Multi-Engine Oral Exam Guide Ninth Edition Now Available!

ASA just released the Ninth Edition of the Multi-Engine Oral Exam Guide, a project I had the opportunity to help with updating this edition.

This ninth edition of the Multi-Engine Pilot Oral Exam Guide softcover book aligns with the Airman Certification Standards (ACS), with new and expanded content on multi-engine operations, aerodynamics, inoperative engine procedures, aircraft systems, and maneuvers. Additional checklists, briefing guidelines, and resources for understanding aircraft performance, limitations, and minimum equipment lists make this the complete resource to prepare applicants for the FAA Multi-Engine Land checkride.

ASA’s Oral Exam Guide Series is an excellent study tool for students and instructors alike. Arranged in a question-and-answer format, this comprehensive guide lists the questions most likely to be asked by evaluators during the practical exam and provides succinct, ready responses. FAA references are provided throughout for further study.

Visit https://asa2fly.com/multi-engine-oral-exam-guide-ninth-edition/ to get your copy today!

I can’t say thanks enough the team at ASA for all their help and the opportunity to continue working with this book series.

ATP Certification Numbers Mid-Year-2024 Tracking Right with Previous Years

Looking at ATP certification numbers is something that helps us gauge how many pilots we are pushing through the system to go into service in professional, primarily airline, pilot jobs. As we all hear current stories about reductions in hiring, I found it interesting to look at the numbers month-to-month so far this year compared to previous years.

Looking at the last two years, 2022 and 2023 compared to what we have seen through June of this year, 2024, we see that our ATP pilot certification completions are tracking right in line with what the recent previous years have produced.

The bulk of ATP certifications are still being completed a a part of training processes at airlines, in most cases, regional airlines, where pilots get their first professional airline pilot jobs. After completing an ATP CTP course, these pilots take their knowledge test and then complete initial training that results in a type rating, and at the same time, their ATP (or restricted-ATP) certification.

As we track the certification numbers month-to-month, we see that our certification numbers year-to-date in June are very close in 2024 to the past couple of years. Slightly higher than 2022, and slightly lower than 2023, but with negligible change.

It will be interesting to see if there are drop-offs in the next couple of months as we know a few airlines have paused training classes or canceled them, but whether these will be momentary or minimal changes for the overall year is something I will continue to track as we proceed toward the end of the year.

New ASA Instrument Pilot Oral Exam Guide Released!

The Eleventh Edition of the Aviation Supplies and Academics (ASA) Commercial Pilot Oral Exam Guide was just released on May 30th, 2024. Originally written by Michael D. Hayes, after his retirement I had the pleasure to again continue his work with ASA to help update the book. When I and the team at ASA worked on updating this book, we also made sure we incorporated changes that we knew were coming in the new Instrument Pilot ACS that becomes effective tomorrow, so this book should serve every well even with those changes.

ASA’s Oral Exam Guide Series is an excellent study tool for students and instructors alike. Arranged in a question-and-answer format, this comprehensive guide lists the questions most likely to be asked by evaluators during the practical exam and provides succinct, ready responses. FAA references are provided throughout for further study.

Additional study material for Instrument Instructor (CFII) candidates and guidance for instrument proficiency checks (IPC) make this book valuable both for instructors and for pilots preparing for the Instrument checkride or an IPC.

Click here to see the ASA Press Release for the book release.

Check out the updated book at:

You can buy this at Amazon by clicking here.

or buy it directly from

ASA’s website by clicking here.

How Many Hours is Average for a _______ Pilot Certificate?

A few years ago I went back through a bunch of practical tests I had given and came up with some averages of how many hours people had when they completed practical tests. With a couple more years of tests completed, I figured was time to update the sample size and see where the data falls with more input.

The goal was to answer the question, how many hours does a pilot typically have when they complete a private or commercial pilot certificate and instrument rating? So, I compiled hours for each event from each practical test I have given through the end of 2023 and this is what I found.

Private pilots have an average of 76 hours when they complete their certificate.

While the FAA minimum is 40 hours (less potentially in an FAA-approved 141 program), few actually complete their certification at that low of hours. Most take a few more hours.

I then broke down the difference between those who completed their training in a 141 program versus in more traditional 61 pilot training.

78 Hours were the average for 141 private pilots; and
72 Hours were the average for 61 private pilots

When it came to instrument ratings, the numbers flipped.

Instrument pilots too an average of 141 hours to get to the completion of an instrument rating.

In this case, those who completed their instrument ratings in 141 programs did so on average with significantly fewer hours.

127 Hours were the average for 141 instrument ratings; and
253 Hours were the average for 61 instrument ratings

When it came to initial commercial pilot certifications, the 141 pilots again had feweer hours on average than those who complete their certifications under part 61 training.

320 Hours were the average for 141 initial commercial single-engine certificates; and
382 Hours were the average for 61 initial commercial single-engine certificates

A more specific example related to initial commercial pilot certificates issued for applicants who completed a multi-engine commercial certificate as their initial commercial certification. All but one of my sample size did this in a 141 training program.

Applicants for initial commercial mult-engine certificates did so at an average of 200 total hours of flight time.

This is an example of how 141 programs do shine and end up having the products of their training complete their initial commercial pilot certification at significantly lower hours than the total 250 hours that would be required for pilots who do not complete their training in a 141 program. This allows them to then proceed from this point frequently to an added commercial single-engine certification and on to a CFI certificate after that.

There are a few other points of data here that I collected that may be of some interest, relating to how much PIC time, how much total instrument time, how much simulator time, or even how much overall instruction was received for students on average and broken down between students in 141 versus 61 training programs. Feel free to dig through the data points here and see what you find interesting.

I can’t say that this data is an example of what happens everywhere, but with a general sample size and a variety of locations where I provide tests, I thought it was at least an interesting set of data to share.

You may be reading this and thinking about how you compare to these numbers. Whether you have more or less hours than these average. But in the end, does it really matter?

It isn’t about the hours, it is about when you were proficient and had the knowledge, skills, and risk management abilities to meet the requirements for the particular certificate or rating. Plus, if you are doing the training for a career path goal, they are all hours that count toward that eventual ATP certificate anyway. And that one requires a few more hours on top of these.