FAR 61.163 — ATP Powered-Lift Experience
FAR 61.163 sets the 1,500-hour aeronautical experience for an ATP certificate with a powered-lift rating, including cross-country, night, and instrument time.
In Plain English
FAR 61.163 lists the flight-time requirements to earn an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate with a powered-lift category rating. You need at least 1,500 total hours as a pilot, broken down as:
- 500 hours cross-country
- 100 hours night
- 250 hours in a powered-lift as PIC, or as SIC performing PIC duties under supervision (or a combination), which must include 100 hours cross-country and 25 hours night
- 75 hours instrument time (actual or simulated)
For the instrument requirement, no more than 25 hours may come from a flight simulator or FTD — but that cap rises to 50 hours if the training is done in an approved Part 142 course. Sim/FTD training must represent a powered-lift.
Overall, no more than 100 hours of total experience may come from a sim or FTD, and only if obtained through a Part 142 program.
If you credit reduced flight time under § 61.159(c), your ATP will be issued with an ICAO limitation stating you don't meet ICAO PIC experience requirements until you later show you do. This rule matters because it defines the minimum operational seasoning the FAA expects before you fly a powered-lift in airline-style operations.
Regulation Text
14 CFR § 61.163§ 61.163 Aeronautical experience: Powered-lift category rating.
(a) A person who is applying for an airline transport pilot certificate with a powered-lift category rating must have at least 1,500 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;
(3) 250 hours in a powered-lift as a pilot in command, or as a second in command performing the duties of a pilot in command under the supervision of a pilot in command, or any combination thereof, which includes at least—
(i) 100 hours of cross-country time; and
(ii) 25 hours of night flight time.
(4) 75 hours of instrument flight time in actual or simulated instrument conditions, subject to the following:
(i) Except as provided in paragraph (a)(4)(ii) of this section, an applicant may not receive credit for more than a total of 25 hours of simulated instrument time in a flight simulator or flight training device.
(ii) A maximum of 50 hours of training in a flight simulator or flight training device may be credited toward the instrument flight time requirements of paragraph (a)(4) of this section if the training was accomplished in a course conducted by a training center certificated under part 142 of this chapter.
(iii) Training in a flight simulator or flight training device must be accomplished in a flight simulator or flight training device that represents a powered-lift.
(b) Not more than 100 hours of the total aeronautical experience requirements of paragraph (a) of this section may be obtained in a flight simulator or flight training device that represents a powered-lift, provided the aeronautical experience was obtained 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 1,500 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.
(d) An applicant who credits time under paragraph (c) of this section 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, as amended by Amdt. 61-104, 63 FR 20289, Apr. 23, 1998; FAA-2023-1275, Amdt. 61-157, 89 FR 92483, 92485, Nov. 21, 2024]
Oral Exam Questions a DPE Might Ask
Q1What are the total time and key sub-requirements to qualify for an ATP certificate with a powered-lift category rating?
Per FAR 61.163(a), you need 1,500 hours total time, including 500 hours cross-country, 100 hours night, 250 hours in a powered-lift (with 100 XC and 25 night), and 75 hours of instrument time.
Q2How much simulator or FTD time can be credited toward the instrument requirement under FAR 61.163?
Under FAR 61.163(a)(4), a maximum of 25 hours of simulator/FTD time may be credited, increasing to 50 hours if the training is conducted at a Part 142 training center, and the device must represent a powered-lift.
Q3What happens if an applicant uses § 61.159(c) credit toward the powered-lift ATP requirements?
Per FAR 61.163(d), the ATP is issued with an ICAO limitation stating the holder does not meet ICAO PIC experience requirements; FAR 61.163(e) allows that limitation to be removed once the applicant shows they meet ICAO requirements.
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Related Sections in Part 61