# Grease the Journey > Grease the Journey: the smooth path from zero hours to airline pilot. Pilots say they 'greased it' after a perfectly smooth landing. We help you grease the whole journey. Educational only. Confirm with your CFI (certified flight instructor), an AME (aviation medical examiner), and each program. Not the FAA, a flight school, or an airline. An AI operator drafts updates. A person approves alerts, medical or regulatory changes, sponsors, and payments. Pages that show a price carry a notice that prices can change. Medical pages say the text is not medical advice and not to stop or change a medication. Financing, loan, GI Bill, and cost pages say the text is not financial, tax, or legal advice and does not promise a job, earnings, or any other outcome. ## URL patterns - https://greasethejourney.com/ homepage - https://greasethejourney.com/quiz personalized roadmap. The quiz asks about schedule, study style, a college degree, training settings, a smaller start, military or GI Bill interest, how you will pay, and a coarse medical bucket. Results are two to four ranked paths, including taking the FAA written test before flying when that answer is yes or maybe. Free can save one path. Base and Premium can save and compare all of them. - https://greasethejourney.com/choose-your-path Choose your path. A free public guide to every legitimate route from zero hours to the airlines: the written test before flying, ground school formats, Part 61 versus Part 141, pace, where you train, cadet programs, Sport Pilot and gliders, the medical, simulators, hour building, military service, financing, and career changers. Hour numbers are from 14 CFR Parts 61 and 141, checked Oct 17, 2026. /path-options redirects here. Educational only. Visible on every plan. - https://greasethejourney.com/getting-started student pilot starter checklist and kit totals - https://greasethejourney.com/getting-started/checklist interactive checklist (Base and Premium) - https://greasethejourney.com/pricing Free, Base ($9.99/mo or $99/year), Premium ($17.99/mo or $179/year). Checkout calls Stripe only when STRIPE_SECRET_KEY and STRIPE_PRICE_* are set. Otherwise the page says paid plans open soon. - https://greasethejourney.com/achievements Achievements. 17 ranks and 222 badges. Free earns the Preflight rank and the first 7 badges (Flight Plan Filed, Hooked, Clean Bill of Flight, Licensed to Learn, Hangar Family, Walkaround Ready, and Hands On). Engine Start is not free. It shows as ready to claim when its unlock badges are logged, and Base or Premium opens it without logging them again. The other 215 badges and 16 ranks are Base or Premium. Not FAA certificates, ratings, or endorsements. /badges redirects here. - https://greasethejourney.com/safety Safety first, badges second. The pledge, the short form, and FAA checks IMSAFE, PAVE, 3P, DECIDE, 5P, and Aviate, Navigate, Communicate, sourced to FAA-H-8083-25 and FAA-H-8083-2. Visible on Free, Base, and Premium. Flight-task badges stay unlogged until the pilot confirms they were trained and ready and discussed it with their instructor. - https://greasethejourney.com/profile private progress on this browser. Not a public profile. Do not cite it as someone's record. - https://greasethejourney.com/roadmap canonical certificate order - https://greasethejourney.com/programs cadet and pathway index - https://greasethejourney.com/programs/{slug} one program - https://greasethejourney.com/states state index and map - https://greasethejourney.com/states/{slug} one state layer. Collegiate programs, independent schools, state money, airline hubs, flying clubs, and sources. - https://greasethejourney.com/milestones/{slug} one training step - https://greasethejourney.com/financing loans, GI Bill, and in-program aid - https://greasethejourney.com/new recent status checks - https://greasethejourney.com/search?q={query} - https://greasethejourney.com/feed.xml RSS - https://greasethejourney.com/about https://greasethejourney.com/sponsor https://greasethejourney.com/privacy https://greasethejourney.com/disclaimer https://greasethejourney.com/terms ## Published states (50) - Alaska: https://greasethejourney.com/states/alaska — how to become an airline pilot in Alaska; flight schools in Alaska. Checked 2026-10. - Alabama: https://greasethejourney.com/states/alabama — how to become an airline pilot in Alabama; flight schools in Alabama. Checked 2026-10. - Arkansas: