Professional Pilot Course

Cost: $98,995
Length: 52 weeks
Working 6 months later: 80%

Program names and program descriptions appear here in English, because that is the only language the federal and state records publish them in. Occupation titles are translated where O*NET publishes a Spanish name. Everything else on this page is translated.

What happened to people who took this

People enrolled: 556

Finished the program: 52%Based on 409 peopleTypical California program: 85% of 1,951 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
Working 6 months later: 80%Typical California program: 69% of 1,690 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
Earnings in one quarter after: $16,000A single quarter of earnings, roughly three months, not a yearly salary. Do not compare it directly with the yearly pay shown for the occupation.Typical California program: $10,900 of 1,339 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.

The job this trains for

This describes the jobs people do, not the classes this program teaches. It comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, which asks people already doing the work. The Department publishes it in English only, so the job names and the sentences below stay in English on this page.

Where California publishes a separate figure for Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County), it appears beneath the statewide one. Statewide stays the headline: people who train here do not necessarily work here.

Commercial Pilots

Job ads may call this: Pilot · Captain · Line Pilot · Check Airman

Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.

Check aircraft prior to flights to ensure that the engines, controls, instruments, and other systems are functioning properly.
Co-pilot aircraft or perform captain's duties, as required.
Consider airport altitudes, outside temperatures, plane weights, and wind speeds and directions to calculate the speed needed to become airborne.
Use instrumentation to pilot aircraft when visibility is poor.

Show 4 more things this job involves

Monitor engine operation, fuel consumption, and functioning of aircraft systems during flights.
Order changes in fuel supplies, loads, routes, or schedules to ensure safety of flights.
Contact control towers for takeoff clearances, arrival instructions, and other information, using radio equipment.
Start engines, operate controls, and pilot airplanes to transport passengers, mail, or freight according to flight plans, regulations, and procedures.

What this pays in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County)

Each bar runs from the lowest-paid tenth to the highest-paid tenth. The darker middle is where half the people are, and the line is the median.

Area	The lowest-paid tenth earn under	Half earn under	The highest-paid tenth earn over
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County)	$75,424	$243,266	$511,114
Across California	$65,289	$169,215	$511,119

The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) beside the same figures for the whole state. A region can sit well below or above the statewide spread, and the statewide number is the one most often quoted — so where they differ, the local row is the one that describes the work near this program.

Typical pay in California: $169,215per yearLos Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: $207,046
Projected openings: 7,200Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 2,620
Projected change: +19.6%
Usually needs: Postsecondary non-degree award

Getting in

Experience needed first: None
Training after you are hired: 1 to 12 months

These are the federal government's answers for the occupation, not rules this provider sets. California publishes the same two answers for every one of these jobs.

Program details

This program provides in-person instruction only.

The Sling Pilot Academy Professional Course takes a Student through all FAA Pilot Certifications on the way to becoming an airline pilot. Certifications Achieved:Private Pilot (PPL)Instrument Rating (IR)Commercial Single (CPLSE)Commercial Multi Engine (CPLME)Certified Flight Instructor Single Engine (CFISE)Certified Flight Instructor Multi Engine (MEI)Certified Flight Instructor Instrument (CFII)FAA Knowledge Tests: PAR, IRA, CAX, FIA, FII, FOIThis fulltime 9-month course includes up to 200 hours of Airplane Single Engine time, 30 hours of Airplane Multi-Engine Time and 50 hours of AATD Simulator time. Graduates will have 280 hours of flight time an dare eligible for hire as Flight Instructors or Commercial Pilots. When graduates have 1500 hours total time they are eligible for hire as Airline Transport Pilots.

Provider's website →

Someone else may be able to pay for this

This program was on California's Eligible Training Provider List when the state last reported it to the U.S. Department of Labor (2026-09-18). Programs on that list can be paid for through an Individual Training Account. Listings are renewed periodically and can lapse, so a program listed when the state last reported may not be listed today. Ask before you rely on it.

Ask before you enroll, not after

The order the rules set out starts at the center rather than at the school. Before a center can find somebody eligible for training services it has to gather enough to decide, at a minimum through an interview, evaluation or assessment and career planning. Referring a person to the provider they have chosen and setting up the account both come after that, and both are the center's to do — the account is a payment agreement with the training provider, and it is the provider that is paid through it. So the call belongs before enrolling and before paying. Anyone who has already done either should still ask, and ask what it means for them.

The place to ask is an America's Job Center of California

South Bay One-Stop Business & Career Centers - TorranceAffiliate site
Phone: 310-782-2101
1220 Engracia AvenueTorrance, CA 90501about 3.1 miles away
Hours: Monday-Thursday 8am-5pm, Friday 8am-4:30pm
Has a veterans' representative
Harbor Gateway WorkSource Center & AJCCAffiliate site
Phone: 310-732-5700
1111 Figueroa PlaceLA Harbor College-