Cadet pilot · Backend developer · Gear tester
Hi, I’m Jay Kumar Bhatiya.
I’m an Air India cadet pilot training at AeroGuard in Phoenix. I test the gear I fly, study and train with, I build software for my own cockpit, and I publish the data so you don’t have to guess.
The logbook
174
flight hours in the PA-28-181 Archer
69
cross-country hours
47
night hours
PPL
now on the IR and CPL
Logbook totals as of October 2026, plus 28 hours in a Redbird AATD simulator.
Most of my days start and end on this ramp.
Phoenix Deer Valley (KDVT). Dawn briefings, desert heat and one of the busiest training patterns in the country.
What I do
i.
I fly
Commercial pilot training at AeroGuard, Phoenix Deer Valley (KDVT), as an Air India cadet. Every review on this site is tested against real flying: dawn briefings, desert heat and busy traffic patterns.
ii.
I build
Self-taught developer, with no degree behind it. I write the tools I wish existed: live ADS-B radar for e-ink screens, flight-school schedulers and 3D-printed terrain models of my own flights.
iii.
I test
Gujarat state powerlifting champion in 2018 and a psychology honours student. I review study, flight and fitness gear with logged data, and I say when something doesn’t work.
Flight log
2018
Gujarat state powerlifting champion. The habit of logging every set started here, and it never stopped.
Cadet
Selected as an Air India cadet pilot and sent to AeroGuard Flight Training Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
PPL
Earned my private pilot certificate in the Piper PA-28-181 Archer out of KDVT.
Now
Instrument rating and commercial pilot licence, writing about the gear and data that get me through it.
NEXT
From a four-seat Archer to the airline ramp.
Projects
Open-source tools I built for flying and training. All code is on GitHub.
TRMNL Aviation Monitor
A clean, high-contrast air traffic monitor for TRMNL e-ink displays, with vertical and horizontal layouts.
AeroMesh
Turns ForeFlight KML flight tracks into 3D-printable terrain models, so a cross-country becomes something you can hold.
Local Airspace radar
A plan position indicator (PPI) radar scope for TRMNL that draws live ADS-B traffic around you.
TRMNL × Ultrahuman
Pipes Ultrahuman Ring recovery, HRV and sleep data to an e-ink dashboard, so I check readiness without picking up a phone.
Airspace cross-section
A side view of Phoenix Class B airspace for TRMNL, with live traffic plotted by altitude.
Talon schedule bot
Watches the flight school dispatch system and pushes schedule changes to Telegram, TRMNL and Google Calendar.
Brands I’ve worked with
Let’s talk.
Brand collaborations, aviation software or just a question about flight training. Products I’m sent are disclosed on every review, and ratings stay my own.