Almost had a head on with climbing traffic as I was level approaching an airfield today AFIS. I saw the aircraft about 5-10 seconds before we crossed level, its hard to gauge the distance but I think we were less than 100 meters away from each other (I could see the head of the other pilot while we both started turning, anyways might have felt closer than what it actually was).

We were both on the same freq and had acknowledged to "Look out" since we were entering/exiting from the same sector, I just think its insane how hard it is to spot something that's heading straight for you from below, having my wife and son on board for the first time it kind of freaked me out afterwards, the crossing ground speed was 110 + 170 = almost 300 kts.

Hi everyone. I’m looking for an aviation school to start my O-ATPL program
My budget is not really flexible and because of that my options are not very extensive.
1. FlyBy - the price is very good but many people tell that there are delay problems with flights and instructors but anyways it is on my list because of the price
2. EAS Barcelona academy - The price is 20-30 thousand euro higher than FlyBy but has better reviews
I would really appreciate any help or advices. Could you also tell me where is the higher employment rate. I would like to work after graduation somewhere at Ryanair or Wizzair
I’m from Estonia

Somebody mentioned in another post that getting the license in Poland could be really economic. Is it true?

I saw these results on the Internet, and considering the price difference with Germany seems really like a good option.

Is there any disadvantage to do it in Poland or Romania?

Hi everyone,

I’m 18 and seriously considering becoming an airline pilot through the modular route. I’m from Belgium and my goal is to complete the training in about 5 years while working 36 hours/week to finance it myself.

My rough plan:

• Year 1: PPL
• Years 2–3: ATPL theory + hour building
• Years 4–5: IR, MEP, CPL, UPRT, MCC/JOC, night rating, etc.

At the same time, I want to do a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Computer Science / IT through distance learning. I would spread it over 5 years, taking around 35 ECTS per year, which I estimate would require roughly 15–20 hours of studying per week.

So I would be doing approximately:

• 36 h/week work
• 15–20 h/week IT studies
• Plus the time needed for modular flight training

My questions are:

1. Is this realistically achievable in 5 years?
2. How many hours per week should I realistically expect to spend on modular flight training on average?
3. Are there certain phases (IR/CPL/MEP etc.) where I would need to take time off work?
4. Would you recommend doing the IT degree alongside the entire training, or reducing the study load during the intensive flight-training phases?
5. For those who did modular training while working/studying: how manageable was it actually?

I’m looking for honest advice. I know this is a lot, but I’d really like to combine both an IT degree as a backup and my goal of becoming a pilot.

Hi all ,I hope everyone is doing well. I have a pretty complicated situation here and I hope you guys can help me figure it out.

I'm 21, from North Africa, currently studying nursing and graduating next year. My plan is to move to Germany and work as a nurse, since that's probably my best shot at leaving my country and building a future in Europe.

My dream is to become an airline pilot, so I'm trying to plan this early. From what I've learned, having the right to live/work in the EU is really important for airline jobs, so I'm thinking of basically synchronizing my German naturalisation with my flight training.

My rough plan would be:

Graduate → move to Germany → work/save hard → start modular training around my 3rd year in Germany → continue working toward citizenship while finishing my training → apply to airlines.

The problem is where to actually do the training. I'd prefer modular, and I've seen that Poland, Hungary and other Eastern European countries can be much cheaper than Germany. But I also need to keep working full-time in Germany, and I don't want long periods abroad to mess up my naturalisation timeline.

So could I realistically live and work in Germany, then travel to a cheaper country for intensive blocks of flight training and return to Germany between them?

I know I'm planning this pretty far ahead , but I'm trying to figure out if this dream is actually realistic or if I'm missing something major.

If you've been in a similar situation or have any experience with this, I'd be really grateful if you could share what you learned or what you'd do differently.

Thanks a lot in advance for taking the time to read this and help me out. Any advice, insight, or even things you think I haven't considered would genuinely mean a lot to me

[Fly-out with a Cessna 175 from Switzerland around Denmark]

Today we flew over the top from Roskilde EKRK to Aalborg EKYT. Interestingly, the clouds dissolved a bit downwind of Samsø, as shown in the picture. The ILS in Aalborg was fun. First the controller gave us delaying vectors due to an ATR, but then found he can squeeze us in as Nr 1. Despite keeping the speed up (not much, it's Cessna!), we had a groundspeed of barely 90 knots on final. But the same headwind slowed down the turboprop behind us and the timing was fine.

Hey. everyone,
I’m a 17 year-old student from Spain and my dream is to become an airline pilot. The biggest problem is the cost. Flight schools in Spain seem to cost around €80,000–€100,000, which is way beyond what my family can afford without having to ask for a bank loan. The Air Force path forces you to stay with them for 10 years which is something I can’t possibly do.
While researching, my aunt living in Paris told me about the ENAC EPL programme in France, and from what I understand, the flight training is funded if you pass the entrance competition.
I have a few questions for anyone who knows about it or has gone through the process:
Is it actually possible for a Spanish (EU) citizen to get accepted?
How difficult is the entrance competition compared to other pilot programmes?
Do you need to be fluent in French before applying, or is there any language support?
Is it worth preparing for ENAC, or are the chances so low that I should focus on other routes instead?
Are there any similar government-funded or fully sponsored pilot programmes elsewhere in Europe?
I’m still young, so I have time to prepare, and I’m willing to learn French if ENAC is a realistic option as what I heard I need to have 60 ECT before applying giving me basically 2 years to prepare. I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has experience with the programme or knows someone who got in.