Flight hours is an aviation term referring to the total amount of time spent piloting aircraft, and serves as the primary measure of a pilot's experience. Flight hours (or flight time) is defined as "when an aircraft moves under its own power for the purpose of flight and ends when the aircraft comes to rest after landing."[1] Time spent taxiing and performing pre-flight checks on the ground is included in flight hours, provided the engine is running.
Most government licensing regulations have specific flight hour requirements, as do virtually all airline job listings.[2] Consequently, all pilots maintain a logbook (at least while pursuing a license or to record proof of recurrent training).[3] A pilot's logbook is considered a legal document. Most pilots maintain a traditional hard copy, but electronic versions[4] such as the one included with the popular app ForeFlight[5] are allowed. Flight hours are recorded in 0.1 hour increments, which correspond to the resolution of a typical Hobbs meter, an odometer-like instrument installed in most cockpits. Pilots record many details about their flight time, such as whether a flight occurred during the day or at night, in a single- or multi-engine aircraft, in visual or instrument conditions, and the pilot's role during the flight.[3]
Pilots are required to accumulate a certain number and type of flight hours for each certificate or rating.[2][6][7][8] The requirements become more numerous with each successive rating, but most requirements can be "stacked" (i.e. flying cross-country in instrument conditions fulfills both cross-country and instrument hour requirements). Detailed requirements for each rating can be found in 14 CFR Part 61[9] and in the sections to follow.
While it is theoretically possible to achieve a certificate/rating at the minimum hour requirements, pilots are required to demonstrate proficiency before they can take the written, oral, and practical tests for each. The Private Pilot Certificate in particular is known to take students more than the legal minimum hours to complete. These minimums were set decades ago, before the era of complex GPS units and an increasingly regulated National Airspace System. The national average for the Private Pilot Certificate is currently estimated at 60-75 hours.[10][11]
Private Pilot Certificate
According to FAR Part 61.109(a),[2] to be eligible for a Private Pilot Certificate the following aeronautical experience requirements must be met:
40 hours of total flight time
20 hours of flight training with an instructor
3 hours of cross-country training with an instructor in a single-engine airplane
3 hours of night flight training with an instructor in a single-engine airplane
A 100nm night cross-country flight with an instructor
3 hours of simulated instrument flying with an instructor
10 night takeoffs & landings
3 solo takeoffs & landings at a towered airport
10 hours of solo flight
5 hours of solo cross-country flight
A 150nm solo cross-country flight
Instrument Rating
According to FAR Part 61.65(d),[6] to be eligible for an Instrument Rating the following aeronautical experience requirements must be met:
50 hours of Pilot In Command cross-country flight
10 hours of Pilot In Command cross-country flight in an airplane
40 hours of actual or simulated instrument flying
15 hours of actual or simulated instrument flying in an airplane
A 250nm instrument cross-country flight, landing via 3 different types of instrument approach procedure
Commercial Pilot Certificate
According to FAR Part 61.129(a),[7] to be eligible for a Commercial Pilot Certificate the following aeronautical experience requirements must be met:
250 hours of total flight time
100 hours of flight time in powered aircraft
50 hours of flight time in an airplane
100 hours as Pilot In Command
50 hours as Pilot In Command in an airplane
50 hours of Pilot In Command cross-country flight
10 hours of Pilot In Command cross-country flight in an airplane
20 hours of flight training with an instructor
10 hours of simulated instrument flying with an instructor
5 hours of simulated instrument training with an instructor in a single-engine airplane
10 hours of complex aircraft training with an instructor
A 2-hour, 100nm day cross-country flight with an instructor in a single-engine airplane
A 2-hour, 100nm night cross-country flight with an instructor in a single-engine airplane
10 hours of solo flight in a single-engine airplane
a 300nm cross-country flight in a single-engine airplane with 3 landings, and one landing 250nm from the departure airport
5 hours of night flight in VFR conditions as Pilot In Command
10 night takeoffs & landings as Pilot In Command
Private Pilot Certificate, Multi-Engine Rating
According to FAR Part 61.109(a),[2] to be eligible for a Multi-Engine Rating the following aeronautical experience requirements must be met:
Commercial Pilot Certificate, Multi-engine Rating
According to FAR Part 61.129(a),[7] to be eligible for a Commercial Pilot Certificate, Multi-Engine Rating the following aeronautical experience requirements must be met:
Air Transport Pilot Certificate
According to FAR Part 61.159(a),[8] to be eligible for an Air Transport Pilot Certificate the following aeronautical experience requirements must be met:
References
^"14 CFR § 1.1 - General definitions". LII / Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
^ abcdef"14 CFR § 61.109 - Aeronautical experience". LII / Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
^ ab"14 CFR § 61.51 - Pilot logbooks". LII / Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
^"ForeFlight - Digital Pilot Logbook for iPad and iPhone". foreflight.com.