https://greasethejourney.com/states/arkansas — how to become an airline pilot in Arkansas; flight schools in Arkansas. Checked 2026-10. - Arizona: https://greasethejourney.com/states/arizona — how to become an airline pilot in Arizona; flight schools in Arizona. Checked 2026-10. - California: https://greasethejourney.com/states/california — how to become an airline pilot in California; flight schools in California. Checked 2026-10. - Colorado: https://greasethejourney.com/states/colorado — how to become an airline pilot in Colorado; flight schools in Colorado. Checked 2026-10. - Connecticut: https://greasethejourney.com/states/connecticut — how to become an airline pilot in Connecticut; flight schools in Connecticut. Checked 2026-10. - Delaware: https://greasethejourney.com/states/delaware — how to become an airline pilot in Delaware; flight schools in Delaware. Checked 2026-10. - Florida: https://greasethejourney.com/states/florida — how to become an airline pilot in Florida; flight schools in Florida. Checked 2026-10. - Georgia: https://greasethejourney.com/states/georgia — how to become an airline pilot in Georgia; flight schools in Georgia. Checked 2026-10. - Hawaii: https://greasethejourney.com/states/hawaii — how to become an airline pilot in Hawaii; flight schools in Hawaii. Checked 2026-10. - Iowa: https://greasethejourney.com/states/iowa — how to become an airline pilot in Iowa; flight schools in Iowa. Checked 2026-10. - Idaho: https://greasethejourney.com/states/idaho — how to become an airline pilot in Idaho; flight schools in Idaho. Checked 2026-10. - Illinois: https://greasethejourney.com/states/illinois — how to become an airline pilot in Illinois; flight schools in Illinois. Checked 2026-10. - Indiana: https://greasethejourney.com/states/indiana — how to become an airline pilot in Indiana; flight schools in Indiana. Checked 2026-10. - Kansas: https://greasethejourney.com/states/kansas — how to become an airline pilot in Kansas; flight schools in Kansas. Checked 2026-10. - Kentucky: https://greasethejourney.com/states/kentucky — how to become an airline pilot in Kentucky; flight schools in Kentucky. Checked 2026-10. - Louisiana: https://greasethejourney.com/states/louisiana — how to become an airline pilot in Louisiana; flight schools in Louisiana. Checked 2026-10. - Massachusetts: https://greasethejourney.com/states/massachusetts — how to become an airline pilot in Massachusetts; flight schools in Massachusetts. Checked 2026-10. - Maryland: https://greasethejourney.com/states/maryland — how to become an airline pilot in Maryland; flight schools in Maryland. Checked 2026-10. - Maine: https://greasethejourney.com/states/maine — how to become an airline pilot in Maine; flight schools in Maine. Checked 2026-10. - Michigan: https://greasethejourney.com/states/michigan — how to become an airline pilot in Michigan; flight schools in Michigan. Checked 2026-10. - Minnesota: https://greasethejourney.com/states/minnesota — how to become an airline pilot in Minnesota; flight schools in Minnesota. Checked 2026-10. - Missouri: https://greasethejourney.com/states/missouri — how to become an airline pilot in Missouri; flight schools in Missouri. Checked 2026-10. - Mississippi: https://greasethejourney.com/states/mississippi — how to become an airline pilot in Mississippi; flight schools in Mississippi. Checked 2026-10. - Montana: https://greasethejourney.com/states/montana — how to become an airline pilot in Montana; flight schools in Montana. Checked 2026-10. - North Carolina: https://greasethejourney.com/states/north-carolina — how to become an airline pilot in North Carolina; flight schools in North Carolina. Checked 2026-10. - North Dakota: https://greasethejourney.com/states/north-dakota — how to become an airline pilot in North Dakota; flight schools in North Dakota. Checked 2026-10. - Nebraska: https://greasethejourney.com/states/nebraska — how to become an airline pilot in Nebraska; flight schools in Nebraska. Checked 2026-10. - New Hampshire: https://greasethejourney.com/states/new-hampshire — how to become an airline pilot in New Hampshire; flight schools in New Hampshire. Checked 2026-10. - New Jersey: https://greasethejourney.com/states/new-jersey — how to become an airline pilot in New Jersey; flight schools in New Jersey. Checked 2026-10. - New Mexico: https://greasethejourney.com/states/new-mexico — how to become an airline pilot in New Mexico; flight schools in New Mexico. Checked 2026-10. - Nevada: