Pilot reference

Commercial pilot requirements (61.129)

250 hours is the number everyone knows. What actually schedules your last few months are the specific flights inside it: the long cross-country, the night requirement at a towered airport, and the ten hours in a complex or technically advanced airplane.

Written by the FlightWay team. Regulations checked against the eCFR and faa.gov on 11 November 2026. Not a substitute for the regulation itself or your instructor.

The 61.129(a) minimums

Requirement	Minimum	Rule
Total flight time as a pilot	250 h	61.129(a)
Powered aircraft	100 h	61.129(a)(1)
... of which in airplanes	50 h	61.129(a)(1)
Pilot in command	100 h	61.129(a)(2)
... PIC in airplanes	50 h	61.129(a)(2)(i)
... PIC cross-country (10 h of it in airplanes)	50 h	61.129(a)(2)(ii)
Training on the commercial areas of operation	20 h	61.129(a)(3)
... instrument training (5 h in a single-engine airplane)	10 h	61.129(a)(3)(i)
... training in a complex, turbine or technically advanced airplane	10 h	61.129(a)(3)(ii)
... 2-hour day cross-country, more than 100 NM straight-line	one flight	61.129(a)(3)(iii)
... 2-hour night cross-country, more than 100 NM straight-line	one flight	61.129(a)(3)(iv)
... checkride preparation within 2 calendar months	3 h	61.129(a)(3)(v)
Solo, or performing PIC duties with an instructor aboard	10 h	61.129(a)(4)
... cross-country of 300 NM, three landings, one point 250 NM straight-line away	one flight	61.129(a)(4)(i)
... night VFR time	5 h	61.129(a)(4)(ii)
... night takeoffs and landings at a towered airport	10	61.129(a)(4)(ii)

Complex, turbine or TAA

Since a 2018 amendment, the 10 hours in 61.129(a)(3)(ii) can be in a complex airplane, a turbine-powered airplane, or a technically advanced airplane (TAA), or any combination. A TAA, under 61.129(j), has an electronic primary flight display, a multifunction display with a GPS moving map, and a two-axis autopilot integrated with the navigation and heading guidance, with the displays continuously visible. The multiengine version, 61.129(b)(3)(ii), still requires a multiengine complex or turbine-powered airplane: the TAA option is single-engine only.

The rest of the path

Age 18 (14 CFR 61.123); hold at least a private pilot certificate.
Knowledge test CAX (Commercial Pilot Airplane): 100 questions, 2.5 hours, with an instructor endorsement (AC 61-65K A.38).
Practical test endorsement (A.39), and the checkride against the Commercial Pilot ACS, FAA-S-ACS-7B.
Without an instrument rating, a commercial certificate carries a limitation on carrying passengers for hire on cross-countries of more than 50 NM or at night (61.133(b)).

How many hours do you need for a commercial pilot license?

At least 250 hours of flight time as a pilot for airplane single-engine under 14 CFR 61.129(a), including 100 hours in powered aircraft, 100 hours as pilot in command (50 cross-country), 20 hours of training and 10 hours solo or performing PIC duties with an instructor aboard.

Can a technically advanced airplane replace complex time for the commercial?

Yes, for the single-engine rating. 61.129(a)(3)(ii) accepts 10 hours in a complex, turbine-powered or technically advanced airplane (as defined in 61.129(j)), or any combination. For the multiengine rating, it must be a multiengine complex or turbine-powered airplane.

Sources

14 CFR 61.129, Aeronautical experience; 14 CFR 61.123; 14 CFR 61.133 (eCFR Title 14, current as of 9 November 2026).
FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix. AC 61-65K, Certification: Pilots and Flight and Ground Instructors, A.38–A.39. FAA Airman Certification Standards page: FAA-S-ACS-7B.
Checked on 11 November 2026. If a rule has changed since, the regulation governs; tell us and we will correct the page.

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Last updated 11 November 2026.