A curated list of awesome Aviation resources. Currently focused towards general aviation, but named generically so the scope can be expanded on.
Inspired by The Awesome List movement.
- General Reading
- Learning to Fly
- Communication & Radios
- Flight Planning & Weather
- Airplanes
- Tech Stuff
- Simulation
- Psychology of flying
- Safety & Accident Investigation
- Medical / AME
- Buying & Owning an Airplane
- Drones / UAS
- Career Paths
- Mobile Apps
- Communities
- Books (Non-Fiction)
- Events & Airshows
- Other Resources
- Inspiration
- Aviation acronyms
- Thank Yous
- Contributing
- License
- Reddit - r/aviation, r/flying
- AOPA - GA (General Aviation) magazine, members association and much more.
- To quote their about page: "Our mission is to ensure that the sky remains within reach of everyone who dreams of becoming a pilot.".
Want to learn to fly?
- Depending on where you are there are a few options:
- USA:
- Start with a Sport Pilot License or Private Pilot License
- FAA's Become a Pilot
- How to Become an Airline Pilot
- Europe:
- EASA Flight Crew Licensing - European Aviation Safety Agency pilot licensing info.
- Canada:
- Transport Canada - Learn to Fly - Canadian pilot licensing requirements.
- USA:
- FAA (aka The Federal Aviation Administration) resources:
- ⭐FAA - Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge - The holy book of knowledge that most student pilots in the US will become intimately familiar with.
- FAA - Aviation Handbooks & Manuals
- ⭐PilotWorkshops - Online Pilot Proficiency Training
- Real World VFR - Fantastic edutainment.
- Pilot Workshop Weekly Tips
- MzeroA - Online ground school.
- FAA Safety - Particularly their WINGS program.
- ⭐AOPA Online Courses
- ⭐See How It Flies - Recommended by a friend. (Thanks MM)
- ⭐LiveATC.net - Listen to Live ATC (Air Traffic Control) Communications. Hear how the pros do it. Great to listen in if you're bored on a long layover.
- ⭐Plane English App - iOS and Android app for Aviation Radio Simulator. Amazing! Practice radio calls and it will tell you how accurate you are, and what you missed.
Weather is listed here as it's an important component of planning. If this list grows, it can be expanded out.
- 1800wxbrief Flight Services Interactive Map
- ⭐SkyVector: Flight Planning / Aeronautical Charts
- ⭐ForeFlight - Integrated Flight App for Pilots ($$)
- Global map of wind, weather, and ocean conditions
- AviationWeather.gov - NOAA's official source for METARs, TAFs, AIRMETs, SIGMETs.
- Windy.com - Popular weather visualization tool pilots use.
- Aviation Shop Pilot Tools - Free METAR decoder, weight & balance, fuel burn, crosswind & density altitude calculators
Got some 💸? Dreamers read on - realists skip this.
- Cirrus Vision Jet - If I had a (few) million dollars!
- Honda Jet
- How to Buy a Private Jet
Think you can't afford to ever buy a plane? Then consider building one. 😉 It'll take time, but this is the ultimate experience in knowledge building and craftsmanship. This is for true aviation nuts with the time to spare (could take half a decade or so).
Looking to buy a plane without breaking the bank? The most common path into aircraft ownership.
- Controller.com - Aircraft marketplace for buying and selling planes.
- Trade-A-Plane - Aircraft marketplace with listings for all budgets.
- Garmin autoland
- ForeFlight Sentry - Portable ADS-B receiver with AHRS, CO monitor, and GPS.
An interesting intersection of aviation and technology for someone who likes to tinker.
- ⭐PiAware - ADS-B and MLAT Receiver ✈ FlightAware - Use a Raspberry Pi to listen in for commercial airliner location, altitude and airspeed around you, and plot them on a nice web page. Great weekend project for kids or adults alike.
- And in general FlightAware - Flight Tracker / Flight Status
- Flightradar24: Live Flight Tracker - Real-Time Flight Tracker Map
- OpenSky CLI - Open-source flight search CLI with conflict zone detection and multi-provider aggregation.
- Stratux ADS-B | Stratux ADS-B - DIY/Low-cost Portable ADS-B
- What’s the difference between 1090 and 978? - Cincinnati Avionics
- ADSBexchange.com - Unfiltered ADS-B data aggregator.
- SkyLink API - All-in-one aviation REST API with live ADS-B traffic, aerodrome charts for 90+ countries, NOTAMs, carbon estimates, and flight-time prediction.
- dump1090 - Open-source ADS-B decoder.
- X-Plane - A good option for getting started.
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 - Stunning scenery, real-world weather, and career modes. The gold standard for consumer flight simulation.
- VATSIM - Online ATC network for flight sims with live human controllers worldwide.
- Pilot edge - Radio simulation to complement flight simulation.
