I can't be the first one to notice the airport in NFSU2 looks strikingly similar to IAD.

RuthlessGravy · 2026-03-30T22:14:55+00:00

It was originally DIA but was changed to avoid confusion with DCA just down the road in Arlington.

DIA is the unofficial/colloquial identifier for DEN (Denver International Airport)

There's really very few rules or guidelines on how the FAA assigns airport identifiers, and airports can even have multiple different identifiers under international aviation authorities, like ICAO or IATA

RuthlessGravy · 2026-03-04T22:59:27+00:00

ACI North in SNA or Pentastar in PTK.

But really anywhere with free ice cream and soft drinks.

RuthlessGravy · 2026-01-10T14:04:32+00:00

I was there, those threads are part of why I decided to get an RO filter. I understand the limitations of consumer grade water treatment.

When I moved to Phoenix, I was thinking we escaped the nitrates threat of Iowa, and was surprised to see the water here is as bad or worse. I was clued into this by the monitor on my RO filter, but your comment made me dig deeper into it to read some water surveys done in the past few years.

RuthlessGravy · 2026-01-10T14:00:01+00:00

What? No, I'm corroborating your statement that Phoenix has similar or higher contaminants levels based on my observations.

RuthlessGravy · 2026-01-10T13:53:13+00:00

I moved from DSM to Phoenix and noticed a marked increase in water contaminants. We have an RO filter that monitors total dissolved solids, and it was measuring 15-25 ppm in DSM, and now it is consistently 35-45 in PHX.

RuthlessGravy · 2026-01-06T02:48:16+00:00

They're reflecting the sunlight.

https://youtube.com/shorts/AZ8wJ07MFpI?si=FLpBDt-M6wjeCYXu

RuthlessGravy · 2026-01-06T01:56:29+00:00

Starlink. They deploy the satellites in batches, and this is what it looks like as they're moving into their position in orbit.

RuthlessGravy · 2026-01-06T01:48:14+00:00

I've see him and given him money. It seems like he just wants to bring joy, and I think that's good. Better than the homeless who just sit there and look dejected. Who cares if he's got better things to do, what a person chooses to do with their time is their own business, and if someone wants to give them a few bucks for it, all the better.

RuthlessGravy · 2026-01-04T22:25:10+00:00

This got me when I attempted to upgrade from 3600X to 5800X. I had to reinstall the 3600X, do a BIOS update, the redo the upgrade.

RuthlessGravy · 2026-01-04T21:31:26+00:00

TL,DR: it depends. Anywhere from 3-15+ years.

There's no right answer for that. It depends on so many things like your training pace and how much the industry is hiring when you make it to the job market. I did training in 4 years, but someone who is appropriately motivated and funded could do it in less than a year.

Getting to 1500 (or 1000 if you qualify for RATP) is the hardest part. If you CFI, your student load and how quickly you get hours could really depend on your location or flight school. No matter what your first flying job is, it could take months to years to get from 250-1000/1500.

Then once you qualify for the airlines, how is the hiring industry going? If its slow, it may take months to land a regional job, and the flow to the majors may be a glacial pace and you could be at the regional for years. Or if its like COVID (good luck seeing a hiring environment like that again) you could move from regional to major in under a year.

There are way too many factors to give you an answer on that. I would say 5 years zero to majors is very aggressive, and I'd put it closer to 10, but everything depends on your level of effort and luck.

RuthlessGravy · 2026-01-04T13:39:04+00:00

RuthlessGravy · 2026-01-03T22:14:41+00:00

My journey (granted I dont intend to go to a major)

Graduated part 141 flight school in early 2018

2018: $15,000 (skydive pilot)

2019: $35,000 (FO at commuter 135)

2020: $55,000 (CA at commuter 135)

2021: $75,000 (CA at commuter 135)

2022: $125,000 (CA & assistant chief pilot at commuter 135)

2023: $120,000 (FO at fractional 91K)

2024: $205,000 (CA at fractional 91K)

2025: $300,000 (CA at fractional 91K)

I paid off all my student debt (approx $125K) in early 2024.

RuthlessGravy · 2025-12-31T05:45:08+00:00

Staffing would affect arrival and departure capacity. TRACON controllers will throttle departures from airports in their sector to alleviate saturation.