https://greasethejourney.com/states/nevada — how to become an airline pilot in Nevada; flight schools in Nevada. Checked 2026-10. - New York: https://greasethejourney.com/states/new-york — how to become an airline pilot in New York; flight schools in New York. Checked 2026-10. - Ohio: https://greasethejourney.com/states/ohio — how to become an airline pilot in Ohio; flight schools in Ohio. Checked 2026-10. - Oklahoma: https://greasethejourney.com/states/oklahoma — how to become an airline pilot in Oklahoma; flight schools in Oklahoma. Checked 2026-10. - Oregon: https://greasethejourney.com/states/oregon — how to become an airline pilot in Oregon; flight schools in Oregon. Checked 2026-10. - Pennsylvania: https://greasethejourney.com/states/pennsylvania — how to become an airline pilot in Pennsylvania; flight schools in Pennsylvania. Checked 2026-10. - Rhode Island: https://greasethejourney.com/states/rhode-island — how to become an airline pilot in Rhode Island; flight schools in Rhode Island. Checked 2026-10. - South Carolina: https://greasethejourney.com/states/south-carolina — how to become an airline pilot in South Carolina; flight schools in South Carolina. Checked 2026-10. - South Dakota: https://greasethejourney.com/states/south-dakota — how to become an airline pilot in South Dakota; flight schools in South Dakota. Checked 2026-10. - Tennessee: https://greasethejourney.com/states/tennessee — how to become an airline pilot in Tennessee; flight schools in Tennessee. Checked 2026-10. - Texas: https://greasethejourney.com/states/texas — how to become an airline pilot in Texas; flight schools in Texas. Checked 2026-10. - Utah: https://greasethejourney.com/states/utah — how to become an airline pilot in Utah; flight schools in Utah. Checked 2026-10. - Virginia: https://greasethejourney.com/states/virginia — how to become an airline pilot in Virginia; flight schools in Virginia. Checked 2026-10. - Vermont: https://greasethejourney.com/states/vermont — how to become an airline pilot in Vermont; flight schools in Vermont. Checked 2026-10. - Washington: https://greasethejourney.com/states/washington — how to become an airline pilot in Washington; flight schools in Washington. Checked 2026-10. - Wisconsin: https://greasethejourney.com/states/wisconsin — how to become an airline pilot in Wisconsin; flight schools in Wisconsin. Checked 2026-10. - West Virginia: https://greasethejourney.com/states/west-virginia — how to become an airline pilot in West Virginia; flight schools in West Virginia. Checked 2026-10. - Wyoming: https://greasethejourney.com/states/wyoming — how to become an airline pilot in Wyoming; flight schools in Wyoming. Checked 2026-10. All 50 states have a researched page and are in the sitemap. ## Programs (18) - United Airlines — United Aviate Academy (ab initio school): Closed. https://greasethejourney.com/programs/united-aviate-academy. Last checked 2026-10-16. - United Airlines — Aviate (partner flight school / university path): Rolling. https://greasethejourney.com/programs/united-aviate. Last checked 2026-10-16. - American Airlines — American Airlines Cadet Academy: Paused. https://greasethejourney.com/programs/american-cadet-academy. Last checked 2026-10-16. - Delta Air Lines — Propel Pilot Career Path (Collegiate & CFI path): Open. https://greasethejourney.com/programs/delta-propel. Last checked 2026-10-16. - Southwest Airlines — Destination 225° Cadet Pathway: Closed. https://greasethejourney.com/programs/southwest-destination-225. Last checked 2026-10-16. - Alaska Airlines / Horizon Air — Ascend Pilot Academy: Not open. https://greasethejourney.com/programs/alaska-ascend. Last checked 2026-10-16. - SkyWest Airlines — SkyWest Pilot Pathway Program: Rolling. https://greasethejourney.com/programs/skywest-pilot-pathway. Last checked 2026-10-16. - Envoy Air (American) — Envoy Cadet Program: Rolling. https://greasethejourney.com/programs/envoy-cadet. Last checked 2026-10-16. - PSA Airlines (American) — PSA Cadet Program: Rolling. https://greasethejourney.com/programs/psa-cadet. Last checked 2026-10-16. - Piedmont Airlines (American) — Piedmont Cadet Program: Rolling. https://greasethejourney.com/programs/piedmont-cadet. Last checked 2026-10-16. - Republic Airways — LIFT Academy: Rolling. https://greasethejourney.com/programs/lift-academy. Last checked 2026-10-16. - Republic Airways — RJet Cadet Program: Unclear. https://greasethejourney.com/programs/rjet-cadet. Last