How to Get Your Airline Transport Pilot License

When you close your eyes and imagine the career of your dreams, what does that life look like? 

For many pilots, the perfect job is sliding behind the controls as a pilot in command of a scheduled airline flight or charter.

If you: 

1. share that goal and are a student pilot just starting out, 
2. or you have your private or commercial pilot’s license and are ready to take the next step…

…keep reading.  

Let’s look at how to qualify as an airline pilot, the training you’ll need, the timeline, plus our tips for how to speed up the process of earning your airline transport pilot (ATP) certificate – the piece of paper that is the ticket to your dream job.

Table of Contents

• Eligibility For An ATP Certificate
• ATP Certification Requirements
• Pathway To ATP Certification
• How Long Does It Take To Get An ATP Certificate?
• How To Become An Airline Pilot Faster

Eligibility For An ATP Certificate

Before you can start your ATP certification process, you have to meet the following basic eligibility criteria:

• Be at least 23 years old
• Be able to speak, read, write, and understand English
• Hold at least a third-class medical certificate
• Be able to obtain a 1st class medical certificate
• Hold a commercial pilot license with an instrument rating, a restricted ATP certificate, or a foreign ATP/commercial pilot certificate

ATP Certification Requirements

If you meet the basic eligibility criteria above, congratulations! You can start studying and training for your ATP. 

To earn your ATP certificate, you must:

• Have logged a minimum of 1500 hours of total flight time
• Have logged at least 500 hours of cross-country flight time
• Have completed at least 75 hours of actual or approved simulated instrument flight time (up to 25 hours may be simulated)
• Have completed an authorized Certification Training Program (CTP) for a multi-engine rating ATP certificate. (Note: A CTP is not needed for the single-engine rating).
• Pass the FAA ATP written exam
• Pass the FAA ATP oral exam
• Pass the FAA ATP practical exam (aka checkride)

Pathway To ATP Certification

The ATP license is the most advanced of all pilot certifications, so you need to stairstep up to it and earn all the lower-level certifications along the way. 

The certification pathway to ATP is:

Student pilot - Private pilot - Commercial Pilot - Airline Transport Pilot (ATP)

If ATP is your goal, you’ll start out as a student pilot. 

You must earn your private pilot certificate first before you can move on to your commercial certificate. Once you have your commercial certificate, you’re ready to start work on the ATP certificate.

How Long Does It Take To Get An ATP Certificate?

Your timeline from student pilot to ATP certified will depend on the type of training you choose and the number of hours you log each month. 

Students in a high-intensity accelerated training program or ATP flight schools can go from student pilot to ATP, having met the airline flight minimums in as little as 2 years and 3 months.

The average timeline is usually closer to 3 years on the low end and 7 on the higher end for non-accelerated, self-paced training progression.

How To Become An Airline Pilot Faster

If you’re eager to work your way up and want to turbo-charge your learning, the best way to do that is with high-quality, realistic supplemental training that can be done on your own time. 

Dedicated aviation comms training is important for all pilots. 

If you are going to one day be an airline pilot traveling through highly regulated Class A airspace, having a firm grasp on FAA phraseology and communication procedures for all phases of flight is even more crucial.

The easy (and expedited) route to aviation radio proficiency is through a realistic radio simulator tool like ARSim, which can be downloaded right to your phone or tablet. ARSim Aviation Radio Simulator emulates aviation radio, using speech analysis technology to give you instantaneous feedback on phraseology, speech patterns, and radio proficiency. 

New student pilots can start with a VFR communications training subscription. If you’re working on your IFR certification or are already IFR certified, try a stand-alone IFR access plan. 

The best value for pilots looking for the full spectrum of aviation radio training plus supplemental reading material is a VFR-IFR and comms manual bundle. This premium package is your ticket to access basic, VFR, and IFR aviation communications along with a stair-stepped complexity level Trainer mode that keeps pushing your knowledge, skills, and comms muscle memory to the next level as you grow.

No matter which plan you choose, ARSim is structured to provide instantaneous feedback in realistic scenarios, leading to rapid retention and communication muscle memory that will serve you in the cockpit both while training and once you officially land your dream ATP job.

Start training today with a free trial download!

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