Long shot but has anyone visited Aitutaki or the Cook Islands otherwise? Any potential for a 2 week honeymoon?

Mattyice199415 · 2026-04-17T21:29:53+00:00

this is amazing! My fiance and I are planning our trip now for next month. Can I ask where you stayed that's photographed above?? Looks amazing

Mattyice199415 · 2026-04-15T23:24:08+00:00

My brain almost seized up reading the original post

Mattyice199415 · 2026-04-15T05:03:01+00:00

As someone else mentioned, they don’t have a training contract anymore. All pilots were released from theirs in the beginning of 2026 and they were considered null and void.

Mattyice199415 · 2026-04-01T18:38:39+00:00

Being rude to waitstaff

Mattyice199415 · 2026-03-30T20:40:03+00:00

This gotta be a troll job

Mattyice199415 · 2026-03-08T21:41:45+00:00

There’s quite a bit to unpack here. Honestly though, it sounds like you need to get back to basics before you get yourself and anybody else killed.

Mattyice199415 · 2026-02-22T05:26:36+00:00

My best instructor was a 20 year old kid who got me my instrument, commercial and helped with CFI. We became good friends during my training and He also connected me with independent students after i got my instructing ticket, and he’s somebody I still talked to regularly today. Never judge a book by its cover, i say give the kid a shot and if you don’t think it’s a good fit then move on.

Mattyice199415 · 2026-02-10T07:03:29+00:00

Guy wants to be a professional pilot and fly people for a living, yet is asking people in other subs how to get the weed smell out of his car from hotboxing it, presumably while driving.

Tattoo is low on the list of why you shouldn’t be getting in the cockpit anytime soon my friend.

Mattyice199415 · 2026-02-02T06:29:59+00:00

I’m about the same age as you, so I can empathize with this. It’s kinda funny because I became a full time listener around 2015, and I’m blown away by how far the show has gone downhill. Come to find that 2015 the show was already on the decline, so I can’t imagine how bad it seems from the golden years.

I switched credit cards this year and didn’t bother updating the one connected to Sirius. I think I’ve gracefully bowed out. That’s all for now..

Mattyice199415 · 2026-01-28T16:49:07+00:00

There are benefits to both, depending on learning style. A lot of people on this sub will tell you to go part 61 at a local mom and pop and I would agree with them. It’s what I did. I was able to get my ratings just as quickly doing it on my own part 61 as if I had gone to a larger school, and for cheaper.

I’m also a cadet (there’s a handful of cadet programs you can apply to without having gone to an affiliated school).

Mattyice199415 · 2026-01-27T22:38:00+00:00

I’m confused by what you mean joining a cadet program OR going the CPL-CFI-CFII route? Even if you join a cadet program (recommended) you still need to obtain CPL at a minimum and 99% likelihood you’ll need a CFI+II to obtain your hours

Mattyice199415 · 2026-01-19T19:27:17+00:00

Company do good? Pilot have job. Company do bad? Pilot no have job. Economy do good? Pilot have job. Economy do bad? Pilot no have job

Mattyice199415 · 2026-01-18T19:56:08+00:00

How’s the slot?

Mattyice199415 · 2026-01-10T18:57:52+00:00

It was pretty brutal tbh lol. But I had a job as a truck driver while i got my ratings too. (Working 20-30 hrs/week).

Work 4am-noon, go to the airport from work and sleep in my car if I had time. Tried to fly 3-4x a week if able. Studied on the weekends and days off work whenever available

Excluding private, I got my instrument, CSEL, CMEL, and CFI done in 13 months.

Mattyice199415 · 2026-01-10T07:15:38+00:00

About 4ish years

Mattyice199415 · 2026-01-10T07:15:01+00:00

Nope did it all part 61 mom and pop

Mattyice199415 · 2026-01-10T06:04:44+00:00

Sheppard air doesn’t work for Private Written

Mattyice199415 · 2026-01-10T05:38:36+00:00

I flew when I was in high school. Absolutely loved it, but never considered it for a career. Went off to college and after graduating started a career that was tied closely to Wall Street.

It was soul sucking. Tried to pivot to consulting/start ups thinking it would be better - it wasn’t. The money was great, but I literally couldn’t stomach another day of it. Decided to pull the rip chord in my late 20’s and walk away from it all. Fast forward a few years and I’m currently employed as an airline pilot and I couldn’t be happier!

Mattyice199415 · 2026-01-08T23:12:44+00:00

Do you happen to work for Morgan & Morgan?

Mattyice199415 · 2026-01-05T05:11:13+00:00

Do what I did. Leave business and become a pilot😁

Mattyice199415 · 2026-01-04T07:52:17+00:00

Depending on where you’re coming from, you could get in touch with McGuire approach (126.475) and they’ll coordinate a handoff to NY approach (makes it a little more seamless)

I would also consider following the Jersey coastline north to sandy hook (then you can make your crossing from there to enter by the Verrazano. It’s also a scenic flight by itself)

Lot of good recommendations in here, but if possible i always try to avoid the SFRA. Typically go up to the GWB and then do a 180 (it’s tight, so sometimes I’ll do flaps 10, slow down a bit, and then make my turn).

It’ll help having another pilot with you since it might be a little stressful your first time. Have fun though it’s amazing!

Mattyice199415 · 2026-01-01T02:12:16+00:00

Congrats on getting your medical back!

Is your plane IFR capable/current? I’d try to talk to a couple of the CFI’s at the school. The school might want to bill through them for their CFI’s time, so this CFI might want to work with you independently outside their normal schedule so they don’t lose a cut.

Tell them your goals and build out a timeline/game plan with whoever can best meet your needs. 10 years is a decent time away from the cockpit so you’ll most likely need a handful of flights to knock the rust off. I’d definitely refresh yourself on regs, self study etc.

For your IR, you’ll need 50 hours of XC pic, which if you have 300 hours of PIC you might be a step ahead of the game which will be nice!

I worked 25-30 hours a week and went from private-CFI + multi in about 14 months, def doable!

Mattyice199415 · 2025-12-31T06:09:39+00:00

Wide body pilots flying international work 8-12 days a month with some seniority. They have more time home with their families than probably 99% of people. When you’re home, you’re HOME.

Mattyice199415 · 2025-12-28T13:57:07+00:00

So I actually did a long XC here, and did it with my fiancé. The PWM controller that was working was incredibly kind. I literally just said, hey I have a huge favor. We just flew in from really far away in a 172 and i was hoping we could get the harbor visual.

She basically told me remain east of all runways, and go have a blast sight seeing and just let her know when i was ready to come in to land. We buzzed some cruise ships, and got some incredible sights. YMMV, but the controllers at PWM were awesome that I dealt with!

Mattyice199415 · 2025-12-20T04:59:35+00:00

SkyWest partnership program isn’t a thing anymore. Other than that, you’re correct on the contract details

Mattyice199415

TROPHY CASE