COMMERCIAL CERTIFICATE

What is it?

What is better than flying? GETTING PAID TO FLY! Getting your commercial pilot certification is the first step to being able to get paid to fly aircraft. The commercial certificate is fairly straight forward. It mostly consists of learning a few new maneuvers, a few new regulations, and flying to higher standards and tighter tolerances.

What to expect:

STEP ONE

FAA Medical Certificate: Commercial pilots are held to higher medical standards than private pilots. To exercise commercial privileges you need a minimum of a second class medical certificate. I recommend if you are looking to make aviation a career to get a first class medical certificate as it is the most restrictive. With a first class medical certificate you can exercise the privileges of the Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate as well as commercial pilot privileges. I recommend getting the medical certificate first to make sure you meet the standards before spending money on training.

STEP TWO

Ground School: Complete an online or in person ground school to get the requisite knowledge for the rating.

STEP THREE

Flight Training: Get flight training from a qualified instructor to learn the new maneuvers, sharpen your flying skills and prepare for your checkride.

STEP FOUR

Checkride: The checkride consists of an oral examination and a practical examination which occurs in the airplane while flying.

STEP FIVE

Get Paid! Now that you are a commercial pilot, you can begin to make a living by flying! There are many low flying time jobs available to commercial pilots so you can start building hours to qualify for more advanced jobs.