Private pilot minimum flight hours, the 40-hour table.

The headline number and what it hides

14 CFR 61.109(a): an applicant for a private pilot certificate with an airplane category and single-engine class rating "must log at least 40 hours of flight time that includes at least 20 hours of flight training from an authorized instructor and 10 hours of solo flight training" in the listed areas of operation. Forty hours is the sum; the individual items are separate minimums that must each be met.

Airplane, single-engine and multiengine (61.109(a), (b))

• 3 hours of cross-country flight training.
• 3 hours of night flight training, including one cross-country flight of over 100 nautical miles total distance and 10 takeoffs and 10 landings to a full stop (each involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport. Subject to 61.110.
• 3 hours of flight training on control and maneuvering solely by reference to instruments.
• 3 hours of flight training with an authorized instructor in preparation for the practical test, performed within the preceding 2 calendar months from the month of the test.
• 10 hours of solo flight time, with at least 5 hours of solo cross-country time; one solo cross-country flight of 150 nautical miles total distance with full-stop landings at three points and one segment of more than 50 nautical miles; and three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop at an airport with an operating control tower.

Helicopter and gyroplane (61.109(c), (d))

Same 40, 20 and 10 split. Night training is 3 hours with one cross-country flight of over 50 nautical miles; test prep is 3 hours in the last 2 calendar months; solo time is 10 hours including 3 hours cross-country, one solo cross-country of 100 nautical miles total distance with landings at three points and one segment of more than 25 nautical miles, and three takeoffs and landings at a towered airport. There is no separate instrument-training line in those paragraphs.

Powered-lift (61.109(e))

The same items as the airplane list, including 3 hours of instrument training.

Other pathways in the same section

The section also sets different totals for gliders, airships, balloons, powered parachutes and weight-shift-control aircraft, which this page does not calculate. Under 61.109(k), up to 2.5 hours in a full flight simulator or flight training device may be credited toward the flight training time (5 hours in a part 142 course), and an applicant who completes an approved private pilot course at a part 142 training center "need only have a total of 35 hours."

Worked example

A student airplane pilot with 28 total hours, 18 dual, 6 solo, 3 cross-country dual, 2 night, 3 instrument and 2 solo cross-country is short on total (12 hours), dual (2), solo (4), night (1), test prep (3) and solo cross-country (3). Enter the same numbers above to see the result.

These are the regulatory minimums, not an estimate of how long training takes; that depends on the student and instructor.

FAQ

What is the minimum flight time for a private pilot certificate?

40 hours for an airplane single-engine or multiengine rating, including 20 hours of flight training and 10 hours solo.

Is 40 hours enough on its own?

Only if every item, such as night, instrument, cross-country and test-prep training, is also met.

How much solo time is required?

10 hours of solo flight time, with at least 5 hours of solo cross-country time for airplanes.

Can simulator time count?

Up to 2.5 hours may be credited, or 5 hours in a part 142 course, under 61.109(k).

Is the helicopter requirement different?

It has the same 40, 20 and 10 split but different cross-country distances and no separate instrument training line.

Sources

Retrieved 2026-11-02. Regulation text read through the eCFR API (current as of 2026-10-29); AIM text read from the FAA publication URL below. Rules change; check the current text.

• 14 CFR 61.109, Aeronautical experience: the minimums by category and class, and simulator credit in paragraph (k).