Educational only. Confirm this with your CFI (certified flight instructor), an AME (aviation medical examiner), and each program. We are not the FAA, a flight school, or an airline. Full disclaimer

Grease the JourneyGrease the Journey: the smooth path from zero hours to airline pilot.
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The roadmap

Medical, certificates, hour building, then the airline application. Some cadet windows close after a private. The quiz moves those earlier when they match you.

Take the two-minute quiz

  1. Before you spend

    1. FAA First-Class Medical

    Get this FIRST. Ascend and JetBlue require it just to apply, and a medical problem found after you've paid for lessons is costly. If you… Show more

    Get this FIRST. Ascend and JetBlue require it just to apply, and a medical problem found after you've paid for lessons is costly. If you have ADHD, anxiety, medications, or other history, talk to an AME before booking the exam.

    Requirement

    Fill out MedXPress, then see an Aviation Medical Examiner (14 CFR Part 67)

    Open this step

  2. Private Pilot

    2. Student Pilot Certificate

    Required before you solo. Your CFI or school submits it through IACRA.

    Requirement

    Age 16+ for airplanes (14 CFR 61.83)

    Open this step

  3. Private Pilot

    3. Private Pilot certificate

    Your first license. Many cadet programs (Southwest, JetBlue, Ascend) require you NOT to go past this before applying.

    Requirement

    40 hrs min Part 61 (14 CFR 61.109); most take 60–75

    Open this step

  4. Instrument

    4. Instrument rating

    Fly in clouds by reference to instruments. Needed for every airline job.

    Requirement

    50 hrs cross-country PIC + 40 hrs instrument (14 CFR 61.65)

    Open this step

  5. Commercial

    5. Commercial Pilot certificate (single-engine)

    You can be paid to fly. United Aviate and SkyWest Pathway eligibility starts around here.

    Requirement

    250 hrs total (14 CFR 61.129)

    Open this step

  6. Instructor

    6. CFI (Certified Flight Instructor)

    The usual paid way to build hours. Delta Propel requires you to be actively instructing.

    Requirement

    Commercial + instrument; FOI & FIA tests (14 CFR 61.183)

    Open this step

  7. Hour building

    7. Join a regional cadet program

    Envoy/PSA (with a private license), Piedmont (at 500 hrs). Gets you bonuses, a paid ATP-CTP, and a no-interview class seat.

    Requirement

    See Programs tab

    Open this step

  8. Hour building

    8. Reach Restricted ATP or full ATP minimums

    1,500 hrs for full ATP; R-ATP at 1,000 (aviation bachelor's), 1,250 (associate's/partial), or 750 (military).

    Requirement

    14 CFR 61.159 / 61.160; age 21 R-ATP, 23 ATP

    Open this step

  9. Airline ready

    9. ATP CTP course

    Required before the ATP Multi-Engine written. Envoy, PSA, Piedmont, Frontier pay for it for their cadets.

    Requirement

    14 CFR 61.156

    Open this step

  10. Airline ready

    10. Airline application & interview

    Update your logbook, resume, and PRD record. Cadets often skip this interview.

    Requirement

    airlineapps.com / airline portals

    Open this step

Words we use

CFI
Certified flight instructor. The usual paid way to build hours.
AME
Aviation medical examiner. The doctor who can issue an FAA medical.
ATP and restricted ATP
The airline transport pilot certificate. The tracker cites 1,500 hours in the general case, 1,000 with an aviation bachelor's, 1,250 with an associate's or partial bachelor's, and 750 for military pilots.
Part 61 and Part 141
Part 61 is the standard training rule, including the 40-hour private minimum. Part 141 is an approved school curriculum. GI Bill flight training requires an approved Part 141 or 142 program.
ATP CTP
The course required before the ATP multi-engine written (14 CFR 61.156).