^"ForeFlight - Integrated Flight App for Pilots". foreflight.com.
^ abc"14 CFR § 61.65 - Instrument rating requirements". LII / Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
^ abcde"14 CFR § 61.129 - Aeronautical experience". LII / Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
^ abc"14 CFR § 61.159 - Aeronautical experience: Airplane category rating". LII / Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
^"14 CFR Part 61 - CERTIFICATION: PILOTS, FLIGHT INSTRUCTORS, AND GROUND INSTRUCTORS". LII / Legal Information Institute.
^"FAQs". www.aopa.org. 4 February 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
^"License to Learn". www.aopa.org. 4 May 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
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Flight hours is an aviation term referring to the total amount of time spent piloting aircraft and serves as the primary measure of a pilot s experience Flight hours or flight time is defined as when an aircraft moves under its own power for the purpose of flight and ends when the aircraft comes to rest after landing 1 Time spent taxiing and performing pre flight checks on the ground is included in flight hours provided the engine is running Contents 1 Recording flight time 2 Required hours by certificate rating 2 1 Overview 2 2 Private Pilot Certificate 2 3 Instrument Rating 2 4 Commercial Pilot Certificate 2 5 Private Pilot Certificate Multi Engine Rating 2 6 Commercial Pilot Certificate Multi engine Rating 2 7 Air Transport Pilot Certificate 3 ReferencesRecording flight time EditMost government licensing regulations have specific flight hour requirements as do virtually all airline job listings 2 Consequently all pilots maintain a logbook at least while pursuing a license or to record proof of recurrent training 3 A pilot s logbook is considered a legal document Most pilots maintain a traditional hard copy but electronic versions 4 such as the one included with the popular app ForeFlight 5 are allowed Flight hours are recorded in 0 1 hour increments which correspond to the resolution of a typical Hobbs meter an odometer like instrument installed in most cockpits Pilots record many details about their flight time such as whether a flight occurred during the day or at night in a single or multi engine aircraft in visual or instrument conditions and the pilot s role during the flight 3 Required hours by certificate rating EditThe examples and perspective in this section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject You may improve this section discuss the issue on the talk page or create a new section as appropriate May 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message Pilots are required to accumulate a certain number and type of flight hours for each certificate or rating 2 6 7 8 The requirements become more numerous with each successive rating but most requirements can be stacked i e flying cross country in instrument conditions fulfills both cross country and instrument hour requirements Detailed requirements for each rating can be found in 14 CFR Part 61 9 and in the sections to follow Overview Edit Certificate or Rating Total Hour Req Add l Requirement Add l Requirement Add l RequirementPrivate Pilot Certificate 2 40 hours 5 PIC cross country hours 10 hours soloInstrument Rating 6 N A 50 PIC cross country hours 40 instrument hoursCommercial Pilot Certificate 7 250 hours 50 PIC cross country hours 100 PIC hoursPrivate Pilot Certificate Multi Engine Rating 2 40 hours 5 PIC cross country hours 10 hours solo 8 multi engine hoursCommercial Pilot Certificate Multi Engine Rating 7 250 hours 50 PIC cross country hours 100 PIC hours 20 multi engine hoursAir Transport Pilot Certificate 8 1 500 hours 100 PIC cross country hours 250 PIC hours 500 cross country hoursWhile it is theoretically possible to achieve a certificate rating at the minimum hour requirements pilots are required to demonstrate proficiency before they can take the written oral and practical tests for each The Private Pilot Certificate in particular is known to take students more than the legal minimum hours to complete These minimums were set decades ago before the era of complex GPS units and an increasingly regulated National Airspace System