Pilot Training Programs
Every FAA pilot certificate and rating on a single page. Prerequisites, hour requirements, what you’ll learn, where it’s offered, and what it costs to start. Use this as your roadmap from zero hours to airline transport pilot.
How training works at NextGen Flying Academy
We operate under FAA Part 61 at both Riverside and Redlands. Part 141 structured training is available at our Riverside (KRAL) location only.
The practical difference:
- Part 61 is flexible. You progress at your own pace, can train across multiple schools or instructors, and the FAA hour minimums are slightly higher (40 hours PPL, 250 hours commercial single-pilot).
- Part 141 uses an FAA-approved structured syllabus with stage checks. Hour minimums are lower (35 hours PPL, 190 hours commercial). It’s required for some VA benefits and preferred by career-track students.
Most of our students train Part 61. Career-track and GI Bill students at Riverside typically choose Part 141.
Private Pilot Certificate (PPL) {#private-pilot}
The certificate that lets you fly an airplane. Carry passengers, plan cross-country trips, fly for personal use. Almost every other certificate and rating builds on this one.
Prerequisites
- 17 years of age (16 to solo)
- Read, speak, write, and understand English
- FAA Third-Class Medical Certificate (or BasicMed)
Hour requirements (Part 61)
- 40 hours total flight time minimum
- 20 hours dual instruction
- 10 hours solo
- 3 hours cross-country dual, 5 hours solo cross-country
- 3 hours night, 3 hours instrument, 3 hours test prep
Aircraft used: Cessna 152, Cessna 172, Piper Warrior
Typical timeline: 3 to 6 months at 2 to 3 lessons per week. National average is closer to 60 hours of actual flight time before checkride.
Starting price: $12,000. Final cost depends on aircraft hours flown and how quickly you progress.
Offered at: Riverside (KRAL) and Redlands (KREI)
Learn more about Private Pilot training →
Instrument Rating (IR) {#instrument-rating}
The rating that lets you fly in clouds, low visibility, and IMC conditions. Required for any serious cross-country flying in California winter weather and a prerequisite for most commercial pilot work.
Prerequisites
- Hold a Private Pilot Certificate
- Pass the FAA Instrument written exam
Hour requirements
- 50 hours pilot-in-command cross-country (can be built during PPL phase if planned)
- 40 hours actual or simulated instrument time
- 15 hours instrument training with a CFII
What you’ll train: ILS, RNAV (GPS), VOR approaches, holding patterns, partial-panel emergencies, IFR cross-country flight planning, ATC communication in IMC.
Aircraft used: Cessna 172 (steam gauge and G1000), Piper Warrior, Redbird simulator
Typical timeline: 3 to 4 months following PPL
Offered at: Riverside (KRAL) and Redlands (KREI)
Commercial Pilot Certificate (CPL) {#commercial-pilot}
The certificate that lets you get paid to fly. Banner towing, aerial photography, flight instruction (with CFI), pipeline patrol, cargo, and the gateway to airline employment.
Prerequisites
- Hold a Private Pilot Certificate and Instrument Rating
- FAA Second-Class Medical Certificate
- Pass the FAA Commercial written exam
Hour requirements (Part 61)
- 250 hours total flight time
- 100 hours pilot-in-command
- 50 hours cross-country PIC
- 10 hours dual in a complex or technically advanced aircraft
- Plus night, instrument, and specific maneuver requirements
Hour requirements (Part 141)
- 190 hours total flight time, structured syllabus
Aircraft used: Piper Cherokee Arrow (PA-28R) for complex requirement, Cessna 172, Beechcraft Duchess (if multi-engine commercial)
Typical timeline: Most students build the hour requirement over 6 to 12 months while flying as time-builders, then complete the commercial training itself in 4 to 6 weeks.
Offered at: Riverside (KRAL) and Redlands (KREI). Complex training in the Arrow is based at Riverside.
Multi-Engine Rating {#multi-engine}
The add-on rating that lets you fly twin-engine aircraft. Required for almost every airline career path and most corporate flying.
