Whats the difference between a Commercial Pilot License (CPL) & an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP)?

Answer 1

Ryan, if you read your own cited reference a little more carefully, you will see that as a commercial pilot, I am legally allowed to carry passengers on a NON-SCHEDULED (on demand) flight while acting as an employee of an airline. Also, the prohibition of carrying passengers more than 50 mi or at night applies only to those CPs who are not instrument rated.

This is the essential difference between the CPL and ATP; the later has full privileges on a SCHEDULED flight. A not uncommon scenario is that the cockpit of an airliner will house one ATP and one CPL who is no doubt working on getting his ATP, a requirement to act as captain of a flight.

Answer 2

The Airline Transport Pilot is a higher level of certification than the Commercial Pilot. The CPL certifies a pilot to fly a complex aircraft for pay, but does not allow him to fly in instrument-only conditions, nor to ferry members of the public. A CPL certified pilot could tow a banner, crop dust, do aerial photography, and even teach lessons. The CPL requires around 250 hours of flying time.

An ATP can do all of the above, plus fly airlines which are for conveying members of the public. You need one of these to fly for any of the major (or minor) airlines. The ATP certification requires 1500 hours of flying time, and you must be 23 years of age instead of the 18 required for the CPL.

Answer 3

Steve is right. A Commercial is required anytime you want to get paid for flying, no matter what type of flight it is, an ATP is required for scheduled flights operated under FAR Part 121 - these are the regs for Air Carriers (Commercial Airlines and scheduled freight such as FedEx). I have a CPL and fly every day, often in Instrument conditions, often to minimums. I can do that quite legally with passengers and at night, and have done so, either under the regs for Charter flights (On-Demand Charter), FAR Part 135, or under FAR Part 91.

Answer 4

All airline pilots are commercial pilots, yet not all commercial pilots are airline pilots. An airline pilot is a commercial pilot that works for an airline. A commercial pilot is a pilot it fairly is approved to be paid for flying. Crop dusters, flight instructors, company pilots, banner towing pilots, are all examples of economic pilots that are actually not airline pilots. in case you go with to alter into an airline pilot without turning out to be a member of the protection stress, you will possibly desire to first get a commercial pilots certification, and then spend countless years flying in different commercial jobs to benefit sufficient flight time to be seen via an airline. you will possibly might desire to spend a minimum of $25,000 for the education, often two times that quantity, then spend a pair of years flying for little pay jointly as development time. .the protection stress is "greater interior of your budget" - they pay for the education, yet you will have an prolonged protection stress criminal duty, and protection stress pay isn't all that great.

Answer 5

I beleive Commercial Pilot is for commercial airlines, i.e. Southwest. ATP is for flying good in a cargo plane, i.e. packages for FedEx.

Answer 6

How much you get paid once you get a job!

Answer 7

THE AMOUNT OF PASSENGERS YOU ARE ALLOWED TO CARRY??