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Your Pilot Career, Explained

Everything you need to know about ranks, experience points, certifications, mission types, and how to progress from Student Pilot to Airline Transport Pilot.

Experience Points

XP Required Per Level

XP thresholds are cumulative. Earn XP from flight completions, landing quality bonuses, challenge completions, and achievement unlocks.

LevelRankCumulative XPProgress
1Student Pilot0 XP
2Student Pilot1,200 XP
3Student Pilot2,600 XP
4Student Pilot4,200 XP
5Private Pilot6,000 XP
6Private Pilot8,000 XP
7Private Pilot11,000 XP
8Instrument Pilot14,200 XP
9Instrument Pilot17,600 XP
10Instrument Pilot21,200 XP
11Instrument Pilot25,200 XP
12Commercial Pilot29,400 XP
13Commercial Pilot34,600 XP
14Commercial Pilot41,000 XP
15Commercial Pilot49,000 XP
16Multi-Engine Pilot59,000 XP
17Multi-Engine Pilot71,600 XP
18Multi-Engine Pilot87,400 XP
19Multi-Engine Pilot107,200 XP
20Charter Captain132,000 XP
21Charter Captain163,000 XP

How do I earn XP? Flight completions award base XP scaled by distance, mission tier, and special mechanics. Landing quality adds bonus XP: a perfect landing (under 100 fpm) earns +50 XP, smooth (100–200 fpm) earns +25 XP, and normal (200–300 fpm) earns +10 XP. Challenges and achievements award additional XP. Certifications grant a stacking XP bonus of +1% (below Level 10) or +2% (Level 10+), up to +5% total.

Specializations

Certifications

Certifications are purchased with in-game currency and unlock specialized mission types. Each certification (beyond the baseline) also grants a permanent XP earning bonus.

✈️
Single-Engine Piston VFR
SEP_VFR
Your baseline certification. Every pilot starts with this rating, granting access to standard cargo and mail delivery missions.
Free (included)All levels
🌳
Bush Pilot
BUSH_PILOT
Unlocks construction material deliveries, aerial surveys, and wildlife survey missions. For pilots who love the backcountry.
+1% / +2% XPLevel 3+
⚕️
Medical Transport
MEDICAL_TRANSPORT
Unlocks priority medical supply deliveries and emergency medical transport flights. Time-critical missions with higher pay.
+1% / +2% XPLevel 8+
⚠️
Hazardous Materials
HAZMAT
Unlocks hazardous materials transport missions. High risk, high reward flights that require careful handling.
+1% / +2% XPLevel 18+
⭐
VIP Charter
VIP_CHARTER
Unlocks VIP passenger flights, celebrity charters, and news media transport. Reputation and landing quality matter most here.
+1% / +2% XPLevel 18+
⚙️
Multi-Engine Rating
MEP_RATING
Unlocks business passenger transport, law enforcement support, and scientific research resupply missions.
+1% / +2% XPLevel 12+
🏅
Military Liaison
MILITARY_LIAISON
Unlocks military contract missions. The most expensive certification at $15,000 in-game, but with the highest-paying missions in the entire career.
+1% / +2% XPLevel 25+ · $15,000

XP Bonus Stacking: Each certification above SEP_VFR adds +1% XP if you're below Level 10, or +2% XP at Level 10 and above. These bonuses stack, up to a maximum of +5% total XP earned on every flight.

Career Missions

Mission Types & Pay

Missions are grouped into 6 tiers that unlock as you level up. Higher tiers offer better pay but may require specific certifications.

Tier 0Unlocked at Level 1
General Freight
Cargo
$200 – $600
Mail & Parcels
Cargo
$150 – $400
Farm Supplies
Cargo
$250 – $500
Tier 1Unlocked at Level 3–5
Refrigerated Cargo
Cargo · Urgency mechanic
$400 – $900
Construction Materials
Cargo
$350 – $800
Requires BUSH_PILOT
Aerial Survey
Cargo
$300 – $700
Requires BUSH_PILOT
Wildlife Survey
Cargo
$300 – $600
Requires BUSH_PILOT
Tier 2Unlocked at Level 8
Regular Passengers
Passenger
$500 – $1,200
Priority Medical Supplies
Cargo · Urgency
$600 – $1,400
Requires MEDICAL_TRANSPORT
Fragile Cargo
Cargo · Fragile mechanic
$450 – $1,000
Infrastructure Patrol
Cargo
$400 – $800
Tier 3Unlocked at Level 12
Business Passengers
Passenger
$900 – $2,500
Requires MEP_RATING
Emergency Medical Transport
Passenger
$1,000 – $2,800
Requires MEDICAL_TRANSPORT
Law Enforcement Support
Cargo
$800 – $2,000
Requires MEP_RATING
Tier 4Unlocked at Level 18
VIP Passengers
Passenger · VIP mechanic
$2,000 – $6,000
Requires VIP_CHARTER
Hazardous Materials
Cargo
$1,500 – $4,000
Requires HAZMAT
News Media Transport
Passenger · Urgency
$900 – $2,200
Requires VIP_CHARTER
Tier 5Unlocked at Level 25
Disaster Relief Operations
Cargo · Multi-leg
$2,500 – $8,000
Scientific Research Resupply
Cargo
$2,000 – $6,000
Requires MEP_RATING
Military Liaison
Passenger
$3,000 – $10,000
Requires MILITARY_LIAISON
Celebrity Private Charter
Passenger · VIP mechanic
$4,000 – $12,000
Requires VIP_CHARTER
Operations

Home Base Slots

As your career progresses, you unlock additional home bases to fly from. Expand your reach across the map.

1–9
Levels
1 home base
10–19
Levels
2 home bases
20+
Levels
3 home bases