Prerequisites
- Hold a Private or Commercial Pilot Certificate
- Standard multi-engine ground knowledge
What you’ll train: Engine-out procedures, asymmetric thrust (Vmc), multi-engine performance calculations, single-engine ILS, accelerate-stop and accelerate-go distances.
Aircraft used: Beechcraft Duchess (BE-76), supplemented with Redbird simulator for emergency profiles.
Typical timeline: 10 to 15 flight hours, completed in 2 to 4 weeks.
Offered at: Riverside (KRAL) only.
Certified Flight Instructor (CFI / CFII / MEI) {#cfi}
Teach others to fly. Build the hours you need for an ATP and the airlines. Most career-track pilots earn CFI immediately after their commercial certificate.
Three flavors:
- CFI: teach Private Pilot students in single-engine aircraft
- CFII: teach Instrument Rating students
- MEI: teach in multi-engine aircraft
Prerequisites
- Commercial Pilot Certificate
- Instrument Rating (for CFII)
- Multi-Engine Rating (for MEI)
- Pass the FAA Fundamentals of Instructing (FOI) and CFI written exams
What’s different about CFI training: You don’t learn new flying. You learn how to teach the flying you already know. The bar is high. The FAA initial CFI checkride is notoriously rigorous because it certifies your judgment as a teacher.
Typical timeline: 6 to 10 weeks for initial CFI. CFII and MEI add-ons take 2 to 4 weeks each.
Offered at: Riverside (KRAL) and Redlands (KREI). MEI at Riverside only.
Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) {#atp}
The highest pilot certificate the FAA issues. Every Part 121 airline captain holds one. Most first officers earn it during their first airline year.
Prerequisites
- 1,500 hours total flight time (or 1,250 with a Part 141 commercial, or 1,000 with a four-year aviation degree)
- 500 hours cross-country, 100 hours night, 75 hours instrument
- ATP-CTP (Airline Transport Pilot Certification Training Program) course completion
- FAA First-Class Medical Certificate
- 23 years of age
What we offer: ATP checkride preparation in the Beechcraft Duchess once you’ve met the hour requirements. We do not currently run an in-house ATP-CTP course. We can refer you to approved providers.
Offered at: Riverside (KRAL)
High Altitude Endorsement {#high-altitude}
A focused endorsement that prepares you for safe operations at high-density altitude and in mountainous terrain. California-specific because California has the terrain.
The FAA high-altitude endorsement under FAR 61.31(g) applies to pressurized aircraft with service ceilings above 25,000 feet. Beyond that regulatory definition, we train mountain and density-altitude operations as a practical safety endorsement for any pilot flying west of the Rockies.
What you’ll train
- Density altitude calculations and performance impact
- Mountain weather patterns: rotors, mountain wave, valley winds
- Canyon and ridge crossing techniques
- Departure and arrival procedures at high-elevation airports
- Physiological effects of altitude on pilots and passengers
Where we fly it: Big Bear City Airport (KL35) at 6,752 feet MSL, Apple Valley (KAPV), and other density-altitude fields in the San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains.
Typical timeline: Ground school plus 5 to 10 flight hours, completed in 2 to 3 weekends.
Offered at: Redlands (KREI) primary. Riverside students can train it.
High Performance & Complex Endorsements {#endorsements}
Required by FAR 61.31 for aircraft with more than 200 horsepower (high performance) or retractable gear / controllable-pitch propeller / flaps (complex). Typically earned alongside commercial training in the Piper Cherokee Arrow.
Offered at: Riverside (KRAL) primary, available at Redlands (KREI) with scheduling.
Career Track Program (Zero to Hero)
For students starting at zero hours with the goal of becoming an airline pilot. We combine Private, Instrument, Commercial, Multi-Engine, and CFI into a structured timeline so you graduate ready to instruct and build hours toward the ATP minimums.
Typical timeline: 12 to 18 months at full-time pace, including hour-building between commercial and CFI completion.
Offered at: Riverside (KRAL) under Part 141 (recommended) or Part 61.
Contact us about the Career Track program
Get started
The first step is a discovery flight or a phone call. We’ll talk through which program fits your goals, your budget, and your timeline, and walk you through financing options.