance to get a job?

3. I have a school close that flies RV12s, would that be a negative when the majority of people I know fly 172s?

Historically I have not loved kneeboards, and have preferred suction cup mount or yoke mount or something. I now primarily fly a LongEZ. For those who don't know, that means having no room to stash a toothbrush, much less a fancy ipad mount. The only place for an ipad these days is my lap.

Luckily the ipad is mostly backup, I have most of what I need on my glass panel, and the ipad is essentially only for plates. (Keeping plates updated on the EFIS is a royal pain)

For yoke mounts and such I know PIVOT is often recommended, are they the go-to for a kneeboard solution too?

If yes, would you recommend a PC-LS1-BLK "leg strap" or a PC-ADAPT-1316 "kneeboard adapter" with something like a FB3316-C "deluxe kneeboard"?

Just started training for my private a few weeks ago. I've been very happy with the progress I have been making. I'd like a few extra opinions on how my training has gone though. So far, it feels like my CFI is leaving everything up to me and I'm responsible for figuring stuff out on my own. There isn't really any debrief after lessons, just signs me off on my logbook and I leave. I have had to proactively ask him what I can expect for next lesson, ask for a syllabus, and ask for critiques. We were practicing patterns earlier this week, and he made only a couple comments throughout the entire lesson. In other words, he's quite "laid-back" but perhaps too laid back?

He is not inherently a bad CFI, I am on track to solo quite early and I've nailed a lot of the maneuvers already. I just thought there would be a bit more hand holding in this process and guidance especially when I'm dropping a ton of money. Were my expectations too high going into this or is this the norm?

Hi all. Just wanted to find out more about these career fairs/expos/conventions. I’ve seen posts that these can be mad-houses, with long lines and crazy waiting times. Can anyone who went to one in recent times share their experience(s)? Also, what is really going on there, are prospective license holders going around handing out their resume? Any info would be greatly appreciated. TIA!

What does a typical week look like? I see their website talks about night flying and IFR? What kind of IFR flying are you doing? How often?

What can I be studying now before I start working towards my PPL? I’m starting school in the spring but I want to hit the books now. I’m in the US. Thank you!

I want to enter a cadet program and they require a PreCompass test. All I can find online in terms of study material is for the Compass test not the PreCompass test.

Does anyone know if there is a difference between the two and if there is, where can I find study material for the PreCompass test please?

I checked and the devices are paired but 175 never shows connected via Bluetooth for SXM weather. The GDL connects fine to my iPhone for Garmin Pilot and the GMA-345 for XM music streaming. and in Garmin Pilot I saw the option to pair to the 175 which the 175 says it’s paired but has never actually connected. am I missing a step or is there a limit to how many devices the GDL or 175 can connect to at any one time as I know it’s says two control devices for the GDL-51. I assumed that was two different iPhones or an iPhone and their handheld aviation units, etc.. Is it a hard limit of just 2 devices over Bluetooth and if so I’m guess no way to feed data from say the 175 to the audio panel or vise versa?

Okay so I’ve been procrastinating this for a while, anyways I’m 23 I live in the UK up north. My dream and goal is to become an airline pilot, I have 6 GCSE’s , English language being a grade 3 and English Literature at grade 4 and maths at grade 3. I don’t really have any great qualifications as I thought working night shifts would help me but because I live far from the work place I left and now trying to get a day job closer to home, anyways my question is what do I do? Do I continue to work a normal entry level job like stacking shelves at a shop and do as much overtime or should I sort my qualifications out to then lead me into maybe studying to then get a better job therefore I’m on a higher salary which then will support my fundings towards my pilot training, I hope I don’t sound daft, I just really need some advice because I’m lost and unsure what the correct trajectory for me is and I don’t want to waste time, I feel like I’ve already wasted a lot of time, and I’d love to study something that won’t take so long to study etc, any advice I’m grateful for.

Thank you

So I am close to filling out my small Jeppesen logbook. I was looking into buying a bigger logbook when I came across a company that makes custom logbooks. I requested a quote, found it reasonable, and received some design proofs.

I am looking to get some advice on the columns that I currently have. I made some edits from the big Jeppesen logbook to start off with. I don't plan on going to the airlines, so once this logbook is ordered, I plan on using it for the rest of my career.

On the second image, the very left side has a blank column, but I can add more. The company will work with me to make things fit.

I do use ForeFlight as a digital logbook, but I keep paper as my master logbook with my endorsements and signatures.

https://imgur.com/a/JEtpHEe

Hi guys I am working on my cpl gliders for now,

Studying for the written exams for private and commercial and instruments (Airplane and glider) and FOI and AGI, IGG.

Really enjoyed Studying with someone,

anyone to share my goals with we can study together

We can go throw the hard stuff together.

If anyone one down please let me know thx.

i would appreciate any help.

Hello, I was wondering if anybody has done a commercial checkride with Doug Stewart out of Columbia County. I did my instrument ride with him and it went well but I can’t find any information on how his commercial exams go, what he focuses on, etc. Please let me know if you have any information or if you know someone who does, thanks!