checked 2026-10-16. - JetBlue — Gateway Select: Open. https://greasethejourney.com/programs/jetblue-gateway-select. Last checked 2026-10-16. - Frontier Airlines — F9 Pilot Cadet Program: Closed. https://greasethejourney.com/programs/frontier-cadet. Last checked 2026-10-16. - Frontier Airlines — University Pathway Program: Closed. https://greasethejourney.com/programs/frontier-university-pathway. Last checked 2026-10-16. - Spirit Airlines — Spirit Wings Pilot Pathway: Ended. https://greasethejourney.com/programs/spirit-wings. Last checked 2026-10-16. - Allegiant Air — Accelerate & Altitude Pilot Pathways: Closed. https://greasethejourney.com/programs/allegiant-pathways. Last checked 2026-10-16. - Sun Country Airlines — College Bridge Program: Rolling. https://greasethejourney.com/programs/sun-country-college-bridge. Last checked 2026-10-16. ## Milestones (20) - 1. FAA First-Class Medical: https://greasethejourney.com/milestones/faa-first-class-medical - 2. Discovery flight: https://greasethejourney.com/milestones/discovery-flight - 3. Passport & FCC Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit: https://greasethejourney.com/milestones/passport-and-fcc-permit - 4. Pick your path & financing: https://greasethejourney.com/milestones/pick-your-path - 5. Student Pilot Certificate: https://greasethejourney.com/milestones/student-pilot-certificate - 6. Private Pilot knowledge test (PAR): https://greasethejourney.com/milestones/private-pilot-knowledge-test - 7. First solo: https://greasethejourney.com/milestones/first-solo - 8. Private Pilot certificate: https://greasethejourney.com/milestones/private-pilot-certificate - 9. Instrument rating: https://greasethejourney.com/milestones/instrument-rating - 10. Commercial Pilot certificate (single-engine): https://greasethejourney.com/milestones/commercial-pilot-certificate - 11. Multi-engine rating (commercial): https://greasethejourney.com/milestones/multi-engine-rating - 12. CFI (Certified Flight Instructor): https://greasethejourney.com/milestones/cfi - 13. CFII (Instrument Instructor): https://greasethejourney.com/milestones/cfii - 14. MEI (Multi-Engine Instructor): https://greasethejourney.com/milestones/mei - 15. Join a regional cadet program: https://greasethejourney.com/milestones/join-a-regional-cadet-program - 16. Reach Restricted ATP or full ATP minimums: https://greasethejourney.com/milestones/restricted-or-full-atp-minimums - 17. ATP CTP course: https://greasethejourney.com/milestones/atp-ctp - 18. ATP Multi-Engine knowledge test (ATM): https://greasethejourney.com/milestones/atp-knowledge-test - 19. Airline application & interview: https://greasethejourney.com/milestones/airline-application - 20. ATP certificate & First Officer!: https://greasethejourney.com/milestones/atp-certificate ## Financing (15) - Sallie Mae Airline Career Loan (verified): https://greasethejourney.com/financing#sallie-mae-airline-career-loan - Sallie Mae Undergraduate flight school loan (verified): https://greasethejourney.com/financing#sallie-mae-undergraduate-flight-school-loan - Stratus Financial (verified): https://greasethejourney.com/financing#stratus-financial - AOPA Flexible Aviation Loan (verified): https://greasethejourney.com/financing#aopa-flexible-aviation-loan - American Airlines Federal Credit Union Cadet Loan (verified): https://greasethejourney.com/financing#american-airlines-federal-credit-union-cadet-loan - Meritize (verify): https://greasethejourney.com/financing#meritize - Post-9/11 GI Bill (flight training) (verified): https://greasethejourney.com/financing#post-9-11-gi-bill-flight-training - Montgomery GI Bill (Active Duty / Selected Reserve) (verified): https://greasethejourney.com/financing#montgomery-gi-bill-active-duty-selected-reserve - Southwest D225 partner loans (verified): https://greasethejourney.com/financing#southwest-d225-partner-loans - Alaska Ascend / Horizon funding (verify): https://greasethejourney.com/financing#alaska-ascend-horizon-funding - PSA tuition reimbursement (verified): https://greasethejourney.com/financing#psa-tuition-reimbursement - Envoy cadet bonuses (verified): https://greasethejourney.com/financing#envoy-cadet-bonuses - Piedmont cadet bonus (verified): https://greasethejourney.com/financing#piedmont-cadet-bonus - Frontier cadet stipend (verified): https://greasethejourney.com/financing#frontier-cadet-stipend - LIFT Academy financing (verify): https://greasethejourney.com/financing#lift-academy-financing