Earning your Commercial Pilot certificate is a prerequisite to getting a job flying airplanes. A newly minted commercial pilot with 250 total flight hours is eligible for a limited number of entry-level flying jobs including banner towing, hauling skydivers over a jump zone, and ferrying aircraft from one location to another. You’ll likely need to earn additional ratings and gain specific experience, depending on what type of flying job you seek. For example, if your goal is to fly tourists to remote locations in the Alaskan bush, you will likely need to earn a seaplane rating or a tailwheel endorsement.

Most charter operators and airlines require candidates to hold an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate, which requires a minimum of 1,500 total flight hours. The typical path to becoming an airline pilot involves earning your flight instructor certificates, which will allow you to build flight time rapidly while getting paid teaching other people how to fly. We recommend that anyone who wishes to become a flight instructor begin preparing for these practical tests during the final phase of commercial pilot training. You should be prepared to pass your commercial pilot, CFI and CFII (certificate flight instructor with instrument rating) practical tests literally within days of each other if you use your time wisely and train efficiently. At Holladay Aviation, we can train you from zero flight time through your initial flight instructor certificates in a single engine airplane.

Program Summary

Getting Started Checklist

Privileges and Limitations

As a Commercial Pilot, you may:

  • Act as pilot in command (PIC) of an aircraft for which you are rated while carrying passengers for compensation or hire.

You may not:

  • Carry passengers for compensation or hire more than 50 nautical miles from your home base unless you have an Instrument Rating.
  • Act as PIC of a multi-engine or turbine aircraft without first completing the appropriate training and earning the appropriate certificate and/or ratings. For example: To be a corporate jet pilot, you must earn a multi-engine rating and a type rating for the make and model of jet you will be flying. Most employers, including the airlines, want you to have logged at least 1,500 flight hours.

FAA Training Requirements

  • According to FAR 61.129, a minimum of 250 hours of flight time, which includes:
    • 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 at least
      • 50 hours in airplanes; and
      • 50 hours in cross-country flight of which at least 10 hours must be in airplanes
    • 20 hours of flight training from an instructor, including:
      • 10 hours of instrument flight training (may be satisfied by earning an Instrument Rating, as long as the training is logged “in accordance with FAR 61.65 and 61.129”)
      • 10 hours of training in a complex airplane or a technically advanced airplane (TAA) like our Cessna 172 (N99725)
      • 3 hours of training in preparation for the FAA Commercial Pilot Practical Test
    • 10 hours of solo flight time in a single engine airplane **OR** 10 hours of flight time performing the duties of pilot in command in a single engine airplane with an authorized instructor onboard… including:
      • One cross-country flight of not less than 300 nautical miles total distance, with landings at a minimum of three points, one of which is a straight-line distance of at least 250 nautical miles from the original departure point.
      • 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.
      • Please read this 2016 FAA legal interpretation on FAR 61.129.
  • Pass the FAA Commercial Pilot Airman Knowledge Test
  • Pass the FAA Commercial Pilot Practical Test (includes a knowledge and skills evaluation)

  • Contact us to schedule your orientation, which will include a detailed audit of your pilot logbook. All orientations are conducted and billed as regular ground instruction. During the orientation your instructor will:

    • Collect your proof of U.S. Citizenship (see below)
    • Review all Holladay Aviation policies and procedures.
    • Schedule your first lesson.

  • Gather proof of U.S. citizenship: unexpired U.S. Passport, or a U.S. birth certificate. We’ll also need a copy of your driver’s license. We are no longer accepting foreign students.

  • Download the ForeFlight app onto your iPad and iPhone. Click here for guidance on selecting a device. ForeFlight includes digital copies of many FAA resource documents including the FAR/AIM and Chart Supplement.

  • Download and review the latest version of the FAA Airman Certification Standards.

  • Purchase the Sporty’s Commercial Pilot Test Prep Course

  • Make sure your FAA medical certificate is up to date. If you intend on pursuing employment as a pilot immediately after completion of your Commercial Pilot training, you will need at least a Second Class medical. We recommend a First Class medical.

  • Begin flight training.