Everything you need to know about building your pilot career in iFly Schedules
Start as a First Officer at a Tier 1 airline, build hours, get promoted, and work your way up to premium international carriers.
When you start Career Mode, you'll pick a region, then choose from airlines in that area.
Pick one of six regions: North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, or Oceania to filter available airlines.
You'll see two types of starter positions:
Regional Programs: Regional program pilots fly in the major airline's livery, but internal fleet upgrades (cross-training to narrowbody/widebody) are not available. To go mainline, build hours and apply through the Job Center. However, your parent airline knows you — their mainline positions appear 75 hours earlier than normal (e.g., Tier 4 at 675h instead of 750h) as a purple "Flow-Through" card, plus you get a +5% acceptance bonus when applying.
Focus on these priorities:
Multi-Device Sync: Your career progress automatically syncs across all your devices. Start a flight on your desktop, check your stats on mobile!
Airlines are organized into four tiers, each with different pay scales and prestige:
Air Corsica, Air Tahiti, AirAsia, Breeze, Cebu Pacific, Flair Airlines, jetSMART, Jetstar, Norwegian, Ryanair, Scoot, Silver Airways, Sun Country, Volaris, Wizz
Aerolineas Argentinas, Aeromexico, Air Canada Rouge, Air Caraibes, Air Transat, Allegiant, Azul, Brussels Airlines, Condor, Copa Airlines, easyJet, Eurowings, Fiji Airways, flydubai, Frontier, Gol, Icelandair, IndiGo, Jet2, Spirit, Transavia, Transavia FR, TUI, Volotea, Vueling, WestJet
Aegean, Aer Lingus, AeroLogic, Alaska Airlines, Atlas Air, Avianca, Edelweiss, Ethiopian, Finnair, French Bee, Hawaiian, ITA Airways, JetBlue, LATAM, LOT Polish Airlines, Philippine Airlines, SAS, South African Airways, Southwest, TAP Air Portugal, Virgin Australia
Air Canada, Air China, Air France, Air India, Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, American Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, Emirates SkyCargo, Etihad, EVA Air, FedEx, Iberia, Japan Airlines, KLM, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Swiss, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines, UPS, Virgin Atlantic
Within each airline, you progress through four ranks based on your total career hours:
| Position | Total Hours Required | Pay Multiplier |
|---|---|---|
| First Officer (FO) | 0 hours | 1.0x base |
| Senior First Officer | 150 hours | 1.5x base |
| Captain | 400 hours | 2.0x base |
| Senior Captain | 750 hours | 2.5x base |
Note: Your position is based on total career hours, so when you change airlines you keep your rank! Promotions at your current airline appear as competitive slot-based opportunities (30-40% chance once eligible) with seniority-based approval (20-95%). Apply and wait 2-18 hours for a decision.
Each airline tracks pilot seniority using a hybrid score — 50% tenure (time at airline) and 50% airline hours flown:
See the top 10 pilots at your airline ranked by flight hours. Compete with colleagues to climb the ranks!
Type ratings are earned per aircraft family, not individual variants. One "A320 Family" rating covers the A319, A320, A321 and their neo variants.
| Tier | Examples | Pay Range |
|---|---|---|
| Regional | ATR, CRJ, Embraer, Dash 8 | $70-85/hr base |
| Narrowbody | A320 Family, B737 Family | $100-180/hr base |
| Widebody | A330, A350, B777, B787 | $200-350/hr base |
Your starter airline gives you a free rating for their primary aircraft. Beyond that, there are three ways to get additional type ratings:
When you apply to a job that requires a rating you don't have, the airline will provide training. The tradeoffs:
Purchase ratings on your own from the Career Development section:
Your airline covers 40% of training for aircraft in their fleet:
If you leave an airline that sponsored your training before the contract ends:
| Contract Progress | Amount Owed |
|---|---|
| 0-50% | 100% of training cost |
| 50-85% | 50% of training cost |
| 85-100% (buyout period) | 25% of training cost |
| Contract complete | Nothing - bond cleared |
Important: You cannot cancel training once started. Make sure you want the rating before purchasing!
Tip: Self-funding a type rating before applying gives you a shorter contract, no training bond, and a +10% acceptance bonus. If you can afford it, it's worth it!
The Schedule Generator lets you customize:
Chain of flights: A to B to C to D. Great for exploring new destinations.
Multiple roundtrips from base. Different destinations each pair!
Loop home: A to B to C to A. Visit multiple cities, return to base.
Random variety of the above patterns for unpredictable assignments.
Schedule Lock: You can generate a new schedule when you have 1 or fewer flights remaining. This simulates real airline operations.
The Job Center shows positions at other airlines with a realistic review process.
One application at a time: Click "Apply", wait 6-24 hours for a decision. You cannot apply elsewhere while an application is pending.
Acceptance is not guaranteed. Your odds depend on:
| Factor | Effect |
|---|---|
| Base acceptance rate | 70% |
| Flight experience | +1% per 25 hours (max +20%) |
| Same tier airline | +10% |
| Moving up 1 tier | -10% |
| Moving up 2+ tiers | -10% per tier |
| Already have type rating | +10% (not applied if airline provides training) |
When you join an airline, you sign a 21-30 day contract (extended to 28-44 days if the airline provides your type rating training):
| Contract Phase | When | Can Apply Elsewhere? |
|---|---|---|
| Locked | First ~85% of contract | No - must wait |
| Early Exit | Last ~15% of contract | Yes - $5,000 buyout fee (+ training bond if airline sponsored your rating) |
| Free | After contract ends | Yes - no fee |
Promotions appear as competitive slot-based opportunities once you reach the airline hour threshold for your next rank.
