1,500 Hour Rule and Restricted ATP FAQ

The FAA generally requires 1,500 hours of total time as a pilot to hold an airplane Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate, which airline pilots need to fly for a Part 121 airline. For a career pilot the rule works like a finish line, and every certificate you earn is a step toward it. At MH Aviation we build your training plan around the full requirement, and our explanation of the 1,500 hour rule is a good place to start reading.

No. The 1,500 hours must include 500 hours of cross-country, 100 of night, 75 of instrument, 50 in the class of airplane and 250 as pilot in command. A pilot with 1,500 total hours can still fall short of one of those minimums. We help students track each category from the first lesson, and our guide to what counts toward the 1,500 hours shows how each type of time is logged.

A restricted privileges ATP lets qualifying pilots apply with fewer total hours: 750 for military pilots, 1,000 for bachelor's degree graduates and 1,250 for associate's degree graduates, each with 200 hours of cross-country. The degree must come from an FAA-authorized program with approved Part 141 training. If you are weighing a degree route against a certificate path, we walk through both with you, and our guide on restricted ATP explains the conditions.

It usually takes two to five years from the first lesson, depending on how many hours you fly each month. Training runs about a year for a full-time student, and building time as an instructor takes the rest. A student who flies 60 hours a month in the building phase finishes sooner than one who flies 20. We map your timeline month by month in our guide on how long it takes to reach 1,500 flight hours.

There is no single number, because the cost depends on how you build hours after training. Our single-engine training aircraft start at $170 an hour wet, with instructor time billed at $80 an hour. Time building as an instructor can offset much of the second phase, while renting aircraft for that phase can cost six figures. Our breakdown of the cost of building 1,500 flight hours shows the math, and our rate sheet has current numbers.

Yes, as a flight instructor. A certificated flight instructor may log pilot-in-command time for all flight time while serving as the authorized instructor, so instructing both pays and builds your logbook. Pay and available hours depend on student demand. MH Aviation prioritizes its own graduates for instructor positions, subject to availability and performance, and you can read how the certificate works in our CFI guide.

The standard ATP does not require a degree, and a degree is how some pilots qualify for the reduced-hours route. Airlines set their own hiring requirements, which can go beyond the FAA minimum, so check the companies you want to fly for. We cover the question in depth in our guide on whether you need a degree.

No. Reaching the hours makes you eligible for the ATP under FAA rules, and hiring is a separate process with its own requirements. Think of 1,500 hours as the point your options open. We help students plan the time before it so their logbook and record are ready when it arrives.

Start with a first flight at Fox Field in Lancaster. You will meet the instructors, see the fleet and the maintenance hangar, and talk through a plan for your goals. From there, our Zero to Airlines program lays out each certificate on the way to the hours you need. There are no waitlists, so you can usually begin soon after you decide.