How Long Does it Take to Earn a Commercial Pilot’s License?

If you’ve cruised through your private pilot’s license and are looking ahead to future ratings, the commercial rating is a relatively easy rating that will also certify you to be paid to fly. There are some prerequisites to be aware of that will determine how long your training will take based on how much experience you have up until this point. So, how long does it take to earn a commercial pilot’s license?

If you’re starting with 0 flight time, qualifying for your commercial pilot’s license takes 250 hours of flight experience, which depending on how often you fly could take 6 to 24 months to obtain. If you already have the prerequisite flight experience, it only takes about 10 hours of additional flight training, so you can complete it in as little as a few days to a couple of months depending on how often you fly.

Note that the commercial license isn’t what certifies you to fly jets per se, so if you are reading this article with the hopes of heading to the airlines, that is a slightly different topic. If that’s your goal, see our article on what it takes to fly a jet where we walk through all of the different required (and sometimes optional) ratings and licenses you’d need to fly the big birds.

Towards the end of this post there is a free downloadable checklist that you can print off and record when you accomplished each of the requirements. Your examiner will be doing the same exercise at your check ride so if you can go ahead and identify the flights and dates where you accomplished each of the requirements it will be an enormous help.

Part 61 vs. 141 for Your Commercial Pilot’s License

How long it will take you to accomplish your commercial pilot’s license will first be impacted by whether you are training in a Part 61 or Part 141 program.

In short, Part 141 flight schools have a more structured training regimen that must be approved by the FAA, and are also subject to periodic inspections as well as student volume and check ride pass percentages. As a result, they are allowed to graduate students with fewer requirements than Part 61 programs. 

Here is the breakdown:

As you can see, there are fewer total hours required to get your commercial pilot’s license in a Part 141 program, which depending on your prerequisite experience you could probably complete it faster than in a Part 61 training program.

For more reading on this topic (including pros and cons), see our full article on Part 61 vs. 141 flight schools.

Part 61 Requirements for the Commercial Pilot’s License

250 Hours of Flight Time

If you just got your private pilot’s license, you probably have 40-80 flight hours. So getting up to that 250 total flight time mark can seem like a daunting task. Many new students will get their private and then immediately get their instrument rating, which between the two will build around 100 or more flight hours. But that still leaves a gap of 150 hours to get your commercial. There’s no way around this… you just have to log the time before you’re eligible for the commercial license.

If you’re in this situation, try to view it as a positive that you have a reason to go log some time in the air and get more experience. Keep in mind that you just have to have the 250 flight hours at the time of your commercial check ride, so you start your commercial training with less than 250 hours.

Tip: Be sure to look ahead at the other requirements and try to knock these out as part of your time building to 250 hours. I did this the wrong way and just built time and then came back and looked at what I needed for the commercial license and had to repeat a lot of flights because my other flight experience didn’t fit the specific requirements. 

50 Hours of Cross-Country Flight

If you have your instrument rating, you’ll already have this pre-requisite completed (because it’s also a pre-requisite for the instrument rating). You’ll have 5-10 hours of XC time from your private training days, so really that leaves around 40 flight hours to go more than 50nm from your originating airport (there are some other technical definitions of cross country flight but this is the one that is most broadly applicable).

Tip: Look ahead to the other requirements as well as there are some day-time and night-time cross country requirements that will contribute towards this 50 hour requirement. Planning ahead will allow you to pay for the least amount of flying while accomplishing all of your pre-requisites.

10 Hours of Instrument Training

Again if you have your instrument rating, you’ll already have this pre-requisite completed. If not, you’ll probably have a couple hours of this from the private training days which only leaves about 8 hours or so to go for the commercial. I suggest you double-dip this training requirement with some of your cross-country requirements and do them IFR “under the hood” (using a view-limiting device like a visor or foggles) with an instructor.

10 Hours of Complex, Turbine, or Technically Advanced Airplane (TAA) Hours

You’ll need 10 hours in one (or any combination) of airplanes that are either complex (retractable gear, variable pitch propeller, and flaps), have a turbine engine, or qualify as a Technically Advanced Airplane (TAA). The TAA option was added in 2018 and is defined as having a primary flight display (PFD), multifunction flight display (MFD), and a two-axis autopilot. Basically a G1000 or equivalent. Again, try to double-dip this requirement with other requirements to make your flight training most efficient (such as doing these 10 flight hours as cross-country so you can double dip).

