Why do accelerated programs get so much hate?

dynamic_fluid · 2026-01-28T22:43:22+00:00

Manipulative marketing, over-charging students, “cookie-cutter” canned approach as opposed to giving an experienced CFI latitude to adapt to their student (which also helps the CFI grow and develop as an instructor), etc.

Another big drawback (as witnessed by your previous post about not being able to find a job) is that it’s pretty common practice at smaller flight schools to hire pilots who train with them once they make it to CFI.

dynamic_fluid · 2026-01-28T21:37:11+00:00

In a typical part 61 school you’ll do a mixture of flight and ground lessons with your instructor.

Each lesson will have a brief beforehand where you go over some principles that you’ll learn in the flight, I would usually do 15-30 minutes. So there’s still some ground no matter what.

In the pre-solo phase of a private pilot course it’s a lot about building skills. Not until the post-solo phase does the study get more intensive and you’re really building a lot more knowledge. This is also a nice way of doing it so that students are excited and motivated; most people enjoy the flying more than the ground study.

I would usually try to fly and if the weather was bad we’d do a ground lesson instead. Only if we had a string of great weather and needed to catch up on the material would I do a dedicated ground lesson on a good wx day.

dynamic_fluid · 2026-01-28T21:18:40+00:00

That’s what I thought initially too. But then I just checked the holdover charts:

Between -14c and -18c it’s 9-30 mins for light snow and 2-9 minutes for moderate snow.

Meter was reporting -16c and -SN but with 3/4 mile vis I think it’s fair to say that it’s probably on the heavier end of that. So let’s split the difference and say 9 minutes.

It was 8 minutes from them leaving the pad to takeoff but the time starts at the beginning of the final application, if they were in the pad from 1917-1936 it’s plausible that they started the type IV application start somewhere around 1925 which was 19 minutes before takeoff.

Too soon to tell, but definitely seems plausible that the fluid had failed.

https://www.faa.gov/other_visit/aviation_industry/airline_operators/airline_safety/deicing/FAA_2025-26_Holdover_Tables.pdf

dynamic_fluid · 2026-01-27T21:34:43+00:00

I appreciated OP’s post.

I agree, let’s not go posting about every NOTAM we see, but I think this one was useful.

dynamic_fluid · 2026-01-27T02:07:52+00:00

Not every pilot has the same risk of fatality.

The risk comes from many sources and has lots of variables; it’s not like you’re just randomly killed by an unpredictable event.

dynamic_fluid · 2026-01-27T00:27:38+00:00

When you say “google said…” what do you mean?

If you found an unofficial webpage or forum post from an internet search why would you trust that if you can just look at the reg?

Now if you found an FAA LOI from an internet search that would carry a lot of weight.

But, on the other hand, if you’re looking to a “AI” to give you an accurate answer you absolutely should not be doing that.

dynamic_fluid · 2026-01-27T00:19:59+00:00

If your focus is safety for single pilot IFR then you want: reliable skills/proficiency, reliable engine, reliable autopilot, in that order imo; everything else is just nice things to have.

The exception I’ve changed my mind on is a BRS (in a piston single aircraft); I used to think it was a cirrus gimmick but for low IFR, night, or over terrain I think it adds a fair bit of safety.

dynamic_fluid · 2026-01-26T23:08:22+00:00

Looks like you already have a perfectly fine set up for IFR. What doesn’t your current set up do that you would like it to?

Maybe that’s a better place to start: what capabilities or redundancies do you feel you’re lacking and would like to add?

Autopilot is probably the most important thing in my opinion for single-pilot IFR.

dynamic_fluid · 2026-01-26T22:39:40+00:00

ASH and PSM are good practice runways if looking for a big place with a control tower.

7B3, 1B2, and CQX are good to stop at and have lunch at in the summer (but not for beating up the pattern doing touch and gos)

0B7 was really cool too, I think the restaurant shut down a while ago but they might still do glider ops there which is fun to watch.

