The short answer

1,250 hours is two paragraphs, not one: §61.160(c) is the associate’s degree with an aviation major and at least 30 semester credit hours, and §61.160(d) is the bachelor’s graduate with 30–59 of those credit hours. Either way the restriction comes off at full §61.159 experience and age 23. One 20-minute video call, no checkride.

Two different pathways, one hour figure

§61.160(c) sets 1,250 hours of total time as a pilot for an applicant with an associate’s degree with an aviation major and at least 30 semester credit hours of aviation and aviation-related coursework, plus a commercial pilot certificate and instrument rating.

§61.160(d) reaches the same 1,250 hours from the other direction: a graduate with a bachelor’s degree who has fewer than 60 but at least 30 semester credit hours of that coursework. If you finished a four-year programme but the aviation credits did not reach 60, this is the paragraph you were issued under — not §61.160(b).

Both carry §61.160(e): 200 hours of cross-country time instead of the 500 that §61.159 asks for. That allowance is the reason the restriction does not lift the day you pass 1,500 hours.

What the restriction actually costs you

Under §61.167(b) the restriction means no acting as pilot in command in part 121 operations, in §91.1053(a)(2)(i) fractional operations, or in §135.243(a)(1) operations — and no serving as second in command in part 121 flag or supplemental operations requiring three or more pilots. Everything else an ATP can do, an R-ATP holder can do, which is why it is the standard first-officer certificate at the regionals.

Why 1,500 hours is not the finish line

The restriction is not removed by reaching 1,500 hours. It is removed by meeting §61.159 in full, and §61.159 wants 500 hours of cross-country — not the 200 your certificate was issued against. Coming from 1,250 the gap is only 250 total hours, so this is the pathway where pilots most often arrive at 1,500 total time and find the cross-country column is what is actually holding them.

§61.159(a) is the full airplane ATP experience requirement: 1,500 hours total time including at least 500 hours cross-country, 100 hours night, 50 hours in the class of airplane for the rating sought, 75 hours instrument (actual or simulated), and 250 hours pilot in command (or SIC performing PIC duties) of which 100 are cross-country and 25 are night.

What removal requires

Which of §61.160(c) or (d) issued your certificate makes no difference to the removal. The test after issuance is the same for every pathway in the rule.

Also carrying the ICAO line?

Some ATP certificates carry a second limitation: “Holder does not meet the pilot in command aeronautical experience requirements of ICAO.” That is §61.160(h), a different limitation with its own removal test, handled in the same appointment at no extra charge. Details on the ICAO PIC limitation page.

How the appointment runs

  1. Identity verification (valid, unexpired photo ID)
  2. Certificate and logbook review against §61.159(a), line by line
  3. IACRA application signed live
  4. Temporary certificate without the restriction issued on the call

About 20 minutes, from anywhere with a stable connection. 24-hour advance notice is required for FAA DMS oversight entry.

Pricing — $200 flat

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

Related

R-ATP to Unrestricted ATP

The hub page: every pathway, the restriction, and how the appointment runs.

R-ATP at 1,000 Hours

Bachelor’s degree with 60 aviation credit hours — §61.160(b).

Still Restricted at 1,500 Hours

Why a 1,500-hour certificate can still read “Restricted”.

Met §61.159 and turned 23? That is the whole test.

Submit the contact form and your document page opens with the list — scan with your phone or upload PDFs. $200 flat.

Schedule your ATP restriction removal →

Frequently asked

Is the 1,250-hour R-ATP the associate’s degree pathway?
It is both of the 1,250-hour pathways. 61.160(c) is the associate’s degree with an aviation major and at least 30 semester credit hours of aviation coursework. 61.160(d) is a bachelor’s graduate with fewer than 60 but at least 30 of those credit hours. Both land on 1,250 hours of total time.
I have a bachelor’s degree. Why was I issued at 1,250 and not 1,000?
Because 61.160(b) asks for 60 semester credit hours of aviation and aviation-related coursework, not just the degree. A bachelor’s with 30 to 59 of those credits is 61.160(d), which is 1,250 hours. The paragraph you were issued under does not change how the restriction is removed.
Does the restriction come off at 1,500 hours?
Not by itself. 61.160(g) requires satisfactory evidence of meeting 61.159 in full, and 61.159(a) requires 500 hours of cross-country time — your certificate was issued against the 200-hour allowance in 61.160(e). Coming from 1,250 hours the total-time gap is small, so cross-country is usually the line that decides your date.
Do I need another checkride?
No. It is an administrative action on the evidence, processed in IACRA. Daytona DPE handles it on a 20-minute video call for $200 flat, with the unrestricted temporary certificate issued on the call.
Can my logbook be checked before I pay?
Yes. Submit the contact form and your document page opens with the list; send the certificate and logbook evidence through it and eligibility is verified before the appointment. If something is short you find out before you have paid anything.