ATP Experience requirements

Firebird2XC

Well-Known Member
A question about the ATP aeronautical experience requirements...

At the bottom of this cut-and-paste from the FARs is a section about pilot time, to not include "more than 50 percent of 1200 hours time for the total 1500 hour requirement... ". If I'm reading this correctly, it says that if you have less than 600 hours solo/PIC time, even if you have in excess of 1500 hours total time, your ATP ticket comes with an ICAO restriction.

What exactly is this restriction preventing an ATP from doing? I haven't quite been able to find it.

It sheds some light on why places like NWA want 500 hours PIC, as far as I can tell. ie, 500 hours PIC plus time spent on high mins (100 hours) as a captain at NWA would equal 600+ hours 'pilot' (PIC) time.

Anybody else know anything on this? I've got everything else covered and am wondering if I should do anything with this.

§ 61.159 Aeronautical experience: Airplane category rating.

(a) Except as provided in paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) of this section, a person who is applying for an airline transport pilot certificate with an airplane category and class rating must have at least 1,500 hours of total time as a pilot that includes at least:
(1) 500 hours of cross-country flight time.
(2) 100 hours of night flight time.
(3) 75 hours of instrument flight time, in actual or simulated instrument conditions, subject to the following:
(i) Except as provided in paragraph (a)(3)(ii) of this section, an applicant may not receive credit for more than a total of 25 hours of simulated instrument time in a flight simulator or flight training device.
(ii) A maximum of 50 hours of training in a flight simulator or flight training device may be credited toward the instrument flight time requirements of paragraph (a)(3) of this section if the training was accomplished in a course conducted by a training center certificated under part 142 of this chapter.
(iii) Training in a flight simulator or flight training device must be accomplished in a flight simulator or flight training device, representing an airplane.
(4) 250 hours of flight time in an airplane as a pilot in command, or as second in command performing the duties of pilot in command while under the supervision of a pilot in command, or any combination thereof, which includes at least—
(i) 100 hours of cross-country flight time; and
(ii) 25 hours of night flight time.
(5) Not more than 100 hours of the total aeronautical experience requirements of paragraph (a) of this section may be obtained in a flight simulator or flight training device that represents an airplane, provided the aeronautical experience was obtained in an approved course conducted by a training center certificated under part 142 of this chapter.
(b) A person who has performed at least 20 night takeoffs and landings to a full stop may substitute each additional night takeoff and landing to a full stop for 1 hour of night flight time to satisfy the requirements of paragraph (a)(2) of this section; however, not more than 25 hours of night flight time may be credited in this manner.
(c) A commercial pilot may credit the following second-in-command flight time or flight-engineer flight time toward the 1,500 hours of total time as a pilot required by paragraph (a) of this section:
(1) Second-in-command time, provided the time is acquired in an airplane—
(i) Required to have more than one pilot flight crewmember by the airplane's flight manual, type certificate, or the regulations under which the flight is being conducted;
(ii) Engaged in operations under subpart K of part 91, part 121, or part 135 of this chapter for which a second in command is required; or
(iii) That is required by the operating rules of this chapter to have more than one pilot flight crewmember.
(2) Flight-engineer time, provided the time—
(i) Is acquired in an airplane required to have a flight engineer by the airplane's flight manual or type certificate;
(ii) Is acquired while engaged in operations under part 121 of this chapter for which a flight engineer is required;
(iii) Is acquired while the person is participating in a pilot training program approved under part 121 of this chapter; and
(iv) Does not exceed more than 1 hour for each 3 hours of flight engineer flight time for a total credited time of no more than 500 hours.
(d) An applicant may be issued an airline transport pilot certificate with the endorsement, “Holder does not meet the pilot in command aeronautical experience requirements of ICAO,” as prescribed by Article 39 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, if the applicant:
(1) Credits second-in-command or flight-engineer time under paragraph (c) of this section toward the 1,500 hours total flight time requirement of paragraph (a) of this section;
(2) Does not have at least 1,200 hours of flight time as a pilot, including no more than 50 percent of his or her second-in-command time and none of his or her flight-engineer time; and
(3) Otherwise meets the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section.
(e) When the applicant specified in paragraph (d) of this section presents satisfactory evidence of the accumulation of 1,200 hours of flight time as a pilot including no more than 50 percent of his or her second-in-command flight time and none of his or her flight-engineer time, the applicant is entitled to an airline transport pilot certificate without the endorsement prescribed in that paragraph.
[Doc. No. 25910, 62 FR 16298, Apr. 4, 1997; Amdt. 61–103, 62 FR 40906, July 30, 1997; Amdt. 61–104, 63 FR 20288, Apr. 23, 1998; Amdt. 61–109, 68 FR 54560, Sept. 17, 2003]
 
Why are you looking at this Chuck? You still have what...............6.75 years to go? :laff: :D ;)
 
So the 100 on high mins will count towards the 600 if one were only to have 500 PIC at NWA?

