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Aces HighAviation · KLGB
Commercial Pilot/250 hrs · DA-42 twin/KLGB
(562) 726-3719

Commercial Pilot · KLGB · Part 61

Get paid
to fly.

Commercial pilot training at Long Beach Airport, with the cheapest honest
hour-building in the LA basin and a Diamond DA-42 twin on the ramp.

The commercial certificate turns flying from a passion into a profession. At Aces High you build your 250 hours in Cessna 152s from $140/hr wet, sharpen precision maneuvers with your CFI, knock out complex-aircraft requirements, and step straight into multi-engine work in our DA-42 when you are ready for the airlines.

250hrs
Total time required
$140/hr
C152 hour-building · wet
50hrs
Redbird sim credit toward CPL
DA-42
Twin Star on field
01 /

The Route

Hours · precision · complex · checkride

Most students arrive here with a PPL and instrument rating. From there, the commercial is a mix of disciplined hour-building and genuinely fun flying: chandelles, lazy eights, eights on pylons, and power-off 180s.

LEG · 01
Build.
Hour-Building
Time-build to 250 hours in our 152s and 172s, solo or with a safety pilot. Up to 50 hours in the Redbird MCX counts at $90/hr. See time-building options.
LEG · 02
Fly.
Commercial Maneuvers
Precision flying to tighter standards than the PPL: chandelles, lazy eights, steep spirals, accuracy landings. The flying that makes you smooth.
LEG · 03
TAA
Complex / TAA Time
10 hours in a complex or technically advanced aircraft, satisfied right here on the field, with the DA-42 available for the full twin experience.
LEG · 04
Ride
Written & Checkride
Commercial written, then the practical test. Add the multi-engine rating after, and you are airline-application ready.
02 /

Straight Answers

Requirements · cost · what's next
What does the FAA require?
250 hours total time, specific cross-country and night experience, 10 hours of complex or technically advanced aircraft training, the commercial written, and a checkride. In practice you will also want the instrument rating first; a commercial certificate without one carries heavy restrictions.
What does it cost?
From zero experience to a commercial certificate starts around $52,270, all published line by line in our 2026 cost guide. Already have your PPL and instrument? Your cost is mostly efficient hour-building, and our 152s from $140/hr wet keep that as low as anywhere in the basin.
What about multi-engine?
Our Diamond DA-42 Twin Star covers the multi-engine rating and multi time-building, including an accelerated multi-engine course. Most airline-bound students add it straight after the commercial.
And after the commercial?
Most graduates go one of two ways: CFI training to instruct and get paid building toward airline minimums, or straight onto the path to the airlines. We hire our own top CFI graduates, so the pipeline is real.

Starting from zero instead? Begin with the Private Pilot License, or get a feel for the school with a $230 discovery flight. Time-building pilots should also see the time building page for block rates and availability.

Go pro

Turn hours
into a career.

Call with where you are now, hours, ratings, goals, and we will map the cheapest honest route to the commercial certificate from there.

Call (562) 726-3719 → Path to the Airlines → Send a message instead →
© 2026 Aces High Aviation LLC · All rights reserved
Doc. AHA · CPL · Rev. 26.07 · KLGB · MMX