Cross-Country Flights of More than 100nm

You’ll need a 2-hour daytime and 2-hour nighttime cross-country flight with a straight line distance of more than 100 nautical miles from the point of departure. You can double dip one of these flights with your 300nm cross country requirement (explained in a minute). Keep in mind you must be functioning as PIC for these flights as well. So for instance your night cross country during private pilot training probably won’t count as it was just dual instruction time and you couldn’t yet log PIC time since you didn’t have your license.

300nm Cross-Country

This long cross-country flight is defined as needing 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. You must either be solo or PIC with an instructor on board. The regulation does not differentiate flight conditions so if you wanted to do this IFR and double dip into your instrument time requirement you could do so.

I had many flights that nearly qualified for this distance but were short by <10nm. I wasn’t working on my commercial license at the time so I didn’t think anything of it. But making those flights an extra 10nm in length would have saved a good deal of money for not having to repeat this long cross-country flight requirement.

5 Hours of Night VFR at a Controlled Airport

You’ll need 5 hours of night VFR conditions with 10 takeoffs and 10 landings (with each involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport with an operating control tower. They can be the summation of other flights as long as they add up to 5 hours, 10 takeoffs, 10 landings (with flight in the traffic pattern) with an operating control tower.

3 Hours of Training Within 2 Calendar Months of Check Ride

This one can be a somewhat sneaky regulation. While typically you will be training up through your check ride, some people might get right up to their check ride and then have to delay for some reason but then try to take their check ride a few months later. You can do so, but will need to make sure that you have 3 hours of flight time with an instructor receiving training for the commercial rating within 2 calendar months of your check ride.

In Summary

Based on all of the above, you’ll need to estimate how many of the pre-requisites you have yet to complete and about how long that will take you. For some people it will only be a couple weeks (or less) because they have the flight portion already largely completed and just have to learn and practice the maneuvers.

For others, none of these pre-requisites will be complete by the start of their training and it will take quite a bit longer. But the biggest thing is trying to plan ahead and double-dip requirements where you can. Taking one requirement at a time will lead to repeated flights that could have been avoided (I learned that the hard way).

Here is a free checklist (downloadable from Google Drive) that you can print off and identify when you accomplished each of the pre-requisites of getting your commercial license. It can serve as an aid while you are training, and it will also help your examiner as well when he audits your logbook to ensure that you have met all of the requirements. Hope it helps!

Related Questions

Are airline pilots glorified bus drivers?

This is a question that gets asked a lot and there are some important things to consider. While there are some similarities in the function of transporting passengers, driving a bus versus an airplane are totally different career options. Ultimately it comes down to enjoying the nature of your job as well as the subject matter. We discuss this more in our article “Are pilots just glorified bus drivers? Our take on it.”

Do I need an instrument rating to get a commercial license?

Under Part 61 requirements you are not required to hold an instrument rating to receive a commercial pilot’s license. However, there are two important caveats:

First, Part 141 (see Part 141 Appendix D, Subsection 2(b)(2)) requires students to either already have their instrument rating, or be enrolled in an instrument rating program and have already passed the written test, prior to receiving their commercial license. 

Secondly, if you do not have an instrument rating, your commercial license will be restricted in nature.

Here’s what 61.133(b)(1) says: “A person who applies for a commercial pilot certificate with an airplane category or powered-lift category rating and does not hold an instrument rating in the same category and class will be issued a commercial pilot certificate that contains the limitation, “The carriage of passengers for hire in (airplanes) (powered-lifts) on cross-country flights in excess of 50 nautical miles or at night is prohibited.” The limitation may be removed when the person satisfactorily accomplishes the requirements listed in § 61.65 of this part for an instrument rating in the same category and class of aircraft listed on the person’s commercial pilot certificate.”

Generally you will want to have your instrument rating if you plan on getting your commercial license. There are some exceptions where it makes sense to not need an instrument rating but still actively exercise your commercial license privileges, such as crop dusting, banner towing, or sky diving (all of which occur in strictly VFR conditions) generally within 50 nautical miles of the airport and also during the daytime.

Do I need to get an ATP certificate in addition to a commercial pilot’s license?

If you plan to fly for airlines based in the US, you will almost always need an Airline Transport Pilot’s (ATP) Certificate. For more reading on this topic, see our article comparing private pilot, commercial pilot, and ATP certificates.

Can you point me to the verbatim regulations?

Sure. Here are the commercial pilot’s license requirements for Part 141 training programs.