The national average for the Private Pilot Certificate is currently estimated at 60 75 hours 10 11 Private Pilot Certificate Edit According to FAR Part 61 109 a 2 to be eligible for a Private Pilot Certificate the following aeronautical experience requirements must be met 40 hours of total flight time 20 hours of flight training with an instructor 3 hours of cross country training with an instructor in a single engine airplane 3 hours of night flight training with an instructor in a single engine airplane A 100nm night cross country flight with an instructor 3 hours of simulated instrument flying with an instructor 10 night takeoffs amp landings 3 solo takeoffs amp landings at a towered airport 10 hours of solo flight 5 hours of solo cross country flight A 150nm solo cross country flightInstrument Rating Edit According to FAR Part 61 65 d 6 to be eligible for an Instrument Rating the following aeronautical experience requirements must be met 50 hours of Pilot In Command cross country flight 10 hours of Pilot In Command cross country flight in an airplane 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument flying 15 hours of actual or simulated instrument flying in an airplane A 250nm instrument cross country flight landing via 3 different types of instrument approach procedureCommercial Pilot Certificate Edit According to FAR Part 61 129 a 7 to be eligible for a Commercial Pilot Certificate the following aeronautical experience requirements must be met 250 hours of total flight time 100 hours of flight time in powered aircraft 50 hours of flight time in an airplane 100 hours as Pilot In Command 50 hours as Pilot In Command in an airplane 50 hours of Pilot In Command cross country flight 10 hours of Pilot In Command cross country flight in an airplane 20 hours of flight training with an instructor 10 hours of simulated instrument flying with an instructor 5 hours of simulated instrument training with an instructor in a single engine airplane 10 hours of complex aircraft training with an instructor A 2 hour 100nm day cross country flight with an instructor in a single engine airplane A 2 hour 100nm night cross country flight with an instructor in a single engine airplane 10 hours of solo flight in a single engine airplane a 300nm cross country flight in a single engine airplane with 3 landings and one landing 250nm from the departure airport 5 hours of night flight in VFR conditions as Pilot In Command 10 night takeoffs amp landings as Pilot In CommandPrivate Pilot Certificate Multi Engine Rating Edit According to FAR Part 61 109 a 2 to be eligible for a Multi Engine Rating the following aeronautical experience requirements must be met Commercial Pilot Certificate Multi engine Rating Edit According to FAR Part 61 129 a 7 to be eligible for a Commercial Pilot Certificate Multi Engine Rating the following aeronautical experience requirements must be met Air Transport Pilot Certificate Edit According to FAR Part 61 159 a 8 to be eligible for an Air Transport Pilot Certificate the following aeronautical experience requirements must be met References Edit 14 CFR 1 1 General definitions LII Legal Information Institute Retrieved 19 February 2021 a b c d e f 14 CFR 61 109 Aeronautical experience LII Legal Information Institute Retrieved 19 February 2021 a b 14 CFR 61 51 Pilot logbooks LII Legal Information Institute Retrieved 19 February 2021 ForeFlight Digital Pilot Logbook for iPad and iPhone foreflight com ForeFlight Integrated Flight App for Pilots foreflight com a b c 14 CFR 61 65 Instrument rating requirements LII Legal Information Institute Retrieved 19 February 2021 a b c d e 14 CFR 61 129 Aeronautical experience LII Legal Information Institute Retrieved 19 February 2021 a b c 14 CFR 61 159 Aeronautical experience Airplane category rating LII Legal Information Institute Retrieved 19 February 2021 14 CFR Part 61 CERTIFICATION PILOTS FLIGHT INSTRUCTORS AND GROUND INSTRUCTORS LII Legal Information Institute FAQs www aopa org 4 February 2016 Retrieved 19 February 2021 License to Learn www aopa org 4 May 2011 Retrieved 19 February 2021 This aviation related article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Flight hours amp oldid 1114305852, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
