Pilot Time Building: Ways to Build Flight Hours for an Airline Career

What is pilot time building?

Pilot time building, also called pilot hour building or aviation hour building, refers to accumulating flight experience after earning one or more pilot certificates. Pilots need to build time to:

• qualify for additional ratings
• meet FAA aeronautical experience requirements
• satisfy employer minimums
• become more proficient
• prepare for airline interviews
• build experience using the skills learned in flight training in real-world scenarios

Every flight you take should have a purpose. Instead of simply logging hours, successful pilots gain experience in varying weather, airports, airspace, aircraft, and operational environments. Don’t think of time building as a requirement, but as an opportunity for varied flying experiences.

Why Flight Time Matters

Most aviation careers require significantly more experience than is needed to simply earn a certificate. The FAA awards certificates when minimums are met and you pass the checkride. These vary from pilot to pilot. For example, on average an instrument rated pilot achieves their rating in 90 to 150 total flight hours.

Understanding the flight hours needed for your ATP and other career goals helps you develop a realistic structured time building plan. If you have your eye on a particular airline, it’s also smart to learn their requirements as you prepare. These address hours, type ratings, and general hiring requirements.

FAA Hour Requirements

Regardless of which airline you want to fly for, the FAA specifies minimum aeronautical experience for each certificate and rating. This represents the bare minimum of what you need before addressing each airline’s unique requirements. Some typical examples of FAA requirements include:

• Flying time needed for a commercial license
• FAA PIC requirements
• FAA hour requirements
• Multi-engine time requirements
• XC (cross country) time requirements

Remember, employers almost always require experience beyond FAA minimums. You’ll differentiate these hours in your logbook, which must be 100% accurate.

Building PIC Time

One of the most valuable categories is pilot-in-command (PIC) time. You will need to understand:

• how to log PIC time
• logging pilot-in-command time
• logging PIC cross-country
• building PIC time
• PIC time requirements for commercial pilots

Accurate logging is essential. Incorrectly logging PIC time can create problems during airline interviews or FAA record reviews. Always log your flight time as quickly after you land as possible, and always review it carefully to avoid errors.

Simulator Time

FAA-approved flight simulators are valuable tools for pilots. They provide a safe and affordable way to practice maneuvers. Pilots can log simulator time, but this must be logged separately from actual flight time. For example, you can note hours flown in Aviation Training Devices (ATDs), Flight Training Devices (FTDs), or Full-Flight Simulators (FFS). However, this doesn’t count toward Total Flight Time because you did not actually fly an aircraft.

The Best Ways to Build Flight Time

Become a Flight Instructor

For many pilots, becoming a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) is the fastest and most economical path. Here at Epic, we frequently hire our CFI graduates. In fact, after I completed my CFI, I began instructing here at Epic. A few of the many benefits include:

• paid flying
• daily flight hour accumulation
• teaching reinforces knowledge
• diverse weather and airport experience

Many of us continue training to earn our CFII (Certified Flight Instructor – Instrument) and MEI (Multi-Engine Instructor) while teaching others as a CFI. CFII time building and multi-engine instructor experience add quality experiences to a pilot’s repertoire and important time to their logbooks. Instruction remains one of the most efficient methods for building time for airline careers and is the most common.

Fly Cross-Country

Long cross-country time building flights offer an excellent array of experiences. You’ll get a lot of practice and beneficial experiences, including:

• flight planning
• weather decisions
• ATC communication
• unfamiliar airports
• fuel management

Many pilots schedule time building long cross-country flights to satisfy FAA experience requirements while boosting their confidence. Our students frequently schedule XC flights to see new places, challenge themselves at new airports, and adapt to changing weather and flight plan changes. These flights are invaluable to building experience and confidence.

Rent an Aircraft

Some flight schools offer aircraft rentals for time building. Here at Epic, some of our pilots, once they’ve earned the proper ratings, enroll in a time building course. They may even invite friends or family to do a little sight-seeing. Renting aircraft to build time is common, although you’ll want to keep an eye on costs. If you can afford it, you might even buy your own plane. Flying is not inexpensive.

Building time while also receiving instruction is preferable, but most flight schools recognize pilot time building rentals as something students enjoy. Aircraft such as the Cessna 172 Skyhawk are popular because they are reliable and have relatively low operating costs.

