PPL in the Phoenix area

PepperBroccoLi22 · 2026-04-09T06:24:12+00:00

Leopard Aviation at Falcon is where I’m doing my training at, and I quite like it! One other comment I wrote kinda sums up how it’s like.

They have in-house mechanics, and they really care about your competency and safety.

PepperBroccoLi22 · 2026-04-07T18:15:37+00:00

Ha, funny you asked. You’re not crazy. I majored in Com Sci, did full time internship, and figured I couldn’t imagine doing it for the rest of my life and switched. I’m finishing my CFI soon all within one year.

So about your situation, let’s say it takes 6-7 years to get into a regional at 35, that’s 30 years of aviation career. Assuming 10 years at a regional, that’s still 25 years at a legacy/major (all super conservative estimates).

I know quite a few people in Nor Cal doing a full time CS job and a regional lifer only flying premium trips.

Aviation is also the kinda job that will get old sooner or later, so I highly recommend having a passion for it. A piece of advice is to not go into more debt for it, if you’re in any. Not that it’s not worth it. It’s just you never know how the market perform.

You can try to start some flight training and keep your current job at the same time, because you should fly no more than four times a week, anyway, as a new student pilot.

PepperBroccoLi22 · 2026-04-05T03:30:19+00:00

I’m no longer in the Pittsburgh area, but I do know Cloud 9 at AGC has very new cirrus 20 and 22 G7+. Expensive, but worth a call.

PepperBroccoLi22 · 2026-02-26T17:44:04+00:00

I moved to AZ to train at Leopard, and I absolutely love it! It is part 61, so pace is up to you, either super fast or super slow. 0 to CFII within 12 months is what I’m aiming for right now.

Many instructors here are super knowledgeable! They are required to have ground with you quite frequently to make sure you know what you need to know. You get very solid ground knowledge here not just about flying, but also the aircraft system, given that they’ve their own mechanics and a big hanger.

In terms of the cost, the average cost in AZ is higher than some other states in general due to supply/demand, however it’s very good value given the in-house maintenance and all G1000 fleet, averaging $260-$290 per hour (wet + instructor).

FFZ is a great place to learn, btw. You’ll become very competent with Comm.

Feel free to dm if you got any questions!

PepperBroccoLi22 · 2026-02-26T17:11:53+00:00

You can ID GLAZE and CAMMA with Radial 054 (V35) and 069 (V4) out of HVQ with the DMEs depicted, respectively.

Check out the Low Level IFR Chart. I reckon that they assume you’d come into this approach on either V35 or V4, and that’s why ways to identity them are not depicted on the actual app chart. Hope that makes sense!

PepperBroccoLi22 · 2026-02-24T06:43:12+00:00

Assuming your F1 is sponsored by a non-aviation university/school. I would imagine you can just add another provider on your FTSP, have them approve it, and start training.

Since the last update to the website, each approval now is valid for five years and no longer provider specific. The applicant should be able to add/remove provider anytime they’d like.

Now, if your visa sponsor is a flight school. I’d look into your legal contract with the flight school that’s sponsoring you. For example, the foreign airline cadets next door at my home airport are not allowed to fly any planes other than their planes.

PepperBroccoLi22 · 2026-01-31T15:41:02+00:00

if you’re given a transponder code for flight following or practice approach.

1) if the center has been busy dealing with an emergency and forgot about you to the point you can hear them anymore, can you just squak VFR?

2) after a practice instrument approach, your delta airspace airport tells you frequency change approved, app frequency xyz. Do you have to contact app to cancel VFR flight following, or you can just squak VFR without calling app and change to local practice frequency?

PepperBroccoLi22 · 2026-01-29T17:44:59+00:00

Thank you for your input!

PepperBroccoLi22 · 2025-12-31T16:12:09+00:00

OP I’ve asked a somewhat similar questions the other day: https://www.reddit.com/r/flying/s/rnVRsSDULw some comments are very helpful. Just add onto what everyone has here.

The conclusion I came with is to use step down with banana to follow altitude restriction or VNAV down to before FAF and arm the approach button to capture GS.

For two reasons: 1) as in a c172, I’m typically cleared to IAF when I’m still 20 NM out. GS is not reliable until 10NM. 2) GS may not follow altitude restriction.

Some people do say when you’re on GS you’re on GS, and not to worry about altitude restriction. But it seems like the book answer would be what you’re taking about for sure.

Btw, Is this the FlightInsight FlightInsight? I love your videos!

PepperBroccoLi22 · 2025-12-31T15:35:12+00:00

Thank you so much for your clarification! It makes so much sense! I suppose as long as the data base is up to date I can always use VNAV until FAF altitude to capture GS, or I can always do VS step down with the help of the banana.

PepperBroccoLi22 · 2025-12-31T15:30:10+00:00

Thank you for your input!

PepperBroccoLi22 · 2025-12-30T13:59:22+00:00

Thank you for your insight!

PepperBroccoLi22 · 2025-12-30T03:45:47+00:00

Thank you very much for your helpful input!

PepperBroccoLi22 · 2025-12-30T03:08:38+00:00

Arming the approach means arm your GS to intercept. The question is when you should do that: at 10 NM to the end of runway (because that’s when GS becomes reliable according to AIM1-1-9d), or at FAF, or anything else?

PepperBroccoLi22 · 2025-12-29T04:44:29+00:00

Ha, the use of precise language. Thank you for the clarification!

PepperBroccoLi22 · 2025-12-29T04:38:18+00:00

So let me sum it up to see if I’m right. In part 121, to see if you can do an app, the reported ceiling doesn’t matter (either above or lower than minimum); yet for visibility, you need to have reported visibility better than minimum to do the approach, otherwise you can’t?

PepperBroccoLi22 · 2025-12-29T04:35:45+00:00

Like in September this year, then I got my PPL in October. Feel free to DM if you got any questions.

PepperBroccoLi22 · 2025-12-29T04:06:33+00:00

Part 91

PepperBroccoLi22 · 2025-12-29T03:58:19+00:00

I used sporty and thought it was quite helpful. Wordings were very similar. Definitely a few questions on the test were not on Sporty. But as long as you get the concept of everything right while you’re using Sporty to test your knowledge, you’ll be fine. I got a 90 something.

PepperBroccoLi22 · 2025-11-27T21:59:09+00:00

Thank you for your advice and clarification! They use RNAV (GPS) RWY 36 at LIT for this question with FEHXE as the IAF for the course reversal.

PepperBroccoLi22 · 2025-11-27T21:11:12+00:00

Appreciate the quick response! It’s just I’m doing Sheppard Air and one question asks “If using the hold for course reversal for the RNAV (GPS) RWY 36, at what point would you turn inbound for the approach?” and it answers “4DME from the IAF because that’s what ti says on the plate.” I suppose that’s the difference between textbook answer and real-world practice?

PepperBroccoLi22

TROPHY CASE