Earning Your Commercial License
The Commercial Pilot License allows you to earn compensation while flying. Training focuses on refining existing skills, meeting higher standards, and building the required experience.
Commercial Pilot Requirements
The Commercial License allows you to earn compensation while flying. Training is centered on refining your existing skills, being held to a higher standard than a Private Pilot, and gaining the required experience.
FAR 61.129 lists the requirements for the Commercial Pilot certificate. For airplane single-engine applicants, the major requirements include total time, powered aircraft time, PIC time, specific training events, and solo or instructor-supervised PIC duties.
- At least 250 hours total flight time.
- Under 61.129(i), up to 50 hours of AATD simulator time can be credited toward the 250-hour total time requirement, making the minimum actual airplane time requirement 200 hours.
- 50 hours must be in airplanes.
- 100 hours in powered aircraft.
PIC Time
Commercial applicants must build substantial Pilot-in-Command experience before the practical test.
- 100 hours PIC total.
- 50 hours PIC in airplanes.
- 50 hours cross-country PIC, including 10 hours in airplanes.
Required Training
FAR 61.129(a) requires 20 hours of training that includes instrument work, advanced aircraft or TAA experience, cross-country training, and recent checkride preparation.
- 10 hours of instrument training using a view-limiting device, including 5 hours in a single-engine airplane.
- 10 hours in a complex airplane, turbine airplane, or Technologically Advanced Aircraft. The G1000 172SP NAV III qualifies as a TAA.
- One 2-hour daytime cross-country dual training flight in a single-engine airplane over 100 nautical miles straight-line distance.
- One 2-hour nighttime cross-country dual training flight in a single-engine airplane over 100 nautical miles straight-line distance.
- 3 hours of training in a single-engine airplane with an instructor within 2 calendar months before the practical test.
Solo or PDPIC Requirements
Commercial applicants must complete 10 hours of solo or instructor-supervised PIC duties, also known as Pilot Performing Duties of PIC or PDPIC.
These requirements must all be completed either solo or PDPIC. You cannot complete the long cross-country PDPIC and then complete the night landings solo.
- One 300 nautical mile cross-country flight with 3 landings, including one leg at least 250 nautical miles straight-line distance from departure.
- 5 hours night VFR with 10 takeoffs and 10 landings at a towered airport.
How Training Comes Together
These requirements can be met fairly quickly, especially if you completed cross-country flights during IFR cross-country time building.
The commercial curriculum can also be completed quickly because, besides the addition of a few maneuvers and tighter tolerances, the flying skills you have already learned still apply.
By now, you have a good understanding of flight training, including the study habits, preparation, and dedication required to pass a checkride. You will also take the Commercial written test, known as the CAX. For an added category rating, such as Multi-Engine Commercial, an additional written test is not required.
Commercial Curriculum
Below is an outline of the King Schools Commercial curriculum Gomez Aviation can use to structure the final push toward your commercial checkride.
Cross-Country and Night Flying
- 100 nautical mile daytime dual training cross-country.
- 100 nautical mile nighttime dual training cross-country.
- Long commercial cross-country, completed solo or PDPIC.
- Night landings and flight time, completed solo or PDPIC.
- Any remaining cross-country experience required.
Commercial Airwork
- Complex or Technologically Advanced Aircraft time building.
- Commercial maneuvers and landings to ACS, including chandelles, steep spirals, lazy eights, steeper turns, slow flight and stalls, commercial landings, and the power-off 180 accuracy approach.
Checkride Preparation
- Review of maneuvers as required.
- Ground lessons as required.
- Practical test preparation based on current experience, weak areas, and ACS standards.
Estimating Your Commercial Plan
Because pilot experience varies widely, a broad estimate of instruction and flight time is difficult to make.
Reach out to Gomez Aviation or use the cost calculator to get a detailed estimate for your Commercial License based on your current hours, cross-country experience, TAA needs, and checkride timeline.
Ready to plan it?
Reach out with your current certificate, goals, timeline, and questions. Gomez Aviation can help map the next flight block.