To fly your own light jet you need a pilot certificate, an instrument rating, usually a multi-engine rating, and a type rating for the specific jet, with single-pilot privileges if you'll fly alone. Insurance companies set their own experience requirements and often require a period of flying with a mentor pilot. Single-pilot jets such as the Phenom 100 and 300, Citation CJ series and Premier are the usual choices.
The path, step by step
- Private pilot certificate. The foundation: flying, navigation, weather and regulations.
- Instrument rating. Essential for jets, which fly in clouds and in controlled airspace almost all the time.
- Experience. Most owners build time in a piston twin or a turboprop first. Insurers care a great deal about total hours and time in complex, high-performance aircraft.
- Multi-engine rating. Required for twin-engine jets, which is most of them.
- Type rating. Every turbojet requires a type rating for that specific aircraft family, with single-pilot privileges if you'll fly without a co-pilot.
- Mentoring. Insurers often require a set number of hours flying with an experienced mentor pilot before you fly alone.
Which jets can one pilot fly?
Common single-pilot jets include the Embraer Phenom 100 and 300, the Cessna CitationJet / CJ series and M2, the Citation Mustang, the Beechcraft Premier, the Eclipse 500/550, and certain early Citations (the 501 and 551). Larger jets such as the Learjet 60 and Hawker series require two pilots.
Type rating: simulator or the real airplane?
You can earn a type rating in a full-flight simulator at a training center, or in the aircraft itself. In the US, first-time type rating applicants trained in a simulator must complete 25 hours of Supervised Operating Experience (SOE) before the limitation is removed. Training and testing in the aircraft avoids that requirement, and you learn in the airplane you'll actually fly. Our training division runs in-aircraft type ratings at typerating.aero.
Why owner-pilots save so much
A professional crew is one of the largest fixed costs of owning a jet. Flying yourself, or flying with one professional pilot instead of two, can cut annual costs dramatically and lower the number of hours you need to make ownership worthwhile. See what it really costs to own a jet.
Be honest about the workload
Flying a jet alone is demanding: high altitudes, busy airspace, fast-changing weather and no one to share the workload. The safest owner-pilots keep training, fly regularly, and know when to bring a second pilot. We'd rather tell you that now than after you've bought the airplane. Watch our Phenom 100 mentoring videos to see what it's really like.
Questions people ask
How long does it take to learn to fly my own jet?
For someone starting with no pilot certificate, reaching the point of flying a light jet alone typically takes a few years of steady training and experience. Pilots who already hold an instrument rating and fly a turboprop can transition much faster. Insurance requirements usually set the pace.
Do I need a type rating to fly a private jet?
Yes. In the US, every turbojet-powered aircraft requires a type rating for the pilot in command. If you'll fly alone, the type rating must include single-pilot privileges.
Can I get a type rating in my own aircraft?
Yes. Type ratings can be trained and tested in the aircraft, and in the US doing so avoids the 25 hours of Supervised Operating Experience required after a first type rating earned in a simulator.
Will insurance cover me flying my own jet?
Usually, but insurers set their own minimum experience, training and mentoring requirements, which vary by aircraft and pilot. We help owners understand those requirements before they buy.
