Commercial Pilot
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What is a Commercial Pilot Certificate?

So you have your Private Pilot Certificate and your IFR rating and you want to fly for a living as a corporate pilot, an airline pilot, or as an instructor - your next step is to get your Commercial Pilot Certificate. You will be able to fly as a professional pilot and charge for your services.

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
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