Timeline: 2 Months

Your first step in becoming an airline pilot is obtaining your private pilots license. The FAA requires a minimum of 40 hours flight time as well as classroom training. Most students obtain their private pilots license around 65 hours. This is the national average listed in the FAA website. This license will give you the ability to fly by visual references, otherwise known as your “VFR” (Visual Flight Rules) license. You are required to take a written exam.

Timeline: 2 Months

After obtaining your private pilot license, you will need to obtain an instrument “add-on” rating to your private pilots license. The instrument rating trains the pilot to fly the aircraft with reference to instruments (IFR, Instrument Flight Rules). The FAA requires the applicant to have 40 hours of simulated/actual instrument training. This means while you are flying the aircraft, you will be wearing a mechanism that blocks your ability to look outside. The instructor is onboard for safety purposes at all times. The FAA permits the applicant to substitute 20 of the 40 hours in an approved “Advanced Aviation Training Device”, (AATD) otherwise known as a simulator. OC Flight Lessons exclusively uses RedBird for their simulator training. RedBird is the industry leader in FAA approved Flight simulators. We use the most advanced, state of the art, AATD the industry offers in our facility. The Redbird simulator enables us to expose the student to scenario based training not possible in the aircraft. In addition to enhanced training, the simulator will save the student thousands of dollars in training costs in the actual aircraft. The applicant must also have accrued 50 hours of cross country flight time as Pilot In Command prior to taking the Instrument test. You are required to take a written exam.

Timeline: 1 Months

The Commercial Pilots License will allow you to fly for hire. You are required to have 250 hours of flight time and complete a written exam. Of the 250 hours, 10 hours must be in a complex aircraft, and you must have an instrument rating. You will be able to apply for flying jobs such as: Corporate Pilot, Flight Instructor, Aerial Photography, Banner Towing. If your goal is to become an airline pilot, you will need to reach 1,500 hours before an airline will hire you. Most people become flight instructors to reach the 1,500 hour requirement. Becoming a flight instructor will strengthen your skills as well as give you and income while building your flight time. The FAA permits up to 50 hours to be completed in our approved Redbird simulator giving the student a significant cost savings

Timeline: 1 Month

After attaining your commercial license, you will need to accumulate 1,500 hours of flight time to be eligible for hire at an airline. While it is not required, most chose to get their flight instructor license because it provides them a fast way to build those hours and be earn a living. Becoming a Certified Flight Instructor(CFI) consists of classroom training as well as 15 hours of aircraft training in the instructor seat. After obtaining your CFI license, you can start building your flight hours. The CFI course must be taught by an instructor with a minimum of 2 years of instructing experience. There are two additional flight instructor licenses, the Certified Flight Instructor – Instrument (CFII), which allows you to teach students for their instrument rating. There is also the Multi Engine Instructor license(MEI), which allows you to instruct in multi engine aircraft. For decades, airlines preferred pilots with at least 100 hours of multi engine experience. That requirement has dropped to 25 hours at most airlines, thus reducing the need to attain an MEI license. Most pilots will accrue 15-20 hours of multi engine experience when they train to become multi engine pilots. With only a 5-10 hour gap of hours needed, it is more cost beneficial to simply rent the multi engine to build the remaining hours.

Timeline: 1 Month

The multi-engine commercial license will allow you to fly for hire in aircraft with more than one engine. The airlines will require this license prior to hiring you. Your previous commercial license only certified you to fly for hire in a single-engine aircraft. This license will be considered an add-on to your single-engine.