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CFI to regionals: what you actually have to do

You're instructing, the hours are stacking up, and the right seat is getting close. Here's the short list: how many hours you really need, what to knock out before you get there, and how to walk into the interview ready.

Every number links to the reg it comes from, so check the source. Regs last checked October 30, 2026.

Your next moves

  1. Figure out your real number. It's 1,500 for most of us, but it could be 1,000 or 1,250 if your degree qualifies. See the hour math below.
  2. Watch the sub-totals, not just the total. People hit 1,500 and find out they're short on cross-country, night, or multi. Check now while you can still plan around it.
  3. Get the CTP done. You can't take the ATP written without it. Some airlines handle it in their own training, so ask first before you pay.
  4. Clean up your logbook. Signed pages, totals that add up, and a resume that matches it exactly.
  5. Apply, then start the countdown. Once you have an interview date, work the 30/14/7 list at the bottom.

This is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. The reg text wins. If your situation's unusual, ask your examiner or the airline.

The hour math

The full ATP is 1,500 hours1, and inside that you need:

Two things that help: after your first 20 night full-stop landings, each extra one counts as an hour of night, up to 25 hours. And up to 100 hours can come from a sim, but only in an approved Part 121/135/141/142 course, not just any sim time you logged.1

Restricted ATP (R-ATP) gets you into the right seat sooner if you qualify2:

Age: 21 for the restricted ATP, 23 for the full one.3 The restriction comes off once you meet the full 1,500-hour requirements and turn 23.2

Not sure your school counts? Check the FAA list of authorized schools.

The CTP

Before the ATP multi written you need the ATP Certification Training Program: at least 30 hours of ground school and 10 hours in a multiengine turbine sim, with 6 of those in a Level C or better full-motion sim. You walk out with a graduation certificate, and you'll need it for the written.4

Timing tip: the written has an expiration window, so don't take it too early. Ask the airlines you're targeting whether they cover the CTP before you pay for it yourself.

Yes, you need the ATP for the right seat

At a Part 121 airline, even the first officer needs an ATP and a type rating in the airplane.5 A restricted ATP is fine for the right seat. The left seat needs the unrestricted one. Your type rating comes from airline training, and an SIC-only type rating doesn't count.

How people usually get there

Official pilot career pages for airlines with an open PilotProz guide (alphabetical, not ranked):

Logbook and paperwork checklist

Every airline has its own document list. Go by your interview invite over this one.

What the interview looks like

It's different at every airline and it changes. Usually there's an HR piece ("tell me about a time..."), a technical piece (regs, weather, systems, approaches), and sometimes a written test or a simulator evaluation. Our 44 open airline guides (of 45 listed) break down each airline's format, with sources and check dates.

Browse open airline guides →

30 / 14 / 7-day countdown

30 days out

  • Audit your logbook and make your resume match.
  • Gather every document on the airline's list.
  • Read the airline's guide and its official pilot page.
  • Write out your stories: a mistake, a conflict, a bust or gap, why this airline.

14 days out

  • Review the regs they'll ask about (61/91, 121 basics, weather mins).
  • Brush up on plates, charts, METARs and TAFs.
  • Practice answers out loud, timed. Record yourself.
  • Book travel and show up the day before.

7 days out

  • One full mock interview, start to finish.
  • Print your documents and put them in a folder in the order they asked for.
  • Suit, shoes, backup copy of your logbook export.
  • Light review only the night before. Sleep.

Where PilotProz fits

PilotProz is interview prep with sourced airline guides. The free plan needs no card: 1 airline guide, 25 study cards, and one 10-minute timed mock a month. Want more? It's $49 for one airline for 60 days or $99 for all open guides for 90 days. Both are one-time payments, no auto-renew. Guides are open for 44 of 45 listed airlines right now, with more coming. We don't promise a job offer.

Start free →See pricing

Check the source

  1. 14 CFR 61.159: ATP hours (sub-totals, night landing credit, sim cap)
  2. 14 CFR 61.160: restricted ATP
  3. 14 CFR 61.153: eligibility and age
  4. 14 CFR 61.156: ATP CTP
  5. 14 CFR 121.436: Part 121 pilot certificates
  6. FAA: ATP certification
  7. FAA: R-ATP authorized institutions

Reg text read from the eCFR (Title 14 current as of October 28, 2026) on October 30, 2026. Airline pages are linked under "How people usually get there."

Last updated October 30, 2026. Spot something out of date? Tell us on the contact page.