aviation

Introducing "Seatbelts Fastened" Mode

2026-01-24T11:13:02+00:00

Recently, we’ve seen an increase in political and uncivil comments across several threads, particularly on posts involving aircraft associated with government officials. This has led to more removals and bans under Reddit’s sitewide rules, and we want to reverse that trend.

To help address this, we’re introducing a “Seatbelts Fastened” mode/flair. Posts with this flair (applied manually by the mod team) will restrict commenting to established community members. For now, that means users with at least 100 comment karma in r/aviation. If you are the original poster, your comments will not be affected.

You can view your subreddit comment karma by doing the following:

Go to old.reddit.com/u/me-your-user-name
On your profile, find your karma totals
Look for the link: Show karma breakdown by subreddit

This will apply to a small subset of threads (aircraft incidents, government-owned/controlled aircraft, global legislation, etc.). The vast majority of posts (roughly 95%) will remain open to all users as usual. Please do not contact modmail requesting comment approvals or exceptions; we won’t be making individual overrides.

Thanks for your understanding and for helping keep the subreddit focused and civil.

submitted by /u/StopDropAndRollTide
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2026: Updated Rules on Politics

2026-04-19T17:24:13+00:00

OUR RULES ON POLITICS: 2026

IF YOU DO NOT READ THIS POST, YOU RISK BEING BANNED

r/aviation is an aviation-focused subreddit.

All political discussion must be directly related to aviation.

Again, all political discussion must be directly related to aviation.

If it does not clearly connect to aviation, it will be removed.

WHAT IS ALLOWED

We allow discussion of aviation-related regulations, policy changes, and government actions only when they directly impact aviation operations (e.g., FAA/EASA rules, ATC staffing, safety, infrastructure).

Examples:

● “The FAA is proposing changes to ATC staffing. This could impact delays and safety.”

● “New pilot duty time regulations may affect regional operations.”

● “Changes to FAA funding may impact staffing levels and service reliability.”

● “Legislation affecting FAA funding was signed and may impact ATC staffing.”

WHAT IS NOT ALLOWED

We do not allow:

General political opinions or commentary
Discussion of political figures outside of direct aviation impact.
Political insults, slogans, or talking points.
“Political-adjacent” comments meant to provoke or derail
Assigning political blame or credit within aviation discussions

If your comment is about a politician or political group more than it is about aviation, it will be removed.

Examples:

● “This is what [politician] always does.”

● “Both sides are ruining everything.”

● “This wouldn’t happen if [political group] was in charge.”

● “The FAA is doing this because of [politician].”

COMMUNITY INPUT

We have asked the community directly about political content in this subreddit.

In a poll, users voted roughly 2:1 against allowing broader political discussion.

These rules reflect that feedback, along with our goal of keeping discussions focused and productive.

ENFORCEMENT

Political or off-topic comments will be removed. Repeated violations may result in bans. In high traffic or seatbelt fastened threads enforcement will be stricter.

The mod team all works full time hours, we cannot see everything posted or commented. If you see a post or comment that you believe breaks the no politics rule please report it.

“Just mentioning it” or “adding context” does not exempt a comment from removal.

FREQUENT REBUTTALS

“But aviation and politics overlap”

● Yes. Keep it strictly within aviation context. If it drifts into general politics, it will be removed.

“But I was just explaining something”

● If it introduces political discussion beyond aviation context, it will still be removed.

“Why was I banned”

● You either did not read this post or chose to ignore it.

We all care about this community and want it to stay a place people can come to enjoy and learn about aviation. These rules are here to keep it that way.

submitted by /u/gavriellloken
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Close-Ups of the B-21 Raider's Control Surfaces

2026-06-09T21:58:04+00:00

https://theaviationist.com/2026/06/09/b-21-speed-brakes/

Source: Fred Taleghani/FreddyB Aviation Photography via The Aviationist

submitted by /u/Afrogthatribbits
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Covers on window and engines of UPS MD-11

2026-06-09T22:50:55+00:00

Taxiing at Pearson Airport in Toronto and saw this UPS MD-11 with covers on the engines and windows. My understanding is that all of the UPS MD-11s are going to be retired. Are these covers added in preparation for anything or were they previously added for storage before they decided the retire the fleet?

submitted by /u/North-Comment4445
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LATAM's first Embraer E195-E2

2026-06-09T18:17:55+00:00

submitted by /u/madman320
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NYC fly by

2026-06-09T14:58:53+00:00

These just passed by. Over the Hudson River.

submitted by /u/berdim99
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Former Air Canada pilot arrested after allegedly flying with ‘counterfeit’ licence: police

2026-06-09T16:17:04+00:00

Some updates from yesterdays article following the press conference in Peel Region today.

submitted by /u/Hmfic_48
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Garuda Indonesian Airways Boeing 747-2U3B (Reg : PK-GSC) at Melbourne Tullamarine Int'l Airport -YMML, Australia - 1982

2026-06-10T02:37:29+00:00

submitted by /u/Immediate-Tank-9565
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Which do you think is the better layout for lie-flat, narrowbody business class seats?

