How to Become an Airline Pilot in the United States: Ratings, Costs, Timelines, and the Smartest Training Paths
- The FAA licenses and ratings airlines expect
- Two legitimate paths to the airlines (CFI-first vs Multi-first)
- Why instructor quality and standardization drive outcomes
- How a concurrent college degree can improve long-term career leverage
- How CFI Academy structures professional pilot training intentionally
Table of Contents
The Airline Pilot Career: What Airlines Actually Hire For
Airlines do not hire pilots based on the “cool factor” of an airplane or how flashy a program looks online. They hire based on measurable readiness and professional performance, including:
- Total flight time and the ability to operate consistently under pressure
- Decision-making and judgment (risk management, ADM, IFR discipline)
- Standardization (procedures, callouts, checklists, stable habits)
- Communication and instructional foundation (clear thinking, clear speaking)
- Professional training culture that resembles airline environments
Your early training choices either reinforce these traits or quietly undermine them.
FAA Licenses and Ratings Required for an Airline Career
A serious U.S. airline-career trainee typically progresses through the following sequence:
- Private Pilot Certificate (PPL)
- Instrument Rating (IR)
- Commercial Pilot Certificate (CPL)
- Certified Flight Instructor (CFI)
- Certified Flight Instructor – Instrument (CFII)
- Multi-Engine Rating (ME)
- Multi-Engine Instructor (MEI)
- ATP (or Restricted ATP), depending on eligibility and pathway
If a program implies “shortcuts” around this progression, treat it as a red flag.
The Two Legitimate Paths to the Airlines
There are two proven training strategies that work. Neither is inherently “better.” The right choice depends on your budget, timeline, and risk tolerance.
We break down the tradeoffs, costs, and airline implications of each in detail in our comparison of CFI vs multi-engine first training paths.
So, you must be thinking which Airline Training Path is better? CFI first, or Multi-Engine Rating first?
Path 1: Instructor-First (Time-Builder Strategy)
This is the most common and resilient airline pathway. For a deeper comparison of how this approach stacks up against multi-engine-first training, see our guide on CFI-first vs multi-engine-first airline training.
Typical sequence:
- PPL → IR → CPL
- CFI → CFII
- Paid flight instruction to build time
- Multi-Engine + MEI layered in strategically
Best for:
- Cost-conscious trainees
- Career changers building a long runway to the airlines
- Students who value mastery and professional habits
- Anyone who wants maximum flexibility while time building
Teaching forces mastery. Many of the strongest airline candidates have a meaningful instructor foundation.
Path 2: Multi-Engine Emphasis (Acceleration Strategy)
This path prioritizes earlier multi-engine exposure and can be an effective accelerator for the right trainee profile.
Typical sequence:
- PPL → IR → CPL
- Multi-Engine Rating (ME)
- CFI → CFII → MEI
- Multi-engine time building where available
Best for:
- Trainees with financing in place
- Students with prior aviation experience
- Those targeting a more aggressive timeline
Important: This approach requires strong instructional oversight to prevent shallow skill development. The goal is not to “collect ratings,” but to build airline-ready proficiency.
This path can be effective in the right circumstances, but the tradeoffs are important to understand. We outline when this strategy makes sense in our breakdown of CFI vs multi-engine-first training decisions.
Why Instructor Quality Matters More Than Aircraft or Speed
Many flight schools treat instructors as temporary labor. That model creates inconsistent results: outcomes depend heavily on which instructor you happen to get.
CFI Academy takes the opposite approach.
CFI Academy Is Instructor-Development First
CFI Academy is fundamentally a flight instructor training school. That strategic choice creates compounding advantages that most competitors cannot replicate:
- Instructor candidates are trained to teach, not just “build time”
- Top performers from each CFI class can be identified and retained
- Teaching methods and standards are systematized across the school
- When instructor turnover happens, replacements are trained to the same standard
- Student training continuity is preserved—no “reset” when an instructor leaves
This produces a high-leverage result: your training quality is not personality-dependent. That consistency is exactly how airline training environments operate.
Part 61 vs Part 141: What Actually Matters
Many students assume this decision determines airline success. In reality, the distinction is often misunderstood, which we explain in detail in our guide on Part 61 vs Part 141 for airline careers.
Both Part 61 and Part 141 are FAA-approved pathways. Neither one guarantees quality by itself.
What matters is the system:
- Syllabus discipline and structured progression
- Instructor standardization and oversight
- Evaluation rigor and documentation quality
- Safety culture and professional expectations
CFI Academy emphasizes outcome-driven training built around standardization and professionalism—regardless of the regulatory track used for individual stages.
The regulatory framework matters far less than how training is executed, a topic we explore further in our breakdown of what actually matters in Part 61 vs Part 141 training.
Do You Need a College Degree to Become an Airline Pilot?
Legally, a four-year degree is not required to earn your certificates and ratings. Strategically, it can still matter.
Many airline hiring environments have historically preferred or valued a degree. Even when not strictly required, a degree can strengthen long-term career leverage and optionality.
The smartest structure is typically concurrent enrollment—earning the degree while you train—rather than delaying flight progress for academics.
Concurrent Degree Option with Utah Valley University (UVU)
CFI Academy trainees may be able to pursue concurrent academic enrollment through Utah Valley University (UVU), enabling a degree pathway alongside professional flight training.
This structure can provide practical advantages:
- Earn a recognized college degree while progressing through ratings
- Maintain training momentum without being constrained by semester flight bottlenecks
- Potential eligibility for federal financial aid and student loan options through university enrollment (subject to program eligibility)
- Improve long-term airline-career leverage by graduating with both ratings and a degree
Key concept: Your flight training pace does not have to be dictated by a university semester—yet you can still complete a degree that supports airline-career competitiveness.
Financing and Financial Aid (High-Level Overview)
Funding flight training typically involves a strategy—often combining multiple sources depending on eligibility and personal circumstance, such as:
- Personal funding / savings
- Private aviation training financing (when appropriate)
- Federal student aid pathways tied to academic enrollment (subject to eligibility)
- Veteran education benefits, where applicable
CFI Academy’s approach should be financial transparency and realism—not over-leveraging trainees with unclear total cost expectations.
Why CFI Academy Is Structurally Different
CFI Academy is designed for trainees who want:
- Airline-relevant training culture and professional standards
- Instructor continuity through a standardized instructor development pipeline
- Two professional pathways (CFI-first or Multi-first) depending on strategy
- Academic leverage through a concurrent degree option
- Clarity over hype—realistic timelines and structured progression
This is not a “pilot mill.” It is a professional training pipeline designed to produce consistent, airline-ready outcomes.
Is CFI Academy the Right Fit for You?
CFI Academy is a strong fit if you:
- Are committed to an airline career and want a complete, logical pathway
- Value standardized instruction over personality-dependent training
- Want training continuity even if instructor turnover occurs
- Prefer an outcome-driven approach instead of marketing-driven promises
- Want the option to pursue a degree concurrently through UVU
If you are still weighing which route aligns best with your goals, our detailed comparison of CFI vs multi-engine first airline pilot paths can help clarify the decision.
Next Step: Build Your Training Strategy
The smartest next step is not “enroll now.” It is aligning on a strategy that fits your goals, timeline, and budget.
Request a personalized training roadmap to clarify:
- Which pathway is best for your airline timeline (CFI-first or Multi-first)
- Realistic training timeline milestones
- How degree enrollment and financing can integrate (when applicable)
Contact CFI Academy to start your training strategy conversation.
