Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

1 Answers

Helicopter to Fixed wing commercial. Do I need a complex aircraft?

Asked by: 2710 views , , ,
FAA Regulations

I hold a Commercial / Instrument Rotorcraft ticket and would like to know if I need to show up to the Checkride with a complex aircraft.  I haven't reached out to any instructors yet because this will determine if I am going to get my Commercial or Private ticket.

Thank you all!

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

1 Answers



  1. Kris Kortokrax on Apr 11, 2016

    Yes, for a Commercial airplane rating, you will need to get training in a complex airplane and will need to demonstrate normal and emergency landings in a complex airplane.

    See 61.129 for the training requirements and the introduction to the PTS for the complex requirement.

    +1 Votes Thumb up 1 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.