2026-06-09T14:09:59+00:00

Which setup do you think (or feel) is better?

submitted by /u/Flying-Dutchman-18
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Inbound for some crappy landing

2026-06-09T15:09:09+00:00

submitted by /u/Lumpy__Pilot
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Red Arrows riding the rainbow at Douglas Bay last week.

2026-06-09T12:10:55+00:00

submitted by /u/Tomchambo
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French A-400 and aerobatic team over the Hudson

2026-06-09T15:05:22+00:00

~~Red, white, and blue for America's 250th~~

Edit: Blue white and red to celebrate 250 years of French-American friendship

submitted by /u/kamat2301
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Douglas A-26 Invader

2026-06-09T23:01:58+00:00

submitted by /u/ihazacat
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Bienvenue à New York

2026-06-09T15:14:20+00:00

Caught the Patrouille de France on their way to the Statue of Liberty for their America 250 flyover. How cool would it be to be hanging out of the open cargo door for this flight?

submitted by /u/TheTalentedMrDG
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DC-8-73AF climbing out of SAT. Old livery this time - Aug. 2006

2026-06-09T14:58:54+00:00

Original content. Going through some old photos and liked this one.

submitted by /u/747-267B
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Airplane landing

2026-06-09T16:36:47+00:00

submitted by /u/Idontknowwhoiam4477
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Is this really that serious?

2026-06-08T15:58:14+00:00

Noticed water basically flowing out of the vent beside me as I got into my seat. Voiced it out to a flight attendant thinking it was just something minor and wanting to just swap to another seat. Two pilots came to my seat to check on it and had visibly puzzled looks on their faces. The mechanic was called into the aircraft, the inner panel of the plane was removed and after assessing the problem for about an hour, everyone was asked to disembark the plane. The flight was then cancelled entirely after another hour of everyone waiting near the gate.

I feel kinda bad because people were visibly annoyed and frustrated by the cancellation as it was a 16 hour long haul flight and there were few alternatives to get to the destination. Would someone be able to tell me exactly what happened here?

submitted by /u/Xycergy
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Feeling Regretful About My Career Choice for the First Time

2026-06-10T00:46:58+00:00

Hey everyone,

I made a post not too long ago in r/flying and r/CFILounge about moving from the East Coast to Chicago for a CFI opportunity that ended up falling through.

The support from that post was overwhelming. A few people even reached out, and I ended up trying to instruct independently. I'm grateful for how far I've come in my career, but even as I try to make that pivot, I can't shake the feeling that I made the wrong decision.

I could've stayed home and lived with my parents instead of being in a new city and still needing their help to cover expenses. They encouraged me to come here and have been incredibly supportive of every decision I've made in aviation, and that makes the guilt hit harder. I'm still struggling to put their investment to work, and on top of that, I genuinely cannot find a place to fly consistently.

I don't know if I'm posting this just to rant, because nobody around me really understands how aviation works, or if I'm hoping someone who comes across this will be my saving grace. Either way, this is the first time I've ever felt like I should've just picked a different career. I love flying. I love airplanes and everything aviation. I knew it would be hard, but the weight of these consequences is real, and the worst part is I thought I was making the right calls.

I watch my pilot friends excel in ways I haven't been able to. Some have already graduated and are 300-400 hours away from the airlines. Others just landed massive bonuses from cadet programs.

I honestly feel like I'm not cut out for this. Not because I don't love it, but because I'm crumbling under the struggle. Despite everything, going to different states, submitting applications in person, following up relentlessly, I just can't seem to catch a break. And I don't know if that's bad luck or if I'm just not good enough.

My lease ends in November and I've already tried to get out of it early. Part of me feels like things will figure themselves out by then, but I'm also not sure, because the reality is nobody flies in Chicago winters anyway.

I just don't know what to do. I wish I could go back and stayed home, or maybe even chosen a different career entirely, despite how much I love aviation.

If anyone happens to know someone who needs a flight instructor in the Chicago area, please reach out. I hold CFI, CFII, and MEI certificates and I'm actively looking for students or any flying opportunities.

Thanks again everyone,

Blue Skies

submitted by /u/cftriplei
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