Private Pilot Certificate:

Eligibility Requirements

• Be at least 17 years of age to earn your certificate
• Be at least 16 years of age to fly solo
• Be able to read, speak, write, and understand the English language. 
• Pass a written Aeronautical Knowledge Test with a score of 70% or better 
• Pass a Practical Test (commonly called a “Checkride”) with a Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) to the Private Pilot – Airmen Certification Standards (ACS)

Flight Time Requirement 

14 CFR 61.109

• Log at least 40 hours of flight time that includes at least 20 hours of flight training from an authorized instructor and 10 hours of solo flight training 
• 3 hours of cross-country flight training in a single-engine airplane;
• 3 hours of night flight training in a single-engine airplane that includes
  • One cross-country flight of over 100 nautical miles total distance; and
  • 10 takeoffs and 10 landings to a full stop (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport.
• 3 hours of flight training in a single-engine airplane on the control and maneuvering of an airplane solely by reference to instruments
• 3 hours of flight training with an authorized instructor within the preceding 2 calendar months from the month of the Practical Test
• 10 hours of solo flight time in a single-engine airplane, consisting of at least –
  •  5 hours of solo cross-country time;
  • One solo cross country flight of 150 nautical miles total distance, with full-stop landings at three points, and one segment of the flight consisting of a straight-line distance of more than 50 nautical miles between the takeoff and landing locations; and
  • Three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport with an operating control tower.

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Instrument Rating: 

Commercial Pilot Certificate: 

14 CFR 61.129

• Pass a written Aeronautical Knowledge Test

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:

• 100 hours in powered aircraft, of which 50 hours must be in airplanes.
• 100 hours of pilot-in-command flight time, which includes at least—
  •  50 hours in airplanes; and
  • 50 hours in cross-country flight of which at least 10 hours must be in airplanes.
• 20 hours of training on the areas of operation listed in §61.127(b)(1) of this part that includes at least—
  • 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;
  • 10 hours of training in an airplane that has a retractable landing gear, flaps, and a controllable pitch propeller, or is turbine-powered, or for an applicant seeking a single-engine seaplane rating, 10 hours of training in a seaplane that has flaps and a controllable pitch propeller;
  •  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;
  • 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
  • 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.
• 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 engine airplane 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—
  • 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
  • 5 hours in night VFR conditions with 10 takeoffs and 10 landings (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport with an operating control tower.