A new commercial pilot has about 250 hours and needs 1,500 for an unrestricted airline transport pilot certificate, and the cheapest way to close that gap is a job that pays you to fly rather than a rental invoice. The realistic options are flight instructing, banner towing, pipeline and powerline patrol, aerial survey, jump pilot work, Part 135 second-in-command and pilot-in-command flying, and ferry work — and they are not interchangeable, because each one fills a different column of your logbook.
This page is about the jobs. If you are looking at renting an airplane and paying for the hours yourself, our page on time building in Los Angeles covers rental rates and cost-sharing with a safety pilot. Most pilots end up doing some of both.
The Gap You Are Actually Trying To Close
A commercial pilot certificate for airplane single-engine land requires 250 hours of flight time under 14 CFR 61.129(a), including 100 hours in powered aircraft, 100 hours of pilot-in-command time, 50 hours of cross-country, 10 hours of instrument training and 10 hours in a complex, turbine-powered or technically advanced airplane.
An airline transport pilot certificate under 14 CFR 61.159 requires considerably more, and the sub-totals matter more than the headline:
| Requirement Under 14 CFR 61.159 | Hours | Why It Is The Hard One |
|---|---|---|
| Total time as a pilot | 1,500 | The number everyone quotes, and the easiest to fill |
| Cross-country time | 500 | Local instructing builds almost none of this |
| Night flight time | 100 | Hard to accumulate in a daytime job |
| Instrument flight time, actual or simulated | 75 | Needs instrument students or real IFR work |
| Pilot-in-command time in an airplane | 250 | Includes 100 hours cross-country and 25 hours night |
Reduced minimums exist under 14 CFR 61.160: 750 hours for qualifying military pilots, 1,000 hours with a qualifying bachelor's degree with an aviation major, and 1,250 hours with a qualifying associate degree. Those routes require a degree from an institution with FAA authorization to certify its graduates. We are a Part 61 school and do not issue degrees, so unless you already hold one of those qualifications, plan on 1,500.
The practical lesson is this: choose time-building work by which column it fills, not by how many hours it produces. A pilot who arrives at 1,500 total hours with 200 hours of cross-country has not finished.
Flight Instructing
This is what most pilots do, and for good reason: it is the only one of these jobs that is genuinely available year-round, in volume, at almost every airport in the country.
What it takes. A commercial certificate and the CFI certificate under 14 CFR 61.183, which includes a spin training endorsement under 61.183(i) and the fundamentals-of-instruction knowledge test. Adding the CFII and MEI opens instrument and multi-engine instruction. Our combined CFI, CFII and MEI program is $15,400.
What it builds. Total time quickly, pilot-in-command time, and — if you instruct instrument students — instrument time. What it does not build well is cross-country and night, because the average lesson is an hour in the local practice area in daylight. Instructors who reach 1,500 hours without enough cross-country time are common. Fix it deliberately: take the long cross-country dual flights, teach night, and pick up the commercial students who need 300-nautical-mile solos planned.
What it pays. Instructor income depends on how many hours a school can give you. We do not publish our instructor rates online — they are discussed directly with candidates — and our page on flight instructor jobs explains what the role at Van Nuys involves.
The honest downside. Teaching is a different skill from flying, and some excellent pilots are poor instructors. It is also a job with a duty of care attached: you are responsible for other people's first hours in an airplane. Do not take it purely as an hour-building device.
Banner Towing
What it takes. A commercial certificate, and an operator holding the right authorization. 14 CFR 91.311 is short and absolute: "No pilot of a civil aircraft may tow anything with that aircraft (other than under 91.309) except in accordance with the terms of a certificate of waiver issued by the Administrator." The waiver belongs to the operator, and the operator will train you into it.
What it builds. Total time and pilot-in-command time, in large blocks, in summer. Beach and stadium work in Southern California is seasonal and concentrated.
What it does not build. Cross-country, night or instrument time. Banner work is low, slow, local and visual.
The honest downside. The pick-up is a genuinely demanding maneuver flown close to the ground at low speed, and the flying is repetitive. It is a real flying job that teaches real stick-and-rudder discipline, and it is not a soft option.
Pipeline And Powerline Patrol
What it takes. A commercial certificate, usually a few hundred hours, and a tolerance for long days alone.
What it builds. This is one of the best cross-country builders available to a low-time pilot, because a patrol route is by definition a long flight between distant points. It also builds pilot-in-command time in volume.
The honest downside. Low-level flying over terrain, in all weather that remains legal, with an operational reason to keep looking outside at something other than where you are going. This category of flying has a safety record that deserves respect. Operators that train properly and set hard minimums are worth waiting for.
Aerial Survey, Mapping And Photography
What it takes. A commercial certificate and often an instrument rating, because survey work is scheduled against weather and light conditions rather than against convenience.
