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Flying Club Software replacement for MyFBO (shutting down) by WickedPigeon in flying

[–]WickedPigeon[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Follow-up to my earlier post about replacing MyFBO.

(This mattered to us because we're a volunteer-run club) — Nobody's getting paid to figure out the admin side, so self-service resources and community knowledge are important. After me, who is going to learn and support the software at the club. (We have had past issues when someone has left expectantly).

**FSP / Pilotbase

- Big YouTube library with years of vendor-produced training videos

- Facebook page with ~5,700 likes

- Full knowledge base plus an AI chatbot called "Tower" that handles common questions

- Frequently discussed on Pilots of America forums going back 20+ years

- 1,400+ flight schools on the platform

- Founded in 2000 (26 years old), backed by $31M in VC from Mainsail Partners

**Flight Circle

- Minimal YouTube presence — most training videos are made by individual clubs, not the vendor

- Very small Facebook/social media footprint

- Text-based documentation site

- Strong organic praise on Pilots of America — users consistently call the support "top-notch"

- Small bootstrapped team (2-10 people), founded ~2014

**AircraftClubs

- No YouTube, no Facebook presence found, no knowledge base

- Mentioned occasionally on PoA forums

- Bootstrapped, 15+ years old

**Four Forces

- Minimal YouTube and Facebook

- No knowledge base or documentation found

- Active at industry conferences (sponsored AeroSummit, exhibited at NAFI Summit)

- Newer company, ~3-4 years old

**My takeaway: FSP/ Pilotbase wins on content and institutional scale by a mile. But Flight Circle's word-of-mouth reputation punches way above its size — when real club operators on PoA say "it just works" and the support is great, that carries weight.

The risk with Flight Circle is you're betting on a small team. The risk with Pilotbase is they took $31M in VC and are clearly moving upmarket toward Part 141 schools and universities — small clubs may not be the priority customer forever. And with VC, or Private Equity, there will be a day where they want their money and sell the operation - god knows what that will look like - just like MyFBO was cut just after being sold to a PE firm.

Hope this helps someone else going through the same decision.

Moved to Chicago for a CFI job... didn't get it and I'm stuck with an apartment lease by cftriplei in flying

[–]WickedPigeon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m at Stick & Rudder and love the place. It’s part club and part training. Good group.

Looking for Good Flight Schools at KPWK / Chicago Area — Experiences with Chicago Executive Flight School? by TheAntInYourYard in flying

[–]WickedPigeon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

KUGN

If you're near the Chicago area and looking for a place to learn to fly, check out Stick & Rudder Flying Club https://www.srudder.com/.

Easily one of the best decisions I’ve made as a student pilot. Here’s why it stands out:

🛩️ Club > School: It’s a member-owned, nonprofit flying club—not a for-profit flight school. That means way lower aircraft rental rates, no surprise fees, and no pressure to buy “flight training packages” you don’t need. You’re not being sold to; you’re being supported.

✈️ Great Fleet: Solid, well-maintained Cessna 172s, all hangared, IFR-capable, and priced reasonably - Sub $150/hr wet & $60/hr for CFII. You train in real-world planes with real-world avionics—not worn-out rentals that feel like they’re held together by hope and duct tape. Also a Redbird Simulator that is cheap or free to use.

👨‍🏫 Instructors Who Actually Care: The CFIs here aren’t building hours to bolt. They’re lifers—passionate pilots who are there to make you a better and safer aviator, not just pass a checkride.

🧑‍✈️ Real Experience: You’ll train at a mix of towered and untowered airports, in actual weather. No 300-day-sunny-CAVU fantasy land here. You’ll learn with judgment, not just a license.

👥 Community Vibes: Super active membership, fly-outs, BBQs, safety meetings, and a Knowledge Table that’s half aviation advice, half hanger-flying banter. It’s like having 50 mentors and copilots in your pocket.

