Become an Airline Pilot
Join the Zero Time to Airline Program

Brian Brassaw

  • How Much Do Airplanes Cost? 

    How Much Do Airplanes Cost? 

    What pilot hasn’t dreamed about owning their own plane?  Imagine driving to the airport ramp and pulling up to your craft, hopping in, and flying wherever you like, whenever you like. Can the fantasy ever be a reality for most of us?  Obviously, planes are expensive items.  But with some research and planning, you might…

  • Southwest Airlines Destination 225º Pathway Program

    Southwest Airlines Destination 225º Pathway Program

    In this article we’ll take a look at the Southwest Destination 225 pathway program. As an airline pilot, I looked into just about every airline sponsored pilot training program available. And that includes researching the Southwest Destination 225 program. There are a handful of companies that people just want to work for. They have a…

  • 11 Best Online Ground Schools

    11 Best Online Ground Schools

    In this post I’m going to share the best online ground schools available in 2023. The age of online learning is here. While you can’t (yet) take flight lessons from the comfort of your home, there is a ton of learning you can do between flight lessons at the airport.  Online ground schools allow pilots…

  • United Aviate Academy Program – Become a United Airlines Pilot

    United Aviate Academy Program – Become a United Airlines Pilot

    In this article we’ll take a look at the United Aviate Academy program. United Aviate is a pilot pathway program built for pilots looking to fly for United. The program combines several pathways for prospects to follow and offers mentorship and travel benefits to pilots. The Aviate Program is only available after training at or…

  • Delta Propel – Pilot Career Path Program

    Delta Propel – Pilot Career Path Program

    In this article I’ll share specific details about the Delta Propel program. Delta is well-regarded as an airline, but the Atlanta-based carrier is also regularly named as one of the top companies to work for. Delta is proud of this fact and spends time selecting employees who are passionate about the company and who share…

  • Boeing vs Airbus: Showdown of the Giants

    Boeing vs Airbus: Showdown of the Giants

    In this article I’m going to compare the two largest aircraft makers Boeing vs Airbus. All great stories revolve around a conflict. Just look at our day-to-day lives: Gearheads debate which is the best muscle car, shutterbugs compare Nikon to Canon, and everyone has an opinion on iPhone vs. Android or Pepsi vs. Coke.  So,…

  • How To Calculate Density Altitude

    How To Calculate Density Altitude

    In this article I’m going to teach you how to calculate density altitude. The earthbound among us have a very black-and-white view of altitude. It’s just how high the airplane is flying, right?  Well, pilots know there’s a lot more to that story! There’s true altitude, indicated altitude, and absolute altitude! Those tell the pilot…

  • Finding the Best Airline to Work for As a Pilot 

    Finding the Best Airline to Work for As a Pilot 

    Trying to pick the best airline to work for as a pilot? As someone who recently went through this process and has started working as an airline pilot I’ll share my advice for making the choice. Many pilots set out on their careers with an airline in mind—their dream job, flying for their dream carrier.…

  • The Best GoPro Mounts for Airplanes — A Guide to Filming Your Flights

    The Best GoPro Mounts for Airplanes — A Guide to Filming Your Flights

    In this guide I’ll share exactly what you need to use to record videos in flight and share the best GoPro mounts for airplanes. GoPros and action cameras are fun ways to share your aviation adventure. Whether you’re shooting content for your followers or just documenting your aerial adventures for posterity, the GoPro was designed…

  • What are the Best Flight Simulator Controls – Yokes, Throttles, and Rudder Pedals

    What are the Best Flight Simulator Controls – Yokes, Throttles, and Rudder Pedals

    Here’s a look at the best flight simulator controls for an at-home simulator. There are others, of course–especially on the high end, for use at training facilities. But this sampling will get you started. With the suggestions made here, you can make your home simulator into anything you want it to be. Our previous articles…

  • Airplane Elevator: What Is It and How Does It Work? 

    Airplane Elevator: What Is It and How Does It Work? 

    An airplane elevator is arguably the most important of the three primary flight controls. It is, after all, the one that gets you up off the ground. And once you’re off the ground, it’s the one that makes the aircraft stable and keeps you flying at your altitude. It’s one of the basic components of…

  • Do Pilots Get Drug Tested?

    Do Pilots Get Drug Tested?

     As with most safety-related jobs, professional pilots get drug tested for employment. Airline and charter pilots are also subject to the same Department of Transportation random drug testing programs that other industries have. Positive tests are taken very seriously and are grounds for being suspended or fired from the job. But not all pilots are…

  • How to Set Up a Flight Simulator at Home

    How to Set Up a Flight Simulator at Home

    Your home simulator setup can be as simple or as complex as you want. For example, you might start with nothing more than a laptop and a joystick. Then, as you progress further in your training or find that you enjoy the flight sim, you might add more monitors or realistic controls.  Home simulator setups…

  • How to Replace Your Lost or Stolen Private Pilot’s License

    How to Replace Your Lost or Stolen Private Pilot’s License

    Misplaced your Private Pilot’s License and don’t know where to start when it comes to getting it back? The feeling of losing your license can feel overwhelming, but don’t worry. It’s not as inconvenient or annoying as it seems to replace the one you lost.  The FAA has made replacing your Private Pilot License a…

  • Can Airline Pilots Have Beards and Tattoos?

    Can Airline Pilots Have Beards and Tattoos?

    A simple question with no simple answer. Matters of grooming and style are oven interwoven with ethical issues of inclusivity and equality, religious reasons and cultural expectations. In aviation, these questions go even deeper. Is it even safe for pilots to have long beards? How will an inked pilot reflect on the company as a…

  • What is an ATP Certificate?

    What is an ATP Certificate?

    The ATP, or Airline Transport Pilot, certificate is the highest pilot license level issued by the FAA. As such, it’s sometimes called the “doctorate of flying.”  What is the ATP? As the name suggests, the certificate is designed to be the license you need to fly for the airlines or charter operators. But anyone can…

  • 10 Trailblazing Female Pilots To Know For Women Of Aviation Week

    10 Trailblazing Female Pilots To Know For Women Of Aviation Week

    Women Of Aviation Week is from March 6th through the 12th of this year.  The event is put on by iWOAW (Institute for Women Of Aviation Worldwide), an organization dedicated to changing the face of aviation. During the week, the group sponsors Fly It Forward events and scholarship opportunities to expose young girls to aviation…

  • How To Get an FCC License

    How To Get an FCC License

    In aviation, we spend a lot of time discussing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the associated rules and regulations. But there are other agencies and rules at play sometimes. One of those times is when you use aviation radios. Radios fall under the regulatory guidelines of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the FCC…

  • Using Flight Simulators During Flight Training – Is it a Good Idea?

    Using Flight Simulators During Flight Training – Is it a Good Idea?

    Flight simulators have been popular personal computer games since Microsoft released Version 1.0 of Flight Simulator in 1982. Technology and graphics have come a long way since then, as you might imagine. But fundamentally, these applications haven’t changed much. They have always aimed to provide a hyper-realistic flying experience so that anyone might try their…

  • Thrust Flight Receives FAA Approval for Accelerated Commercial Course

    Thrust Flight Receives FAA Approval for Accelerated Commercial Course

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 21, 2022 Addison, TX: Thrust Flight®, a professional flight academy based at Addison Airport, is excited to announce the approval of their FAA-Approved Special Curriculum Part 141 accelerated Commercial Certificate course. This will decrease the length of their already approved Part 141 commercial course by as much as 2 months. As…