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Aces HighAviation · KLGB
Career track/Zero → ATP/2.5 – 4 years
(562) 726-3719

Briefing 09 · Career Pilot Pathway

Path to the
airlines.

Zero hours to ATP eligible.
2.5 to 4 years. PPL → IFR → CPL → CFI → time build to 1,500.

If your goal is the right seat of a regional jet within five years, the path is clear. Get all the ratings, instruct at Aces High to build the hours, and apply to SkyWest, Envoy, Horizon, PSA. We've sent graduates to each of them.

1,500 hrs
ATP minimum
2.5 – 4 yr
Typical timeline
$55k – $70k
Zero to CFI
01 /

The Five Stages

PPL · IFR · CPL · CFI · time-build
01.
Private Pilot LicensePPL · Foundation certification
Covers basic flight maneuvers, navigation, radio communication, weather theory and FAA regulations. Three months full-time, four to six part-time. This is the licence that unlocks all the others.
Time
~3 months FT
Cost
$22k – $26k
02.
Instrument RatingIFR · All-weather capability
Enables flying in all weather conditions using cockpit instruments only. Required for any commercial operation that crosses cloud layers. Two months full-time.
Time
~2 months FT
Cost
$15k – $17k
03.
Commercial Pilot LicenseCPL · The licence to be paid to fly
Authorises being paid to fly and carrying passengers for hire. 250 hours total time, complex maneuvers, long cross-country, oral and ride. Two to three months once you reach the hours threshold.
Time
2 – 3 months FT
Cost
$14k – $18k
04.
Certified Flight InstructorCFI · The most common hour-builder
Most aspiring airline pilots build their hours teaching the next generation. Two months of structured ground and flight, max three students per class, an above-average pass rate. Sponsorship considered for top graduates.
Time
~2 months
Pathway
Possible AHA hire
05.
Time Building to 1,500The grind that gets you to ATP
After CFI, you log cross-country hours, night hours, instrument time, and complex/multi-engine time until you hit the 1,500 hours required by the FAA for an Airline Transport Pilot certificate. Then you apply to the regionals.
Hours target
1,500 total
How
Instructing + flying

The Whole Journey

Zero hours to the airlines.

Everyone starts in the same place: walking in the door. Here is the path, and the hours, from your very first lesson to the right seat of an airliner.

Start0 hrsWalk in the door.
+ ~70 hrs PPL~70 hrs totalPrivate Pilot License.
+ ~55 hrs IFR~125 hrs totalInstrument Rating.
+ ~125 hrs Commercial250 hrs totalGet paid to fly.
+ CFI rating CFI~260 hrs totalTeach & build hours.
+ ~1,240 hrs Airlines1,500 hrs totalAirlines.

CFI is the most common road, not the only one. The moment you earn your Commercial certificate at 250 hours you can get paid to fly straight away. Plenty of our students have gone on to traffic watch and aerial photography, banner towing over the beach, pipeline patrol and survey work, or flying jumpers for skydiving operations. Instructing is a choice, not a requirement.

02 /

By the Numbers

Total investment · time · destination
PATH · 01
$55k
Zero → CFI
Estimated cost from zero to CFI rating. $55k to $70k all-in.
PATH · 02
2.5yrs
Minimum timeline
Full-time, focused pace, zero to ATP-eligible.
PATH · 03
1,500hrs
ATP minimum
FAA-mandated minimum total flight time for ATP certificate.
PATH · 04
4regionals
Common destinations
Graduates apply to SkyWest, Envoy, Horizon, PSA.

Interactive · Your Career, Flown Forward

What do those numbers buy?

Set your age. The readout flies the whole career forward — CFI, regionals, majors — to the airlines' mandatory retirement at 65, and totals it against the $55k–$70k it costs to get started.

1655
  • Zero → CFI · 18 mo−$62k invested
  • Instructing to 1,500 hrs · 18 mo
  • Regional First Officer · 2 yrs
  • Regional Captain · 3 yrs
  • Major First Officer · 5 yrs
  • Major Captain · to age 65

Estimated career earnings · to airline retirement at 65

$13.7M

Start at 24 → 40 years in the seat, 33 of them at a major.

40
Flying years
220×
Return on $62k
$420K
Top-year pay
That's 33 years at a major — and 65 isn't the end: corporate and charter jets have no age limit, so pilots who love it keep flying for pay well past it.

Planning figures, base pay only — the majors add profit sharing (typically 9–15%) and an 18% 401(k) contribution on top. Training cost is our published $55k–$70k zero-to-CFI estimate; instructor earnings are modeled on what Aces High actually pays its CFIs, including the ground and briefing time you bill beyond the flight hour. Airline retirement at 65 is an FAA Part 121 rule — corporate and charter flying has no age limit. Careers rarely fly in a straight line; this is the shape, not a promise.

Pay sources (2026 scales): Simple Flying · legacy-carrier pilot salaries · United FO $113–300K / Captain $320–419K · Delta · $465.13/hr 12-yr widebody captain · SkyWest · FO $92.73/hr year 1 · Envoy · FO $99→$161/hr

03 /

How We Help

Four ways · beyond the ratings

A · 01

One-on-one training.

Every lesson is one student, one instructor. The fastest possible path because no minutes are wasted on group dynamics.

A · 02

CFI sponsorship.

Top CFI graduates are considered for instructor roles on staff, a real way to build hours while getting paid.

A · 03

Flexible time-building.

Aircraft rental at wet rates, 24/7 self-service scheduling, no membership fees. Build hours on your own pace once you have the certificates.

A · 04

Financing available.

Stratus Financial covers up to 100% of program costs, with deferred payments through training.

Begin

Start today.
Plan your path.

The first step is a free 60 to 75 minute consultation with Sam. Bring your timeline, your budget and your questions, and leave with a real plan.

Book a Consultation → 5.088 Google reviews Join the Waitlist → CFI program details → Financing options →
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Doc. AHA · Path to Airlines · Rev. 26.05 · KLGB · MMX