A commercial pilot is paid to fly, and at 250 hours that almost never means an airliner. The work that actually hires newly certificated commercial pilots is flight instruction, banner towing, skydive operations, aerial survey and photography, pipeline and powerline patrol, ferry flying, and second-in-command seats at some charter operators. Most of it pays modestly, all of it builds hours, and one of them — instructing — accounts for the majority of American pilots who go on to an airline.
This page is about the jobs. For what the certificate authorizes in law, read commercial pilot license requirements, and for why "commercial pilot" and "airline pilot" are not synonyms, read commercial pilot versus airline pilot. The pillar for all of it is the commercial pilot license in Los Angeles.
What The Certificate Actually Opens
14 CFR 61.133(a) lets a commercial pilot act as pilot in command of an aircraft carrying persons or property for compensation or hire, and act as pilot in command for compensation or hire, provided the pilot is qualified under whichever part of the regulations governs that particular operation. That final condition is what shapes the job market, because the operating rules set their own experience minimums well above 250 hours.
The clearest example is charter. 14 CFR 135.243 requires a pilot in command in VFR operations to hold a commercial certificate with at least 500 hours as a pilot, 100 hours of cross-country time and 25 hours of night, plus an instrument rating. For IFR pilot-in-command the figures rise to 1,200 hours total, 500 cross-country, 100 night and 75 instrument of which at least 50 in actual flight. So a 250-hour commercial pilot is not flying charter as captain, whatever the certificate says.
That gap between what the certificate permits and what operators require is the entire reason the following jobs exist as a first rung.
The Jobs That Hire At 250 To 500 Hours
| Job | Extra qualification usually needed | Hours it builds | What it teaches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flight instructor | CFI, then CFII and MEI | 400 to 800 a year, full time | Everything, faster than any other route |
| Banner towing | Often a tailwheel endorsement and an operator checkout | Seasonal, high in summer | Precision low-level flying and energy management |
| Skydive pilot | Operator training; often a high-performance endorsement | High, in short flights | Weight and balance, rapid descents, discipline around jumpers |
| Aerial survey and photography | Instrument rating; sometimes a specific aircraft checkout | Long flights, steady hours | Precise track and altitude holding for hours at a time |
| Pipeline and powerline patrol | Operator training; low-level experience | Steady, often long days | Terrain awareness and sustained concentration |
| Part 135 second in command | Instrument rating; operator's own minimums | Moderate | Crew operations and the discipline of an operating certificate |
| Ferry and repositioning | Insurance approval, relevant type time | Irregular but sometimes substantial | Real cross-country decision making, alone |
Flight Instruction
This is the dominant route in the United States and it is not an accident. It pays while you build, it converts your hours from a cost into an income, and it teaches you more than any other job available at this level, because explaining a maneuver out loud to a nervous student is the fastest way to discover whether you understand it.
It requires the CFI certificate on top of the commercial, and realistically the instrument instructor rating too, because instrument students fly more hours per month than primary students. Our CFI, CFII and MEI program is $15,400, and we review graduates for an instructor position with us when they finish. What instructing pays is on the flight instructor salary page, and flight instructor jobs covers working here.
Banner Towing
Summer work, concentrated around beaches and stadiums, and a genuine skill. Picking up a banner means a steep climbing turn from a low pass with a grapple, and flying with one means handling an aircraft whose drag profile changes everything you know about its performance. Many banner operations fly tailwheel aircraft, and we do not offer tailwheel training; that endorsement comes from an operator or a school that specializes in it. What we can give you is the commercial certificate and the precision handling underneath it.
Skydive Operations
Jump pilots fly short, repetitive, demanding sorties: climb to altitude with a heavily loaded and constantly shifting cabin, fly an accurate jump run, then descend rapidly and land to do it again. The hours stack up quickly because the flights are short. The skills that matter are weight and balance discipline, engine management on rapid descents, and absolute predictability around the door.
Aerial Survey, Mapping And Photography
Long, precise flights holding a track and an altitude while a sensor or a camera does the actual work. It is often described as boring by people who have not done it and as excellent training by people who have, because holding a line to within a few feet for three hours is exactly the discipline instrument flying requires. Survey operators generally want an instrument rating even for VFR work.
Pipeline And Powerline Patrol
Low-level flying along a fixed route, looking for leaks, encroachment or damage. The pay is reasonable and the hours are consistent, but it is demanding work: low altitude, sustained concentration, obstacles, and terrain that does not forgive inattention. Operators train for it specifically and hire carefully.
Part 135 Second In Command
Some charter operators carry a second in command in aircraft or operations that require one, and those seats are occasionally open to low-time commercial pilots with an instrument rating. It is the closest thing to airline flying available at this stage, and it teaches crew coordination and the culture of flying under an operating certificate, which is a real advantage later.