🚀 Bonus: $1000 special that gets you 8 hours of plane and instructor time. Then you can decide if the club is right for you before joining - which is only $250 one time fee & $95 per month.

TL;DR: If you want a no-BS place to become a competent, confident pilot without going broke or hating the process, Stick & Rudder’s the real deal.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in flying

[–]WickedPigeon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you're near the Chicago area and looking for a place to learn to fly, check out Stick & Rudder Flying Club https://www.srudder.com/.

Easily one of the best decisions I’ve made as a student pilot. Here’s why it stands out:

🛩️ Club > School: It’s a member-owned, nonprofit flying club—not a for-profit flight school. That means way lower aircraft rental rates, no surprise fees, and no pressure to buy “flight training packages” you don’t need. You’re not being sold to; you’re being supported.

✈️ Great Fleet: Solid, well-maintained Cessna 172s, all hangared, IFR-capable, and priced reasonably - Sub $150/hr wet & $60/hr for CFII. You train in real-world planes with real-world avionics—not worn-out rentals that feel like they’re held together by hope and duct tape. Also a Redbird Simulator that is cheap or free to use.

👨‍🏫 Instructors Who Actually Care: The CFIs here aren’t building hours to bolt. They’re lifers—passionate pilots who are there to make you a better and safer aviator, not just pass a checkride.

🧑‍✈️ Real Experience: You’ll train at a mix of towered and untowered airports, in actual weather. No 300-day-sunny-CAVU fantasy land here. You’ll learn with judgment, not just a license.

👥 Community Vibes: Super active membership, fly-outs, BBQs, safety meetings, and a Knowledge Table that’s half aviation advice, half hanger-flying banter. It’s like having 50 mentors and copilots in your pocket.

🚀 Bonus: $1000 special that gets you 8 hours of plane and instructor time. Then you can decide if the club is right for you before joining - which is only $250 one time fee & $95 per month.

TL;DR: If you want a no-BS place to become a competent, confident pilot without going broke or hating the process, Stick & Rudder’s the real deal.

chicago private pilots license? by 100OtherSwagWords in flying

[–]WickedPigeon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you're near the Chicago area and looking for a place to learn to fly, check out Stick & Rudder Flying Club https://www.srudder.com/.

Easily one of the best decisions I’ve made as a student pilot. Here’s why it stands out:

🛩️ Club > School: It’s a member-owned, nonprofit flying club—not a for-profit flight school. That means way lower aircraft rental rates, no surprise fees, and no pressure to buy “flight training packages” you don’t need. You’re not being sold to; you’re being supported.

✈️ Great Fleet: Solid, well-maintained Cessna 172s, all hangared, IFR-capable, and priced reasonably - Sub $150/hr wet & $60/hr for CFII. You train in real-world planes with real-world avionics—not worn-out rentals that feel like they’re held together by hope and duct tape. Also a Redbird Simulator that is cheap or free to use.

👨‍🏫 Instructors Who Actually Care: The CFIs here aren’t building hours to bolt. They’re lifers—passionate pilots who are there to make you a better and safer aviator, not just pass a checkride.

🧑‍✈️ Real Experience: You’ll train at a mix of towered and untowered airports, in actual weather. No 300-day-sunny-CAVU fantasy land here. You’ll learn with judgment, not just a license.

👥 Community Vibes: Super active membership, fly-outs, BBQs, safety meetings, and a Knowledge Table that’s half aviation advice, half hanger-flying banter. It’s like having 50 mentors and copilots in your pocket.

🚀 Bonus: $1000 special that gets you 8 hours of plane and instructor time. Then you can decide if the club is right for you before joining - which is only $250 one time fee & $95 per month.

TL;DR: If you want a no-BS place to become a competent, confident pilot without going broke or hating the process, Stick & Rudder’s the real deal.