What it builds. Cross-country time in quantity, often in twins, sometimes at altitude, and frequently far from home. Survey contracts move around the country, which for a pilot trying to fill the 500-hour cross-country column is an advantage rather than a cost.
The honest downside. You live where the contract is, for weeks at a time. The flying itself is precise and repetitive: straight lines, constant altitude, constant speed, grid after grid.
Skydive Jump Pilot
What it takes. A commercial certificate and a checkout with the drop zone. Parachute operations are governed by 14 CFR Part 105, which sets out the notification, airspace and equipment requirements for jump operations; the flying itself is usually conducted under Part 91.
What it builds. Total time and pilot-in-command time, fast, in short cycles. A busy weekend day is a lot of climbs and a lot of descents.
What it teaches. More than people expect: weight and balance that changes in flight, aircraft handling with a shifting center of gravity, engine management on repeated high-power climbs and rapid descents, and precise coordination with air traffic control and the drop zone.
The honest downside. Almost no cross-country and almost no night. The hours accumulate in 20-minute increments. It is also a job where the aircraft works hard, so fly for an operator whose maintenance you would put your own family in.
Part 135 Second In Command And VFR Pilot In Command
This is the most underused route on the list, because most low-time pilots assume charter flying is out of reach until 1,500 hours. It is not.
Pilot in command under 14 CFR 135.243. For VFR operations the rule requires at least a commercial pilot certificate with the appropriate category and class ratings, an instrument rating or airline transport pilot certificate for airplanes, and at least 500 hours of time as a pilot including 100 hours of cross-country flight time, at least 25 hours of which were at night. For IFR operations it requires 1,200 hours of flight time as a pilot, including 500 hours of cross-country, 100 hours of night and 75 hours of actual or simulated instrument time, at least 50 of which were in actual flight. Turbojets and larger aircraft require an airline transport pilot certificate regardless.
Second in command under 14 CFR 61.55. To serve as second in command you need at least a private pilot certificate with the appropriate category and class rating, an instrument rating or privilege if the flight is under IFR, and within the preceding 12 calendar months familiarization with the aircraft's systems, performance and normal, abnormal and emergency procedures, plus three takeoffs and landings to a full stop as sole manipulator of the controls, engine-out procedures and crew resource management training.
What it builds. Everything the airlines care about: cross-country, night, instrument, turbine exposure and crew experience. A year of Part 135 flying is worth considerably more on a resume than the same number of hours in the traffic pattern.
The honest downside. These jobs are competitive and they are not evenly distributed. Southern California has more of them than most places, which is one of the genuine advantages of building hours around Van Nuys, Burbank and Long Beach.
Ferry Flying And Repositioning
What it takes. A commercial certificate, an instrument rating in practice, insurance approval, and a network. Ferry work is not advertised; it arrives through people who already know your flying.
What it builds. Pure cross-country time, in long legs, often in unfamiliar aircraft. It is the single most efficient way to fill the 500-hour cross-country requirement.
The honest downside. Unfamiliar aircraft, unfamiliar airports, weather you did not choose and schedule pressure from an owner who wants their aircraft home. Ferry flying has a long history of accidents caused by exactly that combination. Take the work only when you can say no to the weather.
Which Job Fills Which Column
| Job | Typical Entry Point | Builds Well | Builds Poorly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flight instructing | CFI certificate, 250 hours | Total, pilot-in-command, instrument if you teach IFR | Cross-country, night |
| Banner towing | Commercial, operator waiver under 91.311 | Total, pilot-in-command | Cross-country, night, instrument |
| Pipeline and powerline patrol | Commercial, a few hundred hours | Cross-country, pilot-in-command | Instrument, night |
| Aerial survey | Commercial, often instrument | Cross-country, multi-engine, instrument | Night, unless contracted for it |
| Jump pilot | Commercial, drop zone checkout | Total, pilot-in-command | Cross-country, night, instrument |
| Part 135 second in command | Private plus 61.55 requirements | Cross-country, night, instrument, turbine | Pilot-in-command time |
| Part 135 VFR pilot in command | 500 hours, 100 cross-country, 25 night | Everything, including pilot-in-command | Nothing significant |
| Ferry flying | Commercial, instrument, insurance approval | Cross-country, pilot-in-command | Consistency of work |
What These Jobs Pay
Federal wage data groups all of this work — instruction, charter, survey, patrol, agricultural application, air ambulance and corporate — into the single occupation "commercial pilots". That occupation had a national median annual wage of $123,220 and a 10th percentile of $58,850 in May 2025 wage data. In California the median is $165,590, the 10th percentile is $63,890 and the 90th percentile is $500,170. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook for airline and commercial pilots using May 2025 wage data, and BLS 2025 wage data for California as published by O*NET OnLine, both read 13 September 2026.
Entry-level time-building work sits at the bottom of that distribution, near the 10th percentile. That is the honest answer. The reason people do it is the top of the same distribution: the ladder from a $63,890 first flying job to a six-figure career is short in years and steep in slope. Our page on commercial pilot salary works through the industry breakdown.
