bstroh

The first EFB I ever used was called Avare and it was a free Android-only app that I used on an old tablet. I liked it being free, but it does have some issues with user interface. It's been a while but if I remember correctly, flight planning was difficult and non-intuitive. It was really more useful as a digital sectional (that happens to show your location) than anything else. It did have some of the cool stuff that Foreflight has, such as the geo-referenced approach plates, but everything about it was very cumbersome. Once I started flying commercially, I bought Foreflight on the iPad mini. Just the $100/year subscription. Didn't see much need for the advanced stuff since I really only do VFR flying. Needless to say, the step up in user experience was immense. Foreflight is well-designed and receives updates regularly. Flight planning was easy, largely thanks to the rubber banding feature - tap and drag on a route segment to add a new waypoint. Weather is easy to overlay, briefings in the palm of your hand without calling flight service, satellite imagery overlay which was great for finding off-airport landing sites. Currently my job doesn't really have a need for any kind of EFB so I have been using Wingx for poking around on the charts when I want to look around. If you're a CFI you get it for free. It is much more usable than Avare, but still lacking compared to Foreflight. Doesn't have satellite imagery, and flight planning is not as smooth, but can certainly get the job done. That's about all I can think of that's useful. It's been a while since I used any of them in flight. Hope you can find it helpful.

That is not necessarily my intent, just seemed like a large portion of the job postings are for IFR positions, and even some of the VFR positions list 135 IFR requirements as minimum qualifications. I like seeing while I fly which is why I am looking primarily at VFR bases. I was curious about how VFR bases feel about not meeting 135 IFR mins. It sounds like they definitely want them from what I'm seeing here. That's what I figured, it depends where everyone wants to live. What is it about that area you don't like, weather, politics, other?

Thanks for the info everyone. What is typically considered "desirable"? I'm not much of a big city person, so living rurally is desirable for me - I realize that may be in opposition to flying regularly. Something I'll have to weight out with my wife. I do have the instrument rating, but just not enough instrument hours to be on a 135 IFR certificate. I'm sure I could find a cheap sim somewhere to get the requirements. I'm just shy of 50 hours total instrument, and I don't mind buying the remainder if that's what's necessary. It would just be convenient to get on a VFR base first and see if it's something I'd like to do longer term.

Hi everyone, I'm looking at getting into the EMS field and was wondering if anyone had any insight into the various companies out there. It appears some of the larger players are all owned by GMR, so how does pay and benefits stack up against one another? For instance Reach vs Med-Trans? I'm mostly interested in VFR at this point, especially since I'm a little shy of the 135 IFR minimums. It appears that even the VFR job postings for Metro and others have an instrument requirement, is this a hard and fast requirement or is there generally some leniency in there for the VFR positions? I would prefer to fly on a fairly regular basis, I enjoy flying still and don't want to sit for days with nothing happening; how does one find out which bases are busier than others? For instance, bases near large cities, bases in southern states, any kind of pattern anyone knows of? A friend of mine recently started at an operation run by a specific hospital, how does one find those jobs aside from knowing the right person? Any other good insights on this part of the industry? I'm sure I have more questions but can't recall them at the moment. Thanks in advance, I'm looking forward to hearing what everyone has to say!

Every person I spoke to when deciding what school to choose told me to go somewhere you can pay per lesson, and not all at once in the beginning. This is exactly why. I truly hope those students get their money back before too long. http://www.flyingmag.com/california-flight-school-shutdown-leaves-dozens-international-students-without-options

Looks like I've got some more research to do, thanks for the tip. Yes, just about everything I've read says that I'll have to move for most jobs, and I'm okay with that.

Thank you, I will definitely be asking about that. Where did you end up finishing your school?

Thanks, I'll give them a call and see if I can check it out. I'm fully prepared to work as a CFI to build hours, I was just a little curious about the job market after that.

Hello everyone, I'm looking into getting my CPL and can only find one school within several hours' drive from where I live, but am having a hard time finding current information about it. It's called Helipro, Inc. and is based in San Luis Obispo, CA. I've tried searching the forums here but everything regarding this school is 5-10 years old. I was hoping somebody could tell me a little more about this school, whether they typically are able to hire on graduates as CFI's, whether they're fairly priced, etc. I have a friend that went to a place called Del Rio Aviation in Paso Robles, CA, but their website seems somewhat broken, and the only reviews I could find were all on Yelp, all 5 stars, and all written on the same day. Not trying to imply anything here, but that seems a little strange to me. One final question: what is the job market in general like on the central coast of California? I'm very aware that I'll probably have to travel for most jobs, especially the first few, but if at all possible I'd like to stay somewhat close to home. Thanks in advance for your help!