Pilot hours
How many hours each licence needs — and when you'll have them
The headline minimums for the ATPL, the CPL and the FAA instrument rating, for six authorities — each read from the rule itself on 19 September 2026, with the conditions the rule adds. Open one to plan it: your hours, your monthly rate, the month you get there.
FAA
- FAA ATP — airplane1,500hours500 cross-country · 100 night · 75 instrument, actual or simulated · 250 pic in airplanes14 CFR 61.159(a)
- FAA Commercial — airplane single-engine250hours100 pic · 50 cross-country as pic14 CFR 61.129(a)
- FAA Instrument rating — airplane50hours40 instrument, actual or simulated14 CFR 61.65(d)
EASA
UK CAA
CASA
CAA NZ
- NZ ATPL — aeroplane1,500hours250 pic in aeroplanes · 100 cross-country as pic · 100 night, as pic or co-pilot · 75 instrument time · 50 in aeroplanesRule 61.253 and AC61-7 Appendix I
- NZ CPL — aeroplane200hours100 pic in aeroplanes · 30 cross-country · 10 night · 10 instrument timeRule 61.203 and AC61-5 Appendix I
Transport Canada
Track it from your logbook instead
AvLog Plus carries all of these as goals. Pick one and its Goals tab reads your flights, shows what's left and when you'll get there, and tells you the pace a target date needs.