Eligibility
- Age: at least 18.
- Medical: at least second-class if you exercise commercial privileges; first-class needed for certain operations.
- Hold a current Private Pilot certificate with an instrument rating (or be authorized to operate under limited VFR-only commercial privileges per § 61.133(b)(1)).
- Read, speak, write, and understand English.
Knowledge test
100 multiple-choice questions, 3 hours, 70% to pass. Topics: commercial regulations (Part 61, 91), performance/weight & balance, commercial aerodynamics (high-altitude, propellers, complex aircraft), advanced systems, and ADM. Reference: FAA-CT-8080-1E.
Aeronautical experience (Part 61)
- 250 hours total time as a pilot, of which:
- 100 hours PIC, including at least 50 in airplanes
- 50 hours cross-country as PIC, at least 10 in airplanes
- 20 hours of commercial flight training, including:
- 10 hours of instrument training (5 must be in airplanes)
- 10 hours in a complex, turbine, or TAA airplane (technically advanced aircraft — GPS, MFD, autopilot)
- One day cross-country of at least 2 hours, >100 NM straight-line, in daytime VFR
- One night cross-country of at least 2 hours, >100 NM straight-line, in nighttime VFR
- 3 hours in preparation for the practical test, within the preceding 2 calendar months
- 10 hours of solo flight (or as PIC with an instructor on board) in airplanes, including:
- One cross-country of at least 300 NM, with landings at three points, one leg >250 NM straight-line
- 5 hours of night VFR with 10 takeoffs and landings to a full stop at an airport with an operating control tower
Part 141 reduces totals to 190 hours under an approved syllabus.
Practical test
Done with a DPE. The flight portion is the part most pilots underestimate — commercial maneuvers fly to tighter tolerances than private:
- Chandelles, lazy 8s, eights-on-pylons, steep spirals, accelerated stalls
- Power-off 180° accuracy landing to a designated point (±100 ft is satisfactory)
- Soft-field and short-field operations to commercial standards
- Emergency procedures, systems, performance & weight and balance under oral
Reference: FAA-S-ACS-7B.
What it actually takes
Timeline: for most students, the hour requirement is the long pole. If you're building hours toward commercial, plan your XC and night flying intentionally so they count.
Cost (training only, not hour-building): $5,000–$10,000 for the commercial-specific instruction, checkride, and written. Hour-building can add tens of thousands depending on aircraft.