For a reference point on the next rung, one published figure for a regional first officer starting rate is $90 per hour at SkyWest, as reported by Thrust Flight on a page updated 9 August 2025. Treat that as indicative rather than current, and verify against the carrier before planning around it.
What We Would Tell A Student Finishing Their Commercial Certificate
- Get the instructor certificates. They are the only reliably available paid flying work, and they make you a better pilot. The CFI, CFII and MEI program is $15,400.
- Track the sub-columns weekly, not the total. Cross-country, night and instrument are the ones that run short.
- Take one job that moves you. Survey, ferry or patrol for a season fixes the cross-country column faster than a year of local instructing.
- Apply for Part 135 work earlier than you think. The VFR pilot-in-command floor in 135.243 is 500 hours, not 1,500.
- Do not buy hours you can be paid for. Renting at $179 to $269 an hour to build 1,000 hours is $179,000 to $269,000. Being paid to fly them is the entire point of the commercial certificate.
Related Reading
- Time building in Los Angeles — rental rates, block time and safety-pilot cost sharing.
- Flight instructor jobs — what instructing at Van Nuys involves.
- Commercial pilot salary — the federal occupation and its industry breakdown.
- CFI requirements — what the instructor certificate takes.
- Multi-engine time building — building twin time in the Seminole.
- Airline pilot career program — the certificates that come before any of this.
Time-Building Jobs FAQ
What Jobs Can You Get With A Commercial Pilot License And 250 Hours?
Flight instructing once you hold the CFI certificate, banner towing with an operator holding a certificate of waiver under 14 CFR 91.311, jump pilot work at a drop zone, and Part 135 second-in-command flying under 14 CFR 61.55. Pipeline patrol, aerial survey and Part 135 VFR pilot-in-command work generally want a few hundred hours more.
How Do You Build Flight Hours Without Paying For Them?
By taking a job that pays you to fly. Renting an airplane to build 1,000 hours at $179 to $269 an hour costs $179,000 to $269,000, which is why almost every professional pilot builds hours through instructing, towing, patrol, survey, jump or charter flying instead.
How Many Hours Do You Need For An ATP?
1,500 hours of total time under 14 CFR 61.159, including 500 hours of cross-country, 100 hours of night, 75 hours of instrument time and 250 hours of pilot-in-command time in an airplane. Reduced minimums of 750, 1,000 or 1,250 hours apply under 14 CFR 61.160 to military pilots and graduates of qualifying degree programs.
Can You Fly Part 135 Charter Before 1,500 Hours?
Yes. Under 14 CFR 135.243 a VFR pilot in command needs a commercial certificate, an instrument rating or ATP for airplanes, and 500 hours of total time including 100 hours of cross-country of which 25 hours were at night. IFR pilot-in-command work requires 1,200 hours. Second-in-command flying under 14 CFR 61.55 is available earlier still.
What Is The Best Time-Building Job For Cross-Country Hours?
Pipeline patrol, aerial survey and ferry flying, because all three are long flights between distant points by definition. This matters because 14 CFR 61.159 requires 500 hours of cross-country time, and local flight instructing builds very little of it.
Do You Need A Waiver To Tow Banners?
The operator does. 14 CFR 91.311 states that no pilot of a civil aircraft may tow anything with that aircraft, other than under 91.309, except in accordance with the terms of a certificate of waiver issued by the Administrator. As a pilot you fly under the operator's waiver and are trained into the procedure.
How Much Do Time-Building Flying Jobs Pay?
They sit near the bottom of the federal commercial pilots occupation, which had a national 10th percentile of $58,850 and a California 10th percentile of $63,890 in 2025 wage data. The same occupation has a California 90th percentile of $500,170, which is the corporate and charter end of the same ladder.
How Long Does It Take To Get From 250 To 1,500 Hours?
At 70 flight hours a month, about 18 months. At 40 hours a month, about 31. The variable is how much work your employer can give you, which is why the density of flying at a busy airport matters more than the hourly rate you are paid.
Is Flight Instructing The Only Realistic Route?
It is the most available, not the only one. Instructing is the only paid flying job offered year-round in volume at almost every airport, which is why most pilots do it. Pilots who mix instructing with a season of survey, patrol or ferry work generally arrive at 1,500 hours with a better-balanced logbook.
The Certificates Come First
None of these jobs are open to you without a commercial certificate, and most want the instructor certificates on top. Our airline pilot career program covers every rating through MEI in about nine months for $84,000, and the CFI, CFII and MEI program on its own is $15,400. If you have not started at all, a 60-minute discovery flight is $229 and is credited in full toward training if you enroll within 24 hours. To talk through the route and the timing, book a free consultation or call (818) 330-1318 any day between 9 AM and 9 PM. We are at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406, at Van Nuys Airport.