As I read it, yeah. That's how I'm reading it. I always wondered where they got those supposedly arbitrary numbers from.

The fact that that 100 hours happens to be during high mins is just coincidental. It may not actually have anything to do with it at all.
 
Why are you looking at this Chuck? You still have what...............6.75 years to go? :laff: :D ;)

Yeah yeah. VERY funny. Your jokes are as old as the crust in your underwear, sailor. :D

Besides- you think getting my ATP at Eagle is the only plan I've got? Dude- really- in this industry you GOTS to have a backup plan. This is all part of it.

Wait for it- I'll make captain well under the current assumptions about Eagle's upgrade time, assuming current upgrade classes and movement in the list stay roughly the steady.
 
Yeah yeah. VERY funny. Your jokes are as old as the crust in your underwear, sailor. :D

Besides- you think getting my ATP at Eagle is the only plan I've got? Dude- really- in this industry you GOTS to have a backup plan. This is all part of it.

Wait for it- I'll make captain well under the current assumptions about Eagle's upgrade time, assuming current upgrade classes and movement in the list stay roughly the steady.

Crust in my underwear? Nah...thats just topping for ramen noodles. :eek: :crazy:


Seriously, I've been hearing that guys hired with very low time, are lacking the 250hrs PIC when it comes for upgrade. So they get sent back to the FO ranks while they rent 172's on the weekends to get the PIC time up.

Another very good reason to double check your logbook prior to applying for a 121 job and certainly prior to upgrade. These were never issues with higher time pilots.
 
You shouldn't assume anything, especially in aviation!

Duh. I'm just saying- if things were to remain in motion as they are now, things will prove far better than most might say.

The fact that that is in no way an absolute goes without saying.

I mean, hey, we could get spun off and then downsized to the point where I'm on the street.

Or, we could get stapled to AA's list and I drop my standing bid for the 757 right seat.

Who knows?

Quit playing the semantics game. Sheesh.
 
Crust in my underwear? Nah...thats just topping for ramen noodles. :eek: :crazy:


Seriously, I've been hearing that guys hired with very low time, are lacking the 250hrs PIC when it comes for upgrade. So they get sent back to the FO ranks while they rent 172's on the weekends to get the PIC time up.

Another very good reason to double check your logbook prior to applying for a 121 job and certainly prior to upgrade. These were never issues with higher time pilots.

Which is precisely my point- I do still have a while before I have to worry about upgrade requirements, ergo, I can think ahead now.

The only obstacle I've seen is the one requiring the limitation. Now that I know about it, I can take steps to correct it... or.. if it's a non-issue, ignore it.

Anybody that started airline flying without 600 hours PIC on a commercial certificate might have to look into this. That may well include you, buddy. :)
 
Timing for newly minted captains, etc. Just wondering about the nature of new hire minimum time requirements and the eventual upgrade/initial ATP requirements, etc. Kinda theorizing out loud.

I see what you mean, it is an interesting coincidence. However, the two regs are completely unrelated.

It's interesting that you bring up this ICAO restriction. I've always been vaguely aware of it, but hadn't thought much about when it applies until you posted. The wording is a little funny and I had to read it twice to see exactly how you came up with the 600 hrs PIC requirement. But I see it...of course, technically dual received time is not necessarily PIC or SIC time so could count as well. But few people will have 600 hours of dual given, so in practice PIC time would be expected to make up the bulk of the required 50% of the 1200TT time.

Here's another thought...the regionals have been hiring pilots for a while now who don't even have 600TT, let alone 600 PIC. Looks like in the near future they might have an abundance of captains with ICAO restrictions on their ATPs unable to fly internationally for some time.

As for waivers...I highly doubt any exist. Keep in mind that while the FAA can freely issue waivers that effect operations in the U.S, take an airplane outside the U.S. and those waivers that don't meet ICAO standards become null and void and you have to comply with ICAO and local regulation.
 
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