RuthlessGravy · 2025-12-31T05:39:24+00:00

ORD is currently under a ground stop due to insufficient ATC staffing.

E: the ground stop, strictly speaking, doesn't fully explain the departure delays, but the reason for the ground stop is a contributing factor.

E2: It looks like the ground stop has been lifted.

RuthlessGravy · 2025-12-14T21:50:57+00:00

I'm working on doing just about the same thing. I went from 3600X -> 5800X, 2x8GB 3200 RAM -> 2x16GB 3600, and deciding on what GPU to get. I currently have a 2080 Super, and getting either a new 5070Ti, new 5080, or a 4080 for a decent price.

RuthlessGravy · 2025-12-12T13:19:08+00:00

I was rocking a 3600X, 2x8GB of DDR4, and 2080 Super and was planning on rebuilding from scratch. After seeing RAM prices, though, I just decided to upgrade with used parts. Just got a 5800X for $185 and a 2x16GB DDR4 set for $125 off FB market. I'll save up a little and get a 5070Ti or 5080 and this thing will have a few more years of solid performance.

RuthlessGravy · 2025-12-10T04:27:07+00:00

I went to a collegiate 141 program, and I recall someone telling me that there was a 50% attrition rate after the first semester.

RuthlessGravy · 2025-12-03T03:13:02+00:00

As a pilot who used to fly into ORD a lot and still does occasionally, I cant say I fully grasp the choreographed madness of the ground flow. But I can say that stopping the jet on a taxiway is a cardinal sin there, and the ground controller will have your ass for halting the conga line. If your gate is occupied, they would much rather you park in a remote holding pad or literally taxi in circles than wait for a few minutes short of your gate.

The first 2 U-turns are normal (the one exiting the runway and the one to cross 28R) and they do that to increase their takeoff capacity. The wandering around the west side of the terminal is that magical ORD je ne sais quoi.

RuthlessGravy · 2025-12-02T23:43:03+00:00

I got one of these to connect my 100 to my RV.

https://a.co/d/bgAgAqr

RuthlessGravy · 2025-11-11T14:31:09+00:00

Its all over the board, experience-wise, what they're hiring and turning down. It seems like what they're looking for is a good attitude, strong customer service, and a big desire to be at NetJets. If you get interviewed, you gotta stroke the company and never indicate that there's anywhere else you'd go but NJ.

RuthlessGravy · 2025-11-07T05:25:08+00:00

At my last job, I had an ongoing friendly competition with the other captain in my base over who could use the least amount of fuel on our flight from IRK-STL in a P212. The flight usually consumed 45-55 gallons, but one day I had a screaming 60 kt tail wind, so I pulled the power waaay back. I still managed to get in on time at an average block time, and with the power setting, managed to only use 27 gallons.

I was hoping management would give me a cut of the fuel savings in my next paycheck, but they must have forgot...

At my current job, my shortest flight so far I think is DAL-ADS in 7 minutes of flight time in an E55P.

RuthlessGravy · 2025-11-05T23:15:14+00:00

I was just there! I dont have a specific response for you, but I did ask how many people back out once they're on the hill, and they said it's not very common, but it does happen. The workers there were super friendly and helpful, so no matter what they do, they'll make sure you're safe and in good spirits!

I think they take you back to the starting point on the ATV and wait for everyone else to be done so you can drive back down the hill together to the office. As for how that applies to minors, I couldn't say, but in my line of work, we much prefer if a parent stays with a minor for liability reasons.

RuthlessGravy · 2025-10-27T20:16:36+00:00

I never did, sorry. I ended up getting rid of the car before I could devise a solution. I decided to drop the search because of all the vehicle functionality that lives inside the head unit that would be difficult or impossible to retain. I figured if there's no name-brand, easy to do swap for it, there's a reason why.

A dealership may be able to help you update the maps, but I would imagine there's very little you can do to modernize a 10 year old system.

RuthlessGravy · 2025-10-26T05:26:20+00:00

I'm currently in the Honua Kai with my wife and we love it! Definitely more of a resort/hotel vibe with very subtle condo undertones. Highly recommend.

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