What do you need for a commercial pilot license?
At least 250 total flight hours, including 100 as pilot in command and 50 cross-country, plus 20 hours of advanced training, a knowledge test and a checkride. You need a second-class medical to fly for hire. Top Aviation Services helps you build time and finish training at Philip Billard Airport (KTOP) in Topeka.
COMMERCIAL PILOT BY THE NUMBERS
WHAT THE FAA REQUIRES
Under 14 CFR 61.129, the Commercial Pilot Certificate for single-engine airplanes requires at least 250 hours of flight time, including:
- 100 hours in powered aircraft, 50 of them in airplanes
- 100 hours as pilot in command (50 in airplanes), including 50 hours of cross-country (10 in airplanes)
- 20 hours of training: 10 hours of instrument training, 10 hours in a complex, turbine-powered or technically advanced airplane, a 2-hour day and a 2-hour night cross-country (each more than 100 nautical miles), and 3 hours of checkride preparation
- 10 hours of solo flight (or as pilot in command with an instructor aboard), including a 300-nautical-mile cross-country and 5 hours of night VFR with 10 takeoffs and landings at a towered airport
- A Private Pilot Certificate, a passing knowledge test and a passing checkride
An instrument rating is not required to earn the certificate. Without one, however, you cannot carry passengers for hire on cross-country flights longer than 50 nautical miles or at night.
HOW YOU TRAIN WITH US
Build time in our Cessna 172M and Van’s RV-12iS at $159.95 per Hobbs hour plus tax, then complete your commercial training and checkride preparation with our flight instructors. Philip Billard Airport’s control tower covers the towered night landings the FAA requires.
Log the 10 hours of technically advanced airplane (TAA) training the FAA requires right here, in our 2025 Van’s RV-12iS. Its dual Garmin G3X Touch displays and integrated GFC 500 autopilot meet the FAA’s TAA definition, so you don’t need to rent a complex airplane elsewhere.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
How many hours do you need to become a commercial pilot?
At least 250 hours of total flight time under 14 CFR 61.129, including 100 hours as pilot in command and 50 hours of cross-country.
Do I need an instrument rating for a commercial pilot license?
No, but without one you cannot carry passengers for hire on cross-country flights longer than 50 nautical miles or at night. Most commercial pilots earn the instrument rating first.
What medical certificate does a commercial pilot need?
A second-class FAA medical certificate is required to exercise commercial pilot privileges.
Can I build flight hours at Top Aviation Services?
Yes. Once checked out, you can rent our Cessna 172M or Van’s RV-12iS at $159.95 per Hobbs hour plus tax.
Can I log TAA time for the commercial certificate at Top Aviation Services?
Yes. Our 2025 Van’s RV-12iS has dual Garmin G3X Touch displays and an integrated GFC 500 autopilot, which meet the FAA’s technically advanced airplane (TAA) definition for the 10 hours of complex, turbine or TAA training the commercial certificate requires.
MORE TRAINING AT KTOP
NOT SURE
WHERE TO
BEGIN?
A discovery flight puts you in the cockpit with a CFI for 30–45 minutes over Topeka. No experience needed. $159.99 — counts toward your certificate.