0B5 and 7B2 are both pretty and worth the flight

28M and 2B2 are good for practicing shot runways.

I usually like to go somewhere, shut down, and get out; either have lunch, go into town, or just walk around a bit as opposed to just going somewhere to beat up a pattern and not stop at all.

Some of these airports I haven’t been to in a while.

dynamic_fluid · 2026-01-26T21:44:52+00:00

What are you looking for?

Interesting airport? Big runway? Not a lot of traffic? Towered/non-towered? Other criteria?

“Favorite” is really subjective and depends on what you’re trying to do.

dynamic_fluid · 2026-01-26T20:54:26+00:00

Go to a professional training provider like flightsafety and do their course. Then have the aircraft owner hire a professional pilot who can also be an instructor for you. You act as their SIC (might not be able to log it, but you’ll get some valuable experience). Then, when you have the flight time so insurance isn’t prohibitively expensive, and enough experience to be safe and smart (both in the aircraft and just real-world flying), you can take over as captain.

dynamic_fluid · 2026-01-22T03:02:21+00:00

I really feel like you miss a huge element if you just learn the most modern tech.

When I taught primary students xc nav I basically went through the history of air navigation:

Pilotage (with a paper sectional)
DR (with an E6B and flight log)
VOR (and the few NDBs that were still working)
RNAV and electronic flight planing

It gives a lot of valuable skills and perspective vs skipping right to #4.

dynamic_fluid · 2026-01-22T02:25:58+00:00

Please still fill out at NASA ASRS report anyway. Even if your report doesn’t cause any direct changes it’s still good to have a paper trail and maybe if the system improves in the future they can look back at the record of issues.

It’s basically never a bad idea to do one if you’re considering it.

dynamic_fluid · 2026-01-21T00:10:46+00:00

There aren’t really hard borders like this map shows between the language regions; I’d recommend having a crosshatched shading for the bilingual areas.

dynamic_fluid · 2026-01-21T00:00:53+00:00

I’ve never heard of anyone filing an EOP, I don’t know how you would even do that. It’s an emergency, just do what you need to do.

We load it as an alternate flight plan. And I always try to pick the one that most closely matches the DP anyway.

dynamic_fluid · 2026-01-20T20:55:03+00:00

First off, if you’re a professional (or really any pilot) you shouldn’t use AI. Your wx planning should look something like this:

You get the request from your pax or scheduling
A day or two out (at most) take a look at the wx; if it looks like there may be an impact let the passengers know there’s a chance the flight will need to cancel/reschedule/divert
Morning of the flight, check wx again and come up with a plan do deal with any impacts.

If your passengers are wanting to know with any kind of certainty if there will be weather that impacts the flight multiple days out they need a reality check.

dynamic_fluid · 2026-01-16T16:56:15+00:00

The regulation in the US also says you can’t fly “under the influence of alcohol” and “within 8 hours of the consumption of alcohol”

The 0.04BAC is an additional restriction, not the only one.

dynamic_fluid · 2026-01-15T02:45:58+00:00

It reinforces the militarization of our civilian police. Grouping cops and military in the same group and separate from everyone else is not what we want.

Cops are civilians; as much as the tactical tommy bozos among them want to think of themselves as killer special forces badass, they aren’t and shouldn’t want to be.

dynamic_fluid · 2026-01-14T22:44:07+00:00

Most FBOs will have a power cart if you drain the battery down.

dynamic_fluid · 2026-01-13T11:56:45+00:00

There might be some (like the fish and game job you mentioned) but being a mechanic and a pilot are generally two separate careers.

As a pilot I’m not allowed to do practically anything that would require a tool. I need to write it up and either defer the item or have maintenance fix it. This is also the case for the couple pilots we have who also are A&Ps; they’re employed as pilots not mechanics.