Here are the requirements for a single engine commercial license for Part 61 training programs (which I summarized above in my own words). The verbatim text for Part 61 is below.

§ 61.129 Aeronautical experience.

(a) For an airplane single-engine rating. Except as provided in paragraph (i) of this section, a person who applies for a commercial pilot certificate with an airplane category and single-engine class rating must log at least 250 hours of flight time as a pilot that consists of at least:

(1) 100 hours in powered aircraft, of which 50 hours must be in airplanes.

(2) 100 hours of pilot-in-command flight time, which includes at least –

(i) 50 hours in airplanes; and

(ii) 50 hours in cross-country flight of which at least 10 hours must be in airplanes.

(3) 20 hours of training on the areas of operation listed in § 61.127(b)(1) of this part that includes at least –

(i) Ten hours of instrument training using a view-limiting device including attitude instrument flying, partial panel skills, recovery from unusual flight attitudes, and intercepting and tracking navigational systems. Five hours of the 10 hours required on instrument training must be in a single engine airplane;

(ii) 10 hours of training in a complex airplane, a turbine-powered airplane, or a technically advanced airplane (TAA) that meets the requirements of paragraph (j) of this section, or any combination thereof. The airplane must be appropriate to land or sea for the ratingsought;

(iii) One 2-hour cross country flight in a single engine airplane in daytime conditions that consists of a total straight-line distance of more than 100 nautical miles from the original point of departure;

(iv) One 2-hour cross country flight in a single engine airplane in nighttime conditions that consists of a total straight-line distance of more than 100 nautical miles from the original point of departure; and

(v) Three hours in a single-engine airplane with an authorized instructor in preparation for the practical test within the preceding 2 calendar months from the month of the test.

(4) Ten 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 engineairplane with an authorized instructor on board (either of which may be credited towards the flight time requirement under paragraph (a)(2) of this section), on the areas of operation listed under § 61.127(b)(1) that include –

(i) 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. However, if this requirement is being met in Hawaii, the longest segment need only have a straight-line distance of at least 150 nautical miles; and

(ii) 5 hours in night VFR conditions with 10 takeoffs and 10 landings (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airportwith an operating control tower.

(b)For an airplane multiengine rating. Except as provided in paragraph (i) of this section, a person who applies for a commercial pilot certificate with an airplane category and multiengine class rating must log at least 250 hours of flight time as a pilot that consists of at least:

(1) 100 hours in powered aircraft, of which 50 hours must be in airplanes.

(2) 100 hours of pilot-in-command flight time, which includes at least –

(i) 50 hours in airplanes; and

(ii) 50 hours in cross-country flight of which at least 10 hours must be in airplanes.

(3) 20 hours of training on the areas of operation listed in § 61.127(b)(2) of this part that includes at least –

(i) Ten hours of instrument training using a view-limiting device including attitude instrument flying, partial panel skills, recovery from unusual flight attitudes, and intercepting and tracking navigational systems. Five hours of the 10 hours required on instrument training must be in a multiengine airplane;

(ii) 10 hours of training in a multiengine complex or turbine-powered airplane; or for an applicant seeking a multiengine seaplane rating, 10 hours of training in a multiengine seaplane that has flaps and a controllable pitch propeller, including seaplanes equipped with an engine control system consisting of a digital computer and associated accessories for controlling the engine and propeller, such as a full authority digital engine control;

(iii) One 2-hour cross country flight in a multiengine airplane in daytime conditions that consists of a total straight-line distance of more than 100 nautical miles from the original point of departure;

(iv) One 2-hour cross country flight in a multiengine airplane in nighttime conditions that consists of a total straight-line distance of more than 100 nautical miles from the original point of departure; and

(v) Three hours in a multiengine airplane with an authorized instructor in preparation for the practical test within the preceding 2 calendar months from the month of the test.

(4) 10 hours of solo flight time in a multiengine airplane or 10 hours of flight time performing the duties of pilot in command in a multiengineairplane with an authorized instructor (either of which may be credited towards the flight time requirement in paragraph (b)(2) of this section), on the areas of operation listed in § 61.127(b)(2) of this part that includes at least –

(i) 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. However, if this requirement is being met in Hawaii, the longest segment need only have a straight-line distance of at least 150 nautical miles; and

(ii) 5 hours in night VFR conditions with 10 takeoffs and 10 landings (with each landing involving a flight with a traffic pattern) at an airport with an operating control tower.