Your promotion approval depends on your hybrid seniority rank (tenure + hours) among all pilots at your airline:
| Your Rank | Approval Chance |
|---|---|
| Most senior (#1) | Very high |
| Middle of pack | Moderate |
| Newest hire | Low |
The longer you stay at an airline and the more pilots join after you, the better your promotion odds become.
Tip: You can only have one pending application at a time — a promotion blocks internal job applications and vice versa. Plan ahead!
Bid for a different aircraft family at your current airline.
Your airline may offer to train you on a new aircraft family in their fleet - completely free! These are rare but powerful opportunities.
Internal job approval is based on your hybrid seniority rank (tenure + hours) among all pilots at your airline:
| Your Rank | Approval Chance |
|---|---|
| Most senior (#1) | ~95% |
| Middle of pack | ~55-60% |
| Newest hire | ~20% |
Build hours and tenure at your airline to climb the seniority list and improve your odds!
The position you're offered on the new aircraft depends on your airline hours:
| Airline Hours | Position Offered |
|---|---|
| 50+ hours | First Officer |
| 150-200+ hours | Senior First Officer |
| 400-500+ hours | Captain |
| 750-900+ hours | Senior Captain |
The tradeoff: Your airline sponsors the training for free, but your contract is extended by 35-45%, a training bond applies, and your next 4-6 flights have a 30-40% pay reduction to help cover the airline's training investment. If you leave early, you'll also owe back a portion of the training cost.
Tip: Internal jobs are a great way to move from Regional to Narrowbody aircraft without saving up for the type rating yourself. Build hours and tenure at your airline to improve your seniority and wait for the opportunity!
Request a transfer to a different hub at your current airline.
Occasionally, your airline will offer you a free transfer to another base:
Tip: Keep your safety record clean! Safety strikes reduce your approval chance by 10% each.
All scheduled flights are cleared when you relocate or change airlines.
You earn money for each completed flight based on:
Paychecks deposit every Friday at 0600Z. Your earnings accumulate throughout the week and are paid automatically.
Your career bank tracks all earnings. Use it for:
Your complete financial history is tracked:
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Flight Pay | Payment for completed flights |
| Training | Type rating purchases |
| Relocation | Base transfer fees |
| Contract Buyout | Early exit penalty |
| Airline Departure | Career history when leaving |
The sidebar tracks two stat sections:
Note: "Earned" figures only show deposited pay, not pending pay waiting for Friday.
Go on-call for potential flight assignments, simulating real-world reserve scheduling.
Note: Assignment results are pre-determined when you start standby - whether you'll get assigned, when, and how many legs are all calculated upfront for fairness.
Tip: The Standby section is hidden when you have scheduled flights. Complete your schedule first to access reserve duty.
Extra flights with bonus pay:
Pick up flights from other pilots who called in sick:
Reposition aircraft to where they're needed next — fly the plane empty for bonus pay.
Flying builds fatigue; rest recovers it:
| Level | Range | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh | 0-30% | Can fly |
| Normal | 30-60% | Can fly |
| Tired | 60-85% | Can fly (warning shown) |
| Exhausted | 85%+ | Must rest |
Free! Just take a break. Recover 4% per real hour.
$625 for instant recovery to 0%.
$250 + 1.5 hour wait. Works offline!
Your flying quality is monitored — too many violations and you're grounded.
Tip: Keep landings smooth (under 500 FPM) and avoid aggressive maneuvers to stay strike-free!
Spend your hard-earned salary on items that help manage fatigue, safety strikes, and sick days. The shop is organized into three categories, each with a daily purchase limit — you can buy one item per category per day (resets at 0000Z).
Combat fatigue with these options:
Clean up your safety record:
Protect your schedule flexibility:
Each shop category allows one purchase per day, resetting at 0000 UTC:
Items that have hit their daily limit show "Sold Out" until the next UTC day.
Tip: Plan your purchases wisely! If you need both an Energy Drink and a Quick Vacation, you'll have to buy them on separate days since they share the Rest & Recovery daily limit.
Several reasons this might happen:
Note: You no longer need a type rating to apply. Airlines will provide training if you don't have the rating (look for the "Training Provided" badge).
You can generate a new schedule when you have 1 or fewer flights remaining. Check your flight list - you may have too many incomplete flights.
Pay varies based on:
Every Friday at 0600Z. Your weekly earnings deposit automatically.
Check the Transaction History section. "Airline Departure" entries show your history at previous airlines including hours flown, flights completed, and tenure.
Yes! Your career data is stored in the cloud and syncs automatically. You can check your stats on any device.
Promotions appear as competitive slot-based opportunities once you reach the airline hour threshold for the next position. There's a 30-40% chance of a promotion slot appearing each 1-2 day period. When one appears, click "Apply" and wait 2-18 hours for a seniority-based decision (20-95% approval chance). Approved promotions come with a base assignment and your schedule is cleared for new assignments.
Once you have 50+ airline hours and your initial contract is complete, internal job postings may appear in the Internal Opportunities section. These are rare (0-2 at a time) and last 1-3 days. They offer new aircraft positions with a base assignment. Your approval depends on your hybrid seniority rank (tenure + hours) at your airline — the more senior you are, the better your odds (20-95%). If training is required, the airline sponsors it for free, but your contract gets extended by 35-45%, a training bond applies, and your first 4-6 flights will have a 30-40% pay reduction to cover the training cost.
Choose your airline, pick your base, and begin your journey to becoming a Senior Captain!
Go to Career Mode