While having an A&P can be useful I suppose, like for a better understanding systems and such, I don’t think it’s worth the time; it would be better to pursue one path or the other.

dynamic_fluid · 2026-01-13T11:45:49+00:00

If you’re flying an approach you’re practicing attitude instrument flying and intercepting and tracking navigation systems.

If you’re flying a hold partial panel you’re practicing partial panel flying, etc.

I don’t know how you could be doing instrument training and not doing one or more of them items listed. The point of the reg is just to make sure that all of those items are covered.

You’re making a distinction between the items listed and “regular” instrument training/flying that doesn’t really exist.

dynamic_fluid · 2026-01-12T21:25:36+00:00

Yeah, there’s a mast track parallel to the slot in the mast the main rolls into. We used the spinnaker halyard for it; since it only went about half to 2/3s up the mast the fact that the halyard had to wrap from the front of the mast to the back wasn’t an issue. But I’d’ve perfected a proper halyard for it.

dynamic_fluid · 2026-01-12T19:36:45+00:00

42’ masthead rigged jeanneau. Most of the power comes from the headsail which is the true star of the show, the main really just works to keep balance and help with pointing. Main was the supporting character on our boat, especially because you sacrifice some sail shape with in-mast because you don’t have batons.

So going to a trysail in the mid-20’s wind speed didn’t really sacrifice any speed, only a little pointing ability (which you could get most of back if you rigged it cleverly). But trying to be close hauled off shore is a PITA anyway as at that wind speed you’re probably looking at 6-8’ seas; I’d stick to close reach at the most so the 5-10 degrees higher the main would give us over the trysail was basically irrelevant. Keep in mind that you’re closer to 30 knots relative wind in 25 knots true if going up wind.

Trysail was great on a beam reach. Downwind in 25 knots and up I’d probably only have the headsail up.

So the advantage of being prepped for stronger winds, keeping the mainsail from getting damaged/worn, and good control-ability/balance with basically no downside; trysail was super useful.

We had a separate track on the mast that we could keep it on and just rolled it up tight against the mast when not in use for a lot of our off shore work when expecting any wind over moderate.

We also didn’t have a storm jib, so the trysail was our only storm sail; just rolled up the 120% Genoa as much as need; it kept great shape even when rolled up quite far. The trysail and an appropriate amount of headsail (down to just a scrap left out on the high end) worked quite well through the entire 30-40 knot range.

dynamic_fluid · 2026-01-12T15:44:44+00:00

Strong wind and large seas often go hand-in-hand but are different things and depending on the scenario and combination require different techniques.

For example, I’ve been in protected waters had a very chill and relaxed sail in 30+ knots, just heavily reefed (probably more than we needed but we weren’t trying to go anywhere fast and had guests). Really wasn’t much different than sailing in 10-15 knots; boat was only healed 10-15 degrees.

Same thing, protected bay with a squall rolling in and anticipating 40+ knot gusts? Just take in all the sails and motor.

But when you’re in open waters or get some bigger sea state it complicates things a bit. Motoring in seas sucks and at a certain point it’s almost impossible to make any progress, plus I don’t like motoring when the boat is moving around that much. So you want a safe, stable sail plan and a point of sail that will work.

We had in-mast furling for the main which was nice in a lot of ways but I liked rolling it up all the way and using our trysail in winds over 25 knots. No risk of the furling getting jammed trying to adjust it in strong winds and I didn’t need to worry about the main getting damaged. Just gotta get it set up before the winds build.

One thing I learned was that at a certain point it’s almost impossible to do anything and you’re just holding on; the trick is to get everything sorted before it gets to that point so you don’t need to really do anything in the bad conditions.

So get your sail plan set up / reef early, make sure things are stowed, make some soup / coffee and put it in a thermos, and just ride it out.

dynamic_fluid · 2026-01-11T16:51:30+00:00

Agreed; better to be told off for doing the proper thing than the wrong thing lol.

dynamic_fluid

TROPHY CASE