The 1,500 Hour Path to the Airlines
What the 1,500 hours really are, how to build them, and how to plan the path from your first lesson to your ATP.
The 1,500 hours are a set of requirements, not one number
An airplane ATP certificate generally requires 1,500 hours of total time as a pilot. Inside that total the FAA sets minimums for cross-country (500 hours), night (100), instrument (75), class of airplane (50) and pilot in command (250, with 100 cross-country and 25 night).
Some pilots qualify with fewer total hours through a restricted privileges ATP: 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 routes require an FAA-authorized program and approved Part 141 training, as we explain in our restricted ATP guide.
A multi-engine ATP applicant also completes the ATP CTP course and the knowledge and practical tests. Our guide to what counts toward the 1,500 hours shows how each category is logged.
See the path in person at Fox Field
Your plan for the hours decides your timeline and your budget
After training, roughly 1,250 hours remain. At 20 hours a month that takes about 63 months, at 40 hours about 31 months, and at 60 hours about 21 months. The monthly number you fly matters more than almost anything else in your plan, and our guide on how long it takes to reach 1,500 hours runs the math in full.
Cost follows the same logic. Renting aircraft to build those 1,250 hours at a $170 wet rate comes to $212,500, while instructing lets your students pay for the flying. Our breakdown of what it costs to build 1,500 flight hours shows both sides, and pay-as-you-go pricing means you can fund the training phase as you go instead of taking on one large loan.
Reaching 1,500 hours makes you eligible for the ATP. Airlines set their own hiring requirements, which can exceed the FAA minimum, so treat the date as the day your options open.
Plan your budget with current numbers
Keep the aircraft flying and the hours keep coming
At many schools a broken part means weeks waiting on an outside shop. MH Aviation owns its Part 145 repair station, so the training fleet gets priority maintenance and returns to the line sooner.
We fly from Fox Field in the high desert, away from the coastal marine layer that cancels lessons at schools near the coast. Consistent flying is what turns a plan into a logbook.
Our Zero to Airlines program maps each certificate on the way to the hours you need, and MH Aviation prioritizes its own graduates for instructor positions, subject to availability and performance.
See every step from first lesson to instructor
Four steps from your first lesson to your ATP
Earn your private pilot certificate
Start with the private pilot certificate and your first solo cross-country. This is where cross-country and night time begin to build.
Add instrument and commercial
The instrument rating and commercial certificate make you eligible to work as a pilot and collect most of your instrument time.
Add multi-engine and instructor ratings
The multi-engine rating starts your class-of-airplane hours (the ATP requires 50). The CFI certificate lets you log pilot-in-command time for all instructional flight time and gets you paid while you build.
Build, log and prepare
Track every category, reach the ATP minimums, then complete the knowledge test, the ATP CTP and the practical test.
1,500 hour questions, answered
Does every flight hour count toward the 1,500?
No. The total must also include the cross-country, night, instrument, class-of-airplane and pilot-in-command minimums, and the time must be logged under the FAA's rules.
Can I log instruction I give as pilot-in-command time?
Yes. A certificated flight instructor may log pilot-in-command time for all flight time while serving as the authorized instructor, if rated to act as pilot in command of that aircraft.
How long does it take to reach 1,500 hours?
Most students need two to five years from the first lesson, depending on how many hours they fly each month after certification.
Does 1,500 hours guarantee an airline job?
No. It makes you eligible for the ATP under FAA rules. Airlines set their own hiring requirements, which can exceed the FAA minimum.
Where can I read the official ATP requirements?
The FAA explains the pathway on its ATP training page, and the rule text is in 14 CFR Part 61.
Start Your Hours
Your First Hour
Is the First Step
Book a first flight at Fox Field, meet the instructors and see how your path to 1,500 hours would work.
Call us at (661) 518-2700