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2 Answers

Hours needed in different contries

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Airspace, Commercial Pilot, FAA Regulations, Flight Instructor, General Aviation, Instrument Rating, Private Pilot, Student Pilot

HI all! 

how do I know how many hours each country requires to be a professional airline pilot in any country?

Do you think that 1500 hours is too much or too little, keeping on mind that bachelors are a must?

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2 Answers



  1. Mark Kolber on Jan 07, 2021

    The pilot certification rules in that country.

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  2. awair on Jan 10, 2021

    The requirements are specified in ICAO Annex I, although individual states (countries) are free to publish variations.

    “The applicant shall have completed not less than 1500 hours of flight time as a pilot of airplanes.”

    The ICAO documents are published behind a paywall, and expensive. However, the Swiss Aviation Authority has them all reproduced (for free) on their site!

    The requirement for a Bachelor’s degree is a US airline thing. It’s not required elsewhere. Some University Aviation programs combine the degree and experience requirements to permit issue of a restricted ATP, with less hours.

    Also the requirement for an ATP for airline operation is a recent US requirement (post Colgan). In UK, Europe and the Middle East, co-pilots are flying with a CPL/IR (or an MPL) with only 200 hours!

    As pilots they tend to be proficient and well motivated, however, as “Airmen”, the jury is still out. There is no doubt that they missed some of the “good” experience gained via the traditional US style of apprenticeship, and “paying your dues”.

    Top tip: don’t stress about the requirements, just enjoy whatever flying you can get and make the most of it. Good luck.

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