FAA Commercial Pilot

Overview

The commercial pilot certificate is issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under Part 61 of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations. It allows a pilot to act as pilot in command of an aircraft for compensation or hire, and to carry people or property for pay, provided the pilot is qualified under the rules that apply to that kind of operation. There is no single entrance exam: the certificate is earned by meeting age, knowledge, training, flight-experience and medical requirements, passing a knowledge test, and then passing a practical test (the checkride) in the aircraft category and class sought.

This page uses the airplane category with single-engine and multiengine class ratings as the main example, because the flight-hour rules differ by category and class. The same certificate can also be issued for helicopters, gyroplanes, powered-lift, gliders, airships and balloons.

Who can apply

Under the regulation on commercial pilot eligibility, an applicant must:

• be at least 18 years old;

• be able to read, speak, write and understand English (if a medical reason prevents one of these, the FAA may add operating limits to the certificate);

• hold at least a private pilot certificate, or meet the separate requirements in 14 CFR 61.73 for military pilots;

• hold at least a third-class medical certificate when taking the practical test in an aircraft, and at least a second-class medical certificate to use commercial privileges in most aircraft (gliders and balloons are treated differently).

Levels or stages

Stage 1: Ground training and knowledge test

An authorised instructor must either teach the required ground training or review the applicant's home-study course, then sign a logbook endorsement saying the applicant is ready for the knowledge test. The applicant then has to pass the knowledge test. To use the result, the test must have been passed within the 24 calendar months before the month in which the practical test is completed, and the test report must be shown when applying for the practical test.

Stage 2: Flight training and experience

The applicant must receive and log flight training on the areas of operation listed in the regulation, and must have the minimum flight experience for the rating sought before applying for the practical test. An instructor must endorse the applicant as prepared for the practical test, and the applicant must have logged training in preparation for it in the 2 calendar months before the month of application.

Stage 3: Practical test

The practical test covers the areas of operation for the category and class. It is taken after the knowledge test is passed, the experience is logged and the endorsements are in place. A completed, signed application form is also needed.

Exam pattern

Knowledge test. A written test on the aeronautical knowledge areas the regulation lists for the aircraft category and class sought.

Practical test areas for an airplane single-engine rating:

Practical test areas for an airplane multiengine rating: the same list, except that ground reference maneuvers are not included and multiengine operations are added.

Syllabus

The regulation lists the aeronautical knowledge areas that ground training or home study must cover. In summary they are:

• federal aviation regulations on commercial pilot privileges, limits and flight operations, and National Transportation Safety Board accident reporting rules;

• basic aerodynamics and the principles of flight;

• meteorology, including critical weather, windshear, and the use of aviation weather reports and forecasts;

• safe and efficient aircraft operation, weight and balance, performance charts, and the effects of exceeding performance limits;

• charts and the magnetic compass for pilotage and dead reckoning, and the use of air navigation facilities;

• aeronautical decision making and judgment;

• aircraft systems, and maneuvers, procedures and emergency operations suited to the aircraft;

• night and high-altitude operations;

• procedures for operating in the National Airspace System.

Flight training follows the areas of operation shown in the exam pattern.

Flight experience requirements

For an airplane category rating, either class needs at least 250 hours of flight time as a pilot. The breakdown is:

The 10 hours of solo or instructor-on-board pilot-in-command flight must include a cross-country flight of at least 300 nautical miles with landings at three or more points, one at least 250 nautical miles in a straight line from the departure point (150 nautical miles if done in Hawaii), and 5 hours of night VFR flying with 10 takeoffs and 10 landings at an airport with an operating control tower.

An applicant who did not train at a Part 142 training centre may count up to 50 hours of airplane time from a full flight simulator or flight training device toward the total. A Part 142 course allows up to 100 hours.

Marking and results

The practical test is assessed on the areas of operation for the category and class. The regulation sections used here do not give knowledge-test scoring or a pass mark, so check the FAA testing pages and the Airman Certification Standards for the current scoring rules.

After the exam

A pilot who holds a commercial certificate with an airplane category rating but has no instrument rating in the same category and class receives a certificate with a limit: carrying passengers for hire on cross-country flights of more than 50 nautical miles, or at night, is prohibited. The limit is removed once the pilot meets the instrument rating requirements for that category and class.

Preparation tips

• Plan ground study around the knowledge areas in the regulation, and ask your instructor to review any areas you were weak on in the knowledge test, because the instructor must confirm you know them before the practical test.

• Track your logbook against each hour requirement early, especially the cross-country and night requirements and the complex or turbine time.

• Keep the 3 hours of preparation flight training inside the 2 calendar months before the checkride.

• Do not let the knowledge test result lapse; it must fall within the 24 calendar months before the month of the practical test.