Join a Flying Club

Flying clubs for time building often provide:

• lower hourly rates
• shared ownership costs
• scheduling flexibility
• access to multiple aircraft

For pilots seeking budget-friendly time building, flying clubs can significantly reduce expenses. Not all airports have flying clubs, but you can easily find a club near you. Costs vary widely, and there are usually three separate costs to join:

• an initiation fee ($100 to $2,500)
• monthly dues ($30 to $200)
• an hourly “wet” rate that covers fuel ($75 to $200+ depending on the aircraft)

Overall expenses are based mainly on the club’s location and fleet, which is why there is such a wide range. For a low-cost option, check your local club to see if it’s financially feasible for you.

Share Time with Another Pilot

Flying with another qualified pilot can also reduce costs while increasing your experience and logged hours. Flying partnership to build time options include:

• time building with another pilot
• partnership flying for time building
• alternate acting as PIC when appropriate and legal

Fly with a Safety Pilot

Instrument-rated pilots frequently use a safety pilot to:

• practice instrument procedures
• log simulated instrument time
• reduce costs

Flying with a qualified safety pilot allows instrument-rated pilots to practice under simulated instrument conditions while sharing aircraft costs. When done in accordance with FAA regulations, this is an efficient way to build instrument skills and, in some circumstances, log additional flight experience.

Solo vs. Dual Time Building

You may wonder whether solo time building or dual time building is better. Both have their advantages.

Most pilots benefit from combining both approaches throughout their training.

Multi-Engine Time Building

Airlines expect pilots to have logged multi-engine experience. Some options to build time include:

• time building multi-engine programs
• aircraft rentals
• instructor-led programs
• PIC multi-engine time building
• flight instruction as an MEI

Since multi-engine aircraft like the Piper Seminole are more expensive to operate, pilots should plan these hours strategically. For example, a great way to build multi-engine time is to become a multi-engine flight instructor. You can earn a paycheck while building hours.

Building Time After Flight School

Completing flight training is not the finish line. Many pilots continue time building after flight school ends in order to reach their 1,500 hours because they are preparing for ATP eligibility.

Time building after commercial certificate completion often includes working as a flight instructor or flying cargo for a Part 135 operation. Having a plan helps avoid wasted time and unnecessary expense.

Accelerated time building options include purchasing discounted bulk flight hour packages. Flying daily is an intensive approach to speed up the process.

Affordable Time Building Options

There’s no question flight time can be expensive, but there are a few ways to reduce costs. Top examples include:

• flying clubs
• tow banners
• aircraft partnerships
• splitting rental costs
• safety pilot arrangements
• efficient route planning
• instructor discounts
• block rental rates

There is no such thing as cheap pilot time building, but these options are more affordable. Most importantly, you never want to compromise safety. Find your own safe and creative way to log hours, such as volunteering for Pilots N Paws or Angel Flight.

Building Flight Time Efficiently

Pilots are quick to share strategies to build flight time fast. Some of the best flight hour building tips we’ve seen are fairly straightforward and include:

• fly consistently
• combine training objectives
• plan longer cross-country flights
• log instrument time when appropriate
• seek diverse airports
• fly different airspace
• gain night experience
• maintain accurate logbooks
• gain overall experience using pilot skills and knowledge acquired during flight training that will help with future job interviews and opportunities

Your flight training should include everything on this list for obvious reasons. Remember, quality experience is often more valuable than simply accumulating hours.

Safety First

Epic’s motto is “Safety first!” and this applies to time building and every other aspect of flying. There is no shortcut to becoming an experienced pilot. Avoid flying just to add numbers to your logbook. Instead, focus your efforts so every flight strengthens:

• aeronautical decision-making
• communication
• navigation
• aircraft systems knowledge
• weather judgment
• professionalism and cockpit discipline

The safest pilots are those who treat every flight hour as an opportunity to learn. Even during a checkride when you are showing off your skills, we encourage you to learn from the checkride experience.

Pilot Time Building Companies

There are companies that emphasize or focus solely on time building. A few examples include:

We cannot recommend where you build flight hours. You can search for time building near you, read the reviews, and decide if this approach works for you.

Start Building Toward Your Aviation Career

Whether you’re working toward your commercial rating or ATP minimums, having a thoughtful time building strategy can save money. Whether you’re training for an international airline or one in the USA, research their minimums and make your plan.

Here at Epic Flight Academy, we offer experienced instructors (many who have trained at Epic), airplane rentals, and career guidance that help you build valuable experiences, not just log hours.

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