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ATP Crosscountry 50-nm distance requirment

Asked by: 2275 views Commercial Pilot, FAA Regulations

According to the FAR's a pilot for an unrestricted ATP needs 1500 hours and 500 X-country. My question is with the mile requirement in FAR definitions of cross country being 50nm. How is it that some of the time building options such as banner tow and skydive pilot are sought after if you are never able to get cross country flights logged?

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2 Answers



  1. Gary Moore on Nov 29, 2016

    well – as your first sentence states – it’s not ‘just’ about x/c – it’s also about total time….

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  2. Russ Roslewski on Nov 29, 2016

    You’re asking why new commercial pilots try to get jobs towing banners and dropping skydivers? Most obvious reason is because those are two of the very few types of jobs that will often accept a 250-hr pilot.

    You have to start somewhere. ATP is a good goal, but it’s hardly the first step on the way for a career pilot.

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