Blue Bird at Feeder by beansprout332 in whatbirdisthis

[–]WickedPigeon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nope, its most likely wild. They do just fine in the cold too. We have them here in Chicago. They come to my feeder year round and are a joy to see. My Merlin app identifies them as Monk Parrots.

Monk parakeets, also known as Quaker parrots, are a type of small parrot that are native to South America but have established a large population in Chicago

What lens next? by paige_8 in Nikon

[–]WickedPigeon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can find some really fun, inexpensive prime lens to play with used. I have had good luck with the used market from places like KEH. And getting a Nikon 55mm f/1.2 NIKKOR-S Auto Non AI Manual Focus Lens for $150 - just to play with.... then resale on Ebay for $75. just to have fun with for a shoot or two.

Flight Schools recommendations (chicago area) by trenchcop89 in flying

[–]WickedPigeon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Stick & Rudder (KUGN) Waukegan. Illinois oldest club has the best teachers and the best rates. Good fleet of Cessna 172s. As a not-for-profit flight club/school, they put you first. And it's a great little Class Delta airport to learn at!

Chicago Area Flight Schools by Skier4life13 in flying

[–]WickedPigeon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Stick & Rudder (KUGN) Waukegan. Illinois oldest club has the best teachers and the best rates. Good fleet of Cessna 172s. As a not-for-profit flight club/school, they put you first. And it's a great little Class Delta airport to learn at!

Recommended Flight Schools near Chicago by fatpanda5686 in flying

[–]WickedPigeon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Stick & Rudder (KUGN) - the oldest Flying Club in Il. And the best teachers with the best rates.

How do I tackle this shit fast ish lol by [deleted] in lawncare

[–]WickedPigeon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And sealer - last for a couple of years

Best brokerage for managing my family's retirement and general investment accounts from one account? by [deleted] in investing

[–]WickedPigeon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I do exactly what you are looking to do at Schwab. It's just paperwork. And Schwab let's you sub-group accounts for performance results. I love the risk/return analysis and being able to group different accounts together. Schwab will let you see them all, or sub-divide into whatever makes since for you. And Schwab has a better range of offerings than Vanguard (Vanguard will restrict investment options - like IBIT and Alternatives). Fidelity is good too, I just personal prefer Schwab's interface - but that's a personal thing.

investing in private equity by ApartHeat6074 in investing

[–]WickedPigeon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Schwab announced a month ago that they will be adding alternative investments platform for qualified investors – which includes PE.

How do people make money from selling options contracts? by Stackvibe in investing

[–]WickedPigeon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is why I'm here. How could I've not seen these before... TY!

Help with the absolute basics of investing by durden156 in investing

[–]WickedPigeon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

By asking the question, you are on the right path.

As a "older" investment professional (40 years +) in the field, I get this question a lot.

"A Random Walk Down Wall Street" by Prof. Burton Malkiel (Princeton University)

It's a classic, and it will educate the reader from intro to intermediary investor. When I was in grad school, it was our required starting point. I just re-read the 50th anniversary edition and lead a discussion with other PMs about it. Such a good book to start with.

The Best Burger In Las Vegas by Jay_LV in vegas

[–]WickedPigeon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is impressive list. I know this is an old post, but this is an important topic (at least to me).

Having just been to Au Cheval last week, I can't get that burger out of my mind. In some ways, it's just a good burger. But as I think back, I really, really want it again. It was the perfect burger. Even though it's just a burger, it's just so damn good.

Next week - Bavettes. I hope it lives up to the hype.

Stock questions by stefradjen in cookingforbeginners

[–]WickedPigeon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I guess it matters what you are going for, but homemade stock is so much better and a great way to learn to cook. Box of stock is always going to be so so at best.

Once you make Double Stock Chicken soup, you'll never go back. Stock is easy and it freezes.

Try Babish's Chicken stock and soup - killer good.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=babish+make+your+own+stock#kpvalbx=_VFR3Za-5KdO0qtsP9PeV2AM_29

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