Austin Academy of Aviation

How long is a Commercial Certificate good for?

Once earned, your commerical certificate is good for life. In order to fly as a commerical pilot, however, you must meet a few requirements:

You must have a current second class medical certificate

You must have at least at least six instrument approaches, have used holding procedures, and intercepted and tracked courses through the use of navigation systems within the previous six months.

You must have taken an instrument proficiency check in the previous six months.

You must not do something that angers the FAA, this may result in your certificate being suspended or revoked.

What are the requirements?

The requirements to obtain an Instrument Pilot Rating are:

You must have a Private Pilot Certificate

Be able to read, speak, and write the English language

You must have a current medical certificate from an Aviator Medical Examiner

Pass a computerized knowledge test

Have certain flight experience including:

- 100 hours in powered aircraft, of which 50 hours must be in airplanes.
- 100 hours of pilot in command flight time, which includes at least 50 hours in airplanes and 50 hours in cross-country flight in airplanes.
- 20 hours of training on the areas of operation as listed for this rating, that includes at least 10 hours of instrument training, of which at least 5 hours must be in a single engine airplane, 10 hours of training in an airplane that has a retractable landing gear, flaps, and a controllable pitch propeller, or is turbine-powered, one cross- country flight of at least 2 hours in a single engine airplane in day VFR conditions, consisting of a total straight-line distance of more than 100 nautical miles from the original point of departure, one cross-country flight of at least 2 hours in a single engine airplane in night VFR conditions, consisting of a total straight-line distance of more than 100 nautical miles from the original point of departure.
- 10 hours of solo flight in a single engine airplane, including one cross-country flight of not less than 300 nautical miles total distance and as specified, and 5 hours in night VFR conditions with 10 takeoffs and 10 landings (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport with an operating control tower.

Pass an oral test and flight test administered by an FAA inspector or FAA-designated examiner