A commercial pilot may receive compensation for flight time under some conditions, including aerial photography, pipe-line inspection, surveying, flights carrying passengers to a point less than 25nm from the point of departure, traffic reporting, fire-fighting, and air-ambulance.
Some flights, for example carrying passengers on trips more than 25nm from the point of departure, are required to operate under a special charter certificate (“Part 135”) issued by the FAA to a business, and in that case, each pilot who operates flights under that charter certificate must be a qualified company Part 135 pilot.
Requirements to be eligible for a commercial license
- You must be at least 18 years old.
- You must be able to read, write, understand, and speak English.
- You must hold at least a private pilot license for any category of aircraft.
- You must hold a current FAA Medical Certificate.
- You must fly at least 30 hours in a helicopter and complete the aeronautical requirements (see below for details), but you must have at least 150 hours total time to be eligible for the license, which includes at least 10 hours of night solo, 10 hours of instrument training, 100 hours of pilot-in-command time, and 100 hours in a powered aircraft.
- You must complete ground instruction on the required subjects with a Certified Flight or Ground Instructor.
- You must receive a grade of 90% or better on the FAA Commercial Pilot Helicopter Written Knowledge test (Add-on: If you already hold a commercial license you are not required to take the Written Knowledge Test).
- You must pass an FAA oral and practical flight test with an FAA Designated Examiner (checkride).
Aeronautical requirements for earning a commercial license
- At least 20 hours of dual helicopter instruction with a Certified Flight Instructor
- 20 hours of dual before solo in the R22 (specific to Robinson R22s)
- One cross-country flight of at least 2 hours in day VFR, consisting of a total straight-line distance of at least 50nm from the point of departure
- One cross-country flight of at least 2 hours in night VFR, consisting of a total straight-line distance of at least 50nm from the point of departure
- 10 hours of instrument training in any aircraft
- 3 hours of dual instruction in preparation for the checkride within the preceding 60 days
- At least 10 hours of solo helicopter flight time
- One cross-country flight with landings at at least 3 points, with one leg at least 50nm from the point of departure
- 5 hours of night VFR solo flight with 10 takeoffs and landings and full traffic patterns
- 100 hours as Pilot-in-Command (PIC)
- At least 35 hours must be in a helicopter
- At least 10 hours must be cross-country in a helicopter
- 100 hours in powered aircraft, of which at least 50 hours must be in a helicopter
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