FAR 61.161 — ATP Helicopter Experience
FAR 61.161 sets the aeronautical experience required for an ATP certificate with a rotorcraft category and helicopter class rating, including hour minimums.
In Plain English
FAR 61.161 lists the flight experience you need to qualify for an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate with a rotorcraft category and helicopter class rating. You must log at least 1,200 hours of total pilot time, including:
- 500 hours of cross-country time
- 100 hours of night flight, with at least 15 hours in helicopters
- 200 hours in helicopters, including 75 hours as PIC (or SIC performing PIC duties under supervision)
- 75 hours of instrument time in actual or simulated IMC, with at least 50 hours in flight and 25 of those hours in helicopters as PIC (or SIC performing PIC duties)
Simulator credit is allowed toward the instrument requirement: up to 25 hours in a full flight simulator or FTD that represents a rotorcraft, or up to 50 hours if the training is done in an approved Part 142 course.
This matters because the ATP is the highest pilot certificate and the gateway to flying for hire in air carrier and many commercial helicopter operations. Logging hours that don't match these specific buckets — especially the helicopter PIC and instrument-in-helicopter requirements — can delay your checkride.
Regulation Text
14 CFR § 61.161§ 61.161 Aeronautical experience: Rotorcraft category and helicopter class rating.
(a) A person who is applying for an airline transport pilot certificate with a rotorcraft category and helicopter class rating, must have at least 1,200 hours of total time as a pilot that includes at least:
(1) 500 hours of cross-country time;
(2) 100 hours of night flight time, of which 15 hours are in helicopters;
(3) 200 hours of flight time in helicopters, which includes at least 75 hours as a pilot in command, or as second in command performing the duties of a pilot in command under the supervision of a pilot in command, or any combination thereof; and
(4) 75 hours of instrument flight time in actual or simulated instrument meteorological conditions, of which at least 50 hours are obtained in flight with at least 25 hours in helicopters as a pilot in command, or as second in command performing the duties of a pilot in command under the supervision of a pilot in command, or any combination thereof.
(b) Training in a full flight simulator or flight training device may be credited toward the instrument flight time requirements of paragraph (a)(4) of this section, subject to the following:
(1) Training in a full flight simulator or a flight training device must be accomplished in a full flight simulator or flight training device that represents a rotorcraft.
(2) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(3) of this section, an applicant may receive credit for not more than a total of 25 hours of simulated instrument time in a full flight simulator and flight training device.
(3) A maximum of 50 hours of training in a full flight simulator or flight training device may be credited toward the instrument flight time requirements of paragraph (a)(4) of this section if the aeronautical experience is accomplished in an approved course conducted by a training center certificated under part 142 of this chapter.
(c) Flight time logged under § 61.159(c) may be counted toward the 1,200 hours of total time as a pilot required by paragraph (a) of this section and the flight time requirements of paragraphs (a)(1), (2), and (4) of this section, except for the specific helicopter flight time requirements.
(d) An applicant who credits time under paragraph (c) of this section and § 61.51(f)(4) is issued an airline transport pilot certificate with the limitation “Holder does not meet the pilot in command aeronautical experience requirements of ICAO,” as prescribed under Article 39 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation.
(e) An applicant is entitled to an airline transport pilot certificate without the ICAO limitation specified under paragraph (d) of this section when the applicant presents satisfactory evidence of having met the ICAO requirements under paragraph (d) of this section and otherwise meets the aeronautical experience requirements of this section.
[Docket 25910, 62 FR 16298, Apr. 4, 1997; Amdt. 61-103, 62 FR 40906, July 30, 1997; Amdt. 61-104, 63 FR 20289, Apr. 23, 1998; Docket FAA-2016-6142, Amdt. 61-142, 83 FR 30279, June 27, 2018; Docket FAA-2023-1351, Amdt. 61-156, 89 FR 80340, Oct. 2, 2024; FAA-2023-1275, Amdt. 61-157, 89 FR 92483, Nov. 21, 2024]
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Oral Exam Questions a DPE Might Ask
Q1What are the minimum total flight time and cross-country requirements for an ATP certificate with a rotorcraft category and helicopter class rating?
Per FAR 61.161(a), an applicant needs at least 1,200 hours of total pilot time, including a minimum of 500 hours of cross-country time.
Q2How much instrument time is required, and how much of it must be in a helicopter?
FAR 61.161(a)(4) requires 75 hours of instrument time in actual or simulated IMC, of which at least 50 hours must be in flight, with at least 25 of those hours in helicopters as PIC or as SIC performing PIC duties under supervision.
Q3Can simulator time count toward the ATP helicopter instrument requirement, and is there a limit?
Yes. Under FAR 61.161(b), up to 25 hours in a full flight simulator or FTD representing a rotorcraft may be credited, and up to 50 hours if completed in an approved Part 142 training center course.
Studying for a checkride?
§61.113 Privileges & Limits
Private pilot compensation, pro-rata sharing, and BasicMed limits
§61.57 Recent Flight Experience
90-day passenger, night, and instrument currency rules
§61.89 Student Pilot Limitations
Solo student limits: no passengers, no compensation, minimum visibility
§61.51 Pilot Logbooks
Logging training, aeronautical experience, and recency for certificates
§61.23 Medical Certificate Duration
First-, second-, and third-class medical requirement and validity periods
Instrument Rating Requirements
IFR eligibility and aeronautical experience
Related Sections in Part 61