Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

2 Answers

Do I need a commercial rating?

Asked by: 1417 views Commercial Pilot, General Aviation

Hi,

i am looking into flying for a drop zone after my PPL and some more training of course. To get my hours up. I don't want to get paid for that I just interested in getting air time. Do I still need a commercial rating? 

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.

2 Answers



  1. Kris Kortokrax on Sep 04, 2018

    Yes, you do need the commercial certificate. The FAA considers accumulation of flight hours to be compensation. See the Williams interpretation at this link:

    https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/agc/practice_areas/regulations/interpretations/data/interps/2014/williams-larrywilliamsassoc%20-%20(2014)%20legal%20interpretation.pdf

    +3 Votes Thumb up 3 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  2. LTCTerry on Sep 09, 2018

    Kris has answered your question.

    Something many pilots are not aware of is that a private pilot can be compensated for glider towing. This is something the Soaring Society of America worked out with the FAA ~2011.

    You will need at least 100 hours of PIC time and some training at both ends of the tow rope.

    If you are near a glider operation, you might want to ask about this.

    Good luck as you pursue your Private Pilot Certificate!

    +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.