Fighter, bomber and trainer pilots to FAA commercial — which class your jet earns

The rule, in plain English

14 CFR 61.73 lets a current or former U.S. military pilot turn military qualifications into an FAA commercial pilot certificate with the matching category and class rating, an instrument rating, and — where the FAA has a civilian equivalent — a type rating. There is no checkride. You pass one FAA knowledge test, you show official military records, and an examiner issues the certificate as an administrative action.

• The test: the MCN (Military Competence) knowledge test at any PSI testing center — commercial privileges and limitations, air traffic and general operating rules, accident reporting (§61.73(b)(2)). 50 questions, 70% to pass. The report prints its own expiration: 24 calendar months.
• The records: official records showing you are or were a military pilot, graduated military pilot training with a pilot rating, and passed a pilot proficiency check and instrument proficiency check (§61.73(h)(1)–(3)).
• The aircraft: for each rating, either a military pilot and instrument proficiency check in that category/class/type, or 10 hours of military pilot time in it (§61.73(b)(3)). Current FAA guidance says the 10 hours alone can't be the only basis — the proficiency-check record still has to be in the pile.
• The instrument rating: added in the same action when your records show a military instrument proficiency check in that category and that you're instrument-qualified to fly Federal airways (§61.73(d)).

The one bar in the regulation: a pilot removed from flying status for lack of proficiency, or because of a disciplinary action involving aircraft operations (§61.73(a)). That's it. Years since you separated is not a bar, and there is no expiry on the military check itself — veterans qualify on their records.

Which class your aircraft earns

§61.73(b)(3) gives each category and class rating its own evidence. The class comes from the aircraft your pilot and instrument check was flown in — engines, not mission:

• Single-engine land: F-16, F-35 (every variant), AV-8B, A-29 · trainers T-6, T-7, T-34, T-45
• Multi-engine land: F-15, F-22, F/A-18 and EA-18G, A-10 · bombers B-1, B-2, B-52 · trainers T-38, T-1A, T-44, T-54

Adding the other class from your training hours

The second door in §61.73(b)(3) is 10 hours of pilot time as a military pilot in that class. Pilot training usually covers it: a twin-jet or bomber pilot's T-6 primary hours add single-engine land, and an F-16 or F-35 pilot's T-38 or T-1 hours add multi-engine land. Student time counts.

Send an official record of those hours — your service's flight-records hours summary or NATOPS log book pages, not a personal logbook alone. Simulator time never counts. The 10 hours only add a class; the certificate itself still rests on the pilot and instrument check in your later aircraft.

Why there's no fighter or bomber type rating

§61.73(e) only lets a type rating come across for an aircraft the FAA lists with a comparable civilian type. That list (Order 8900.1, Figure 5-88, revised 09/14/2026) has no fighter, attack or bomber aircraft on it. The trainer exception is the T-1A, listed as equivalent to the MU-300 / BE-400 — a T-1A check in your records can put that type on the certificate. The military aircraft that do map to a civilian type are listed on the military competency hub.

What you walk away with

• Commercial pilot certificate — airplane single-engine land, multi-engine land, or both, per the two sections above
• Instrument-airplane, from your military instrument check (§61.73(d))
• The MU-300 / BE-400 type rating, if your records show a check in the T-1A

Instructor pilots can add an FAA flight instructor certificate the same way — see military instructor → CFI. For the airline side, pair it with the restricted ATP: military pilots qualify for an R-ATP at 750 hours — see R-ATP for military pilots.

Your document checklist

• Aeronautical orders for your pilot rating
• Your most recent qualification / instrument evaluation for your branch — AF Form 8 (or the UPT memorandum), OPNAV 3710/7, and so on — naming the aircraft
• Flying history printout showing the airframe and your time in it
• MCN knowledge test report, unexpired
• Government photo ID or military ID; FAA medical or current military medical if you have one
• IACRA application started, with your FTN

Branch-specific lists: Air Force · Navy / Marine Corps · Coast Guard.

Watch: the IACRA application, step by step

Two minutes, start to finish. Leave every hours box blank.

▶

What the virtual appointment is

A 20-minute video call with an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner. Not a checkride, not an oral — an administrative review. Your documents are checked before the call, so the call itself is short:

1. Identity check against a government photo ID (military ID is fine)
2. MCN test report and military records confirmed against §61.73
3. Your IACRA application reviewed and signed live
4. Temporary certificate issued on the call — valid immediately. The FAA mails the plastic card later.

Works from a squadron office, a hotel room overseas, or a deployed location with decent internet. Booking needs 24 hours' notice so the FAA's oversight system (DMS) can be updated. Daytona DPE's FAA Certificate Letter of Authority (CLOA) carries Remote Technology Authorized for military competency — that's the FAA basis for doing this by video.

Pricing — $200 flat

No travel fees, no rescheduling fees, no charge if you're determined not eligible during the appointment. Details → Pricing

Related

Frequently asked

← Back to the Military Competency (MCE / MIE) hub · every branch and airframe page is listed there.