What to say to a girl on Hinge who says she's a flight instructor

A line about flight instruction tells you three things. She works a job most people find unfamiliar, she likely enjoys it because she called it the best job in the world, and she's in the middle of building toward something, which is why she mentioned the weekends. That last detail is the most useful. Someone grinding toward a certification is probably tired, proud of progress, and a bit tired of people asking whether she's the pilot in the cockpit.

Read her photo for the same signal. A plane in the background tells you flying is part of her life outside work, not just her job. You don't need to comment on the plane itself. Mentioning the job, and what she's working toward, is enough to show you paid attention. Avoid quoting her profile back word for word. Pick the one thing that caught your interest and speak to it in your own words.

A flight instructor spends a lot of time in small planes teaching someone who is nervous, gets tired of repeating the same maneuvers, and often flies at odd hours around weather. You don't have to know this to write a good reply, but a message that shows you're curious about the real texture of the work lands much better than one about the glamour. Asking what the hardest student to teach has been, or what she likes most about watching someone get their first solo, gives her something she likes talking about.

Keep your interest tied to her, not to aviation generally. If you bring up a fact you read somewhere, she'll correct you or find it obvious, and the conversation turns into a lecture. Ask about her experience and let her be the expert. People who teach things tend to enjoy being asked about the part they care about most.

Her profile was probably posted during a weekday evening or weekend morning. Send your first message within a day or so of matching, and try to land it when she's likely to be awake and not flying out early. If you match late at night, wait until the next day to send, because a long late message can read as either eager or like you're trying to keep the conversation going before she's gone to bed.

If she replies with something short, mirror the length and keep the energy. If she goes a few days without answering, one follow-up is reasonable, and it should be lighter and easier to answer than the first message, perhaps a simple question about the next thing she's working toward. If there's still nothing after that, let it go. Her job has schedule swings, and silence is often just a busy week rather than a rejection.