What Opens Between 500 And 1,500 Hours
Once you clear 500 hours the market widens considerably. Part 135 pilot-in-command work in VFR operations becomes available under 135.243, along with more corporate and fractional second-in-command seats, more survey contracts and the better-paid patrol work. At 1,200 hours with the cross-country, night and instrument splits in 135.243, IFR charter captaincy opens.
At 1,500 hours — or 750 to 1,250 under the restricted ATP provisions in 14 CFR 61.160 — the regional airlines come into range, which is where most people's original question was pointing. Our page on the 1,500-hour rule and R-ATP covers the reductions, and airline hiring minimums covers what carriers actually ask for beyond the legal floor.
What This Work Pays
Honestly: less than people expect at the start, and considerably more than people expect later. A first-year flight instructor is not earning a median wage for the profession, and no pay survey captures that gap because surveys average across careers. The federal figures with their sources are on our pilot pay guide, and the sector detail is on commercial pilot salary, corporate and charter pilot pay and cargo pilot salary.
The financially sane way to think about the first two years is not as income but as subsidized hour building. Instructing at a modest hourly rate while logging 600 hours a year is worth far more than the wage, because those 600 hours would otherwise cost you roughly $161,000 at rental rates.
The Ratings That Widen The Net
| Qualification | What it opens | Our price |
|---|---|---|
| Instrument rating | Removes the 61.133(a)(2) limitation; required by most operators | $11,700 |
| CFI, CFII and MEI program | Paid instruction, the main hour-building route | $15,400 |
| Multi-engine rating | Twin time, charter and airline credibility | $5,100 |
| Complex endorsement, 61.31(e) | Retractable-gear aircraft as pilot in command | $999 |
| High-performance endorsement, 61.31(f) | Aircraft over 200 horsepower, including many working singles | $1,799 |
If you are choosing one, choose the CFI. It is the only one that pays you back directly. Our pages on CFI requirements and the multi-engine rating cover the other two.
Related Reading
- Time-building jobs for new commercial pilots — how people actually find this work.
- Commercial pilot versus airline pilot — certificate against job title.
- Flight instructor jobs — instructing at Van Nuys.
- How to become a commercial pilot — the route to the certificate.
- How much pilots make — pay data with sources attached.
- Commercial pilot license cost — what getting here costs.
What Does A Commercial Pilot Do FAQ
What Jobs Can You Get With A Commercial Pilot License?
At 250 hours, realistically: flight instruction once you add the CFI certificate, banner towing, skydive flying, aerial survey and photography, pipeline and powerline patrol, ferry and repositioning work, and second-in-command seats at some Part 135 charter operators. Airline flying requires an airline transport pilot certificate and is not available at this level.
Can A Commercial Pilot Fly Charter?
As pilot in command, not straight away. 14 CFR 135.243 requires 500 hours total, 100 hours cross-country and 25 hours night for VFR pilot-in-command work, and 1,200 hours total with 500 cross-country, 100 night and 75 instrument for IFR pilot-in-command. Second-in-command seats are the realistic entry point.
Why Do Most Commercial Pilots Become Flight Instructors?
Because it is the only entry-level job that pays you to build the hours you need anyway. A full-time instructor logs several hundred hours a year that would otherwise cost hundreds of dollars each to buy, and teaching a maneuver is the fastest way to master it.
Do You Need An Instrument Rating For Commercial Pilot Jobs?
In practice, yes. Without one, 14 CFR 61.133(a)(2) limits your certificate so that you may not carry passengers for hire on cross-country flights over 50 nautical miles or at night, and most operators require the rating regardless.
How Many Hours Do You Need For A Part 135 Charter Job?
Five hundred hours for VFR pilot-in-command work under 14 CFR 135.243, rising to 1,200 hours for IFR pilot-in-command, with specific cross-country, night and instrument splits. Individual operators and their insurers often set higher minimums than the regulation.
Is Banner Towing A Good First Flying Job?
It builds hours quickly in summer and teaches precise low-level handling, but it is seasonal and frequently requires a tailwheel endorsement. We do not offer tailwheel training, so that part would come from an operator or a specialist school.
What Does A Commercial Pilot Earn Starting Out?
Less than any published median for the profession. The first two years are best understood as subsidized hour building rather than as a salary, because the hours you are paid to log would cost hundreds of dollars each to buy. Federal pay data for the sector, with sources, is on our pilot pay guide.
Talk To Instructors Who Did This Route
Every instructor on our ramp reached this point the same way, and they are the right people to ask which of these jobs suits you. Book a free consultation and bring your logbook and your timeline. If the whole thing is still an idea rather than a plan, start with a 60-minute discovery flight at $229. You fly it from the left seat, and it logs as dual instruction toward the 250 hours. Call (818) 330-1318 any day from 9 AM to 9 PM, or visit us at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406, on Van Nuys Airport.