Aeronautical experience: Airplane category rating

This regulation sets the flight time requirements for an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate with an airplane rating—the highest pilot certificate level required to be a captain at an airline.

The basic requirement is 1,500 total flight hours, including:

• 500 hours cross-country
• 100 hours night (with a substitution option for night takeoffs/landings)
• 75 hours instrument time (limits apply to simulator credit)
• 250 hours as pilot-in-command or performing PIC duties
• 50 hours in the class of airplane you're seeking (up to 25 hours may be simulator time)

Up to 100 hours total can be completed in approved simulators. Special provisions allow commercial pilots to log certain second-in-command time through approved professional development programs, and former flight engineers can credit limited flight engineer time (maximum 500 hours at a 3:1 ratio). Reduced-hour ATP pathways exist under §61.160 but aren't detailed here.

*This is a plain-English summary for study only. The official 14 CFR text on this page is controlling — always read the current regulation and consult a CFI.*