- ⭐The overview effect - "The impact of looking down at the Earth from above, and how it can create a shift in the way astronauts view and think about our planet and life itself". IMHO the same applies to pilots a few thousand feet AGL.
- NTSB Aviation Accident Database - Searchable database of aviation accident reports and investigations.
- Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) - NASA's confidential voluntary reporting system. Learn from incidents reported by pilots, controllers, and others.
- AVweb - Aviation news and analysis, including accident coverage and safety articles.
- FAA Accident & Incident Data - FAA's Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing system.
- FAA MedXPress - Online application system for FAA medical certificates.
- BasicMed - Alternative to traditional FAA medical certification for GA pilots.
- AOPA - Find an AME - Aviation Medical Examiner locator.
- AOPA Medical Resources - Guides on medical certification, special issuance, and conditions.
- AOPA - Aircraft Ownership - Comprehensive guide to buying and owning an airplane.
- Savvy Aviation - Aircraft maintenance management and pre-buy inspection services.
- AOPA - Flying Clubs - Find or start a flying club to share ownership costs.
- Vref Aircraft Value Reference - Aircraft valuation guide for buyers and sellers.
- FAA Part 107 - Commercial drone pilot certification and rules.
- FAA Recreational Flyers - Rules and guidelines for flying drones recreationally.
- B4UFLY App - FAA's app to check airspace restrictions before flying a drone.
- AUVSI - Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International.
- AOPA - Flight Training - Resources for every stage of pilot training.
- CFI (Certified Flight Instructor) - The most common stepping stone to a professional flying career.
- Regional Airline Association - Information on regional airline careers and the pilot pipeline.
- NBAA - Corporate Aviation Careers - Business and corporate aviation career resources.
- CloudAhoy - Flight debrief and analysis app. Replay your flights in 3D.
- MyRadar - Fast, easy-to-use weather radar app useful for quick weather checks.
- Garmin Pilot - Flight planning, navigation, and weather app from Garmin.
- EAA - Experimental Aircraft Association - Builders, restorers, and recreational flyers community. Home of AirVenture Oshkosh.
- Beechtalk - Popular forum for Beechcraft owners and enthusiasts.
- Pilots of America - General aviation forum and community.
- Stick and Rudder by Wolfgang Langewiesche - The classic book on the art of flying. First published in 1944 and still essential.
- Fate is the Hunter by Ernest K. Gann - A memoir of early commercial aviation that reads like a thriller.
- Weather Flying by Robert N. Buck - The definitive guide to understanding weather as a pilot.
- EAA AirVenture Oshkosh - The world's largest aviation gathering. Held annually in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
- Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo - Major annual fly-in and aviation expo in Lakeland, Florida.
- Never Again - AOPA - Quoting them: "Pilots share first-person accounts of frightening experiences in the cockpit so that others can learn from their mistakes."
- The Finer Points - GA flight training podcast focused on proficiency and decision-making.
- Opposing Bases - Stories from pilots and air traffic controllers.
- AOPALive - Regular posts on GA updates.
- Pilot Debrief - Aviation incident analysis and pilot decision-making breakdowns.
- Captain Steeeve - Airline pilot sharing cockpit experiences and aviation knowledge.
- Flight Insight - Aviation analysis covering incidents, technology, and flight operations.
- Mentour Pilot - Airline pilot breaking down incidents, procedures, and how aviation works.
- 74 Gear - 747 pilot sharing behind-the-scenes airline life and aviation knowledge.
- blancolirio - Juan Browne's detailed aviation accident analysis and investigation coverage.
- FlightChops - General aviation adventures from a passionate GA pilot.
- AOPA Aviation eBrief - Daily aviation newsletter.
- Think you're too old to learn to fly? Think again. People earn their pilot certificates at every age.
- One Six Right - A beautiful documentary about the history and romance of a small airport (Van Nuys).
A list of acronyms that are used here:
- GA - General Aviation. Essentially flying for fun.
- AGL - Above Ground Level
- VFR - Visual Flight Rules. Flying by visual reference to the ground and horizon.
- IFR - Instrument Flight Rules. Flying under conditions in which flight by outside visual reference is not safe.
Thanks from us all to...
- The pioneer to the yester-years: The Wright brothers, Amelia Earhart and countless others who made modern aviation possible.
- The teachers, friends, family and numerous other who help train and support pilots and other aviation careers.
- The future pilot, mechanic, engineer, or dreamer of the flight.
- All the pilots, flight crews, ground and airport staff who fly us all safely from one place to another. You've made aviation an everyday service that we've gotten so used to that if you're a bit off, we complain. So thanks for putting up with us.
Your contributions are always welcome!
We are providing the resources in this repository under an open source license. Because this is a personal, non-corporate repository, the license you receive is from this user, and not their employers.