Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

1 Answers

Is PPL a prerequisite in order to get credit towards Commercial for a 100nm Dual XC ( day or Night )

Asked by: 1557 views , , , ,
Commercial Pilot, Private Pilot, Student Pilot

So.

One has to complete a dual XC of 100nm as part of the dual training requirements for the Commercial Certificate. One of the dual XCs has to be daytime, and a second night time.

A person who has earned a Sport Pilot or Recreational Pilot Certificate, is a "certificated pilot". If this person has aspirations of pursuing not just a PPL, but a Commercial certificate as well, could a 100nm dual be credited towards a future Commercial even though the person is just rated as a sport or recreational pilot?

In other words, could dual instruction on a 100nm+  XC be used for fulfilling not only some of the PPL requirements, but say the Commercial as well.

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. Jeff Baum on Aug 13, 2021

    Yes. A Private Pilot certificate is required under the Eligibility Requirements for a Commercial Certificate in 61.123.

    “61.123(h) Hold at least a private pilot certificate issued under this part or meet the requirements of 61.73;”

    “In other words, could dual instruction on a 100nm+ XC be used for fulfilling not only some of the PPL requirements, but say the Commercial as well.”

    No. 61.129 Aeronautical Experience (a)(3) requires “20 hours of training…” to include;
    “(iii) One 2-hour cross country flight in a single engine airplane in day time conditions that consists of a total straight-line distance of more than 100 nautical miles from the original point of departure;”
    “(iv)One 2-hour cross country flight in a single engine airplane in nighttime conditions that consists of a total straight-line distance of more than 100 nautical miles from the original point of departure;”

    The FAA General Counsel’s Theriault Interpretation states:
    “The third question in your inquiry asks whether an applicant for a Commercial Pilot CertifIcate can use the experience from a night cross-country flight that meets the requirements for a Commercial Pilot CertifIcate under 61.129(c), while the individual was training for a Private Pilot Certificate, to satisfy the requirement for night cross-country flight for a Commercial Pilot CertifIcate? The answer is no. Regardless of whether the applicant previously completed a night cross-country flight that meets the requirements under 61.129(c)(3)(iii), the applicant must satisfy that requirement while training for a Commercial Pilot CertifIcate (see 61.127), not while training for a different certifIcate.”

    Also, the FAA General Counsel’s Murphy Interpretation while addressing 61.129 states;
    “The intent is to increase applicants’ exposure to the demands and pressures of cross-country navigation under both day and night conditions, in increasingly complex airspace conditions, and at commercial pilot level standards. The FAA believes that this additional experience under flight instructor supervision will help produce better trained commercial pilot applicants.”

    +3 Votes Thumb up 3 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.