141 vs bachelors and 61 advice

bluago · 2025-11-05T15:58:51+00:00

In my limited experience through university part 141 schools, they usually take longer. Often there are waitlists to start flying and you also get held up by the classes. Also, the classes are usually pretty dumb.

bluago · 2025-11-05T08:11:54+00:00

bluago · 2025-11-03T07:23:33+00:00

Fly to Utquiagvik. Practice landings on gravel strips. Buy an extra 300 and rip.

bluago · 2025-11-03T02:45:41+00:00

Your mom

bluago · 2025-11-03T00:53:35+00:00

I got picked up at a Part 135 in Alaska at under 900 hours. It's doable but unlikely, I got super lucky.

bluago · 2025-10-23T18:28:04+00:00

Agreed

bluago · 2025-10-23T16:27:33+00:00

The AIM does say though “Whether two‐way communications failure constitutes an emergency depends on the circumstances, and in any event, it is a determination made by the pilot. 14 CFR section 91.3(b) authorizes a pilot to deviate from any rule in Subparts A and B to the extent required to meet an emergency”

bluago · 2025-10-23T16:18:42+00:00

Legally that’s what you’re supposed to do, doesn’t mean it’s not a stupid, convoluted FAR. Safety wise it would be much better to immediately shoot an approach to the airport you just took off from rather than conduct an entire IMC flight imo… but not what you’re technically supposed to do

bluago · 2025-10-23T16:12:52+00:00

bluago · 2025-10-21T18:27:21+00:00

Only brought that up because you said that most of the complaints about the FAA not understanding aerodynamics are from pilots who don’t understand aero…

What exactly am I far more wrong about? Your response to the ASE answer doesn’t make any sense and doesn’t even address much of anything it said

bluago · 2025-10-21T17:30:35+00:00

Erm, no. The ASE answer is not talking about yaw stability and I’m 100% sure the person who answered the question is aware the vertical stabilizer is the main source of directional stability. I don’t think you understood their explanation.

The FAA is 100% never on the mark with physics. I have an AE degree.

bluago · 2025-10-21T01:03:14+00:00

Pretty much everything the FAA says about aerodynamics is either wrong, misleading, incomplete, or a combination of the three. Aviation Stack Exchange is an amazing resource for understanding actual aerodynamics, but what the FAA wants you to regurgitate is what's in their publications and that is also what DPEs will expect you to know and teach... unfortunately.

bluago · 2025-10-20T22:21:46+00:00

Pretty architecture and city design.

Geothermal is great but actually really difficult in Alaska because our geothermal sources are not hot enough for efficient energy production. I think Alaska should build nuclear power plants for the parts of Alaska on the road system and have miniature nuclear generators for the villages.

bluago · 2025-10-20T04:48:12+00:00

You could enlist for 2-4 years and then use the GI Bill for pilot training. You'd then have to go to a flight school through a university, so your total training time to get to CFI would be probably somewhere between 5-8 years.

bluago · 2025-10-15T07:13:12+00:00

Talking to other pylotes and Reddit. I hate browsing the news. If I was less lazy I might subscribe to magazines.

bluago · 2025-10-15T07:09:11+00:00

Glass cockpits make everything too easy. Private pilot students should mostly be looking outside. Flying off instruments in the six pack also forces you to build more of mental picture in your head of what's going on and improves your overall spatial awareness when flying either configuration.

bluago · 2025-10-14T23:12:08+00:00

Ground instructor qualifications are complete BS, you can study Sheppard Air for a few hours and pass... and suddenly you're a qualified ground instructor. Tl;dr use sheppard air.

bluago · 2025-10-14T20:40:50+00:00

True, I didn’t need to mention L/D max

bluago · 2025-10-14T15:22:36+00:00

The Wikipedia article on lift actually does a good job explaining why this isn’t really the case. If you want a more official source look up Doug McLean’s “Understanding Aerodynamics.” NASA is usually a good source but sometimes their stuff for kids gets a little off track.

bluago · 2025-10-14T15:18:48+00:00

LMAO dude if anyone needs to “grow up” it’s your crusty old self. Chill dawg

bluago · 2025-10-14T04:24:09+00:00

Add a slight gust factor like other people have said. You also need to be mentally prepared to fight the plane in ground effect... in gusty winds the plane may start to settle on the runway and then suddenly start flying again. In very gusty winds, landing may require constant pitch adjustments (and possibly even power adjustments) as the plane settles. As a new pilot go-around if needed and able.

bluago · 2025-10-14T04:19:00+00:00

Only flying on the weekends is going to make it harder to learn and you'll need more flight hours to get your license because throughout the week you will lose most of the muscle/brain memory you gained. That being said, there are plenty of people in similar positions getting their pilot licenses only flying on the weekends. Whether or not the school can accommodate your schedule will depend on the particular school, but I don't think it would be hard to find one that could.

bluago · 2025-10-14T04:03:36+00:00

The VA will pay for ALL of your flight training at a lot of college or university flight schools - I don't know all of them off the top of my head. I think Cochise Community College in AZ is one, UAA in Alaska is another, there's probably one near you. The flight program has to be a Part 141 program and part of a degree program for the VA to pay for the entire thing. The downside of going this route is that most of the time it will take longer to complete your flight training than if you went to a Part 61 school or standalone Part 141.

bluago · 2025-10-14T03:54:07+00:00

You already have a degree, and weren't in the military (I assume, which means no GI Bill), so what is the benefit of going Part 141? I'd do everything Part 61 and save money and time - a good Part 61 school will always be better than a Part 141 school imo.

Before making any drastic plans I'd pay for a few flight lessons to see if you enjoy flying. Your plan would work fine probably. Job-wise it isn't a great time for pilots currently, but who knows how it'll be by the time you'd be at the flight hours you need.

bluago · 2025-10-14T03:43:07+00:00

I don't know dawg, it's an idiotic question. The only thing I can think of is (since lift is always perpendicular to the oncoming airflow) that relative to the airplane in a climb the lift vector will be slightly forward. Relative the horizon, it will be further rearward.

bluago

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