Before You Enroll
Multi-Engine Rating Requirements
A multi-engine rating, written on your certificate as AMEL (Airplane Multi-Engine Land), is an additional class rating. You add it to a pilot certificate you already hold, most often a private or commercial certificate with an airplane single-engine rating. The rule that governs it is 14 CFR 61.63(c), and it is simpler than most pilots expect.
| Requirement | What The FAA Asks For | How It Works At Essence |
|---|
| Pilot Certificate | A private or commercial pilot certificate with an airplane rating (usually single-engine land) | Bring your certificate; we confirm eligibility at your consultation |
| Minimum Hours | No set training time for the added class rating (61.63(c)(3)) | 10 hours logged: 8 in the Piper Seminole and 2 in the full-motion simulator |
| Knowledge Test | None, as long as you already hold an airplane rating at that certificate level (61.63(c)(4)) | An online prep course covers systems, procedures and performance before day one |
| Instructor Endorsement | A logbook endorsement from an authorized instructor that you are competent and proficient (61.63(c)(1)) | Given by your multi-engine instructor when you meet the standard |
| Practical Test | A checkride with an examiner (61.63(c)(2)) | Scheduled before your course starts |
In plain terms: there is no minimum hour count in the regulation, so the multi-engine rating requirements come down to training until you fly to the standard, getting the endorsement and passing the checkride. The practical test is flown at the level of the privileges you are adding, private or commercial, using the multi-engine tasks of the matching FAA Airman Certification Standards.
Why The Airplane Matters: A rating earned in an airplane with engines mounted on the centerline carries a centerline thrust limitation. The Piper Seminole is a conventional twin with an engine on each wing, so the rating you earn in it is a full multi-engine rating.
Who Should Add A Multi-Engine Rating
- Career Pilots: Multi-engine experience is part of the path to charter, corporate and airline flying, and it is required before you can train as a multi-engine instructor (MEI).
- Commercial Students: Many pilots add the rating at the commercial level as part of the airline pilot program or right after their commercial checkride.
- Private Pilots: Owners and renters who want the performance and redundancy of a second engine for longer trips.
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