Type ratings and training contracts
What a type rating is, when you need one, and how training bonds and pay-to-fly schemes work.
A type rating is an additional qualification on your certificate required to act as pilot of a specific large or turbojet aircraft (broadly, those over 12,500 lb or any turbojet). You don't need one for light aircraft, but every airliner requires it.
How pilots get type-rated:
- Airline-provided — the most common and most desirable. Your employer trains and type-rates you on their aircraft as part of new-hire training, usually at no cost to you (though sometimes with a training bond/agreement requiring you to stay a minimum period or repay a prorated cost if you leave early).
- Self-funded — paying for your own type rating to be more competitive, more common outside the U.S.
- "Pay-to-fly" (P2F) schemes — controversial arrangements where a pilot pays to log line hours on type; widely discouraged.
Training contracts/bonds are normal in cadet and some airline settings: the airline invests heavily in your training and protects that investment with a repayment clause. Read the terms carefully — the bond amount, the decay schedule, and what triggers repayment.
A type rating is both a skill credential and a financial commitment. Understand who pays, what you owe, and for how long before you sign.
*Reference and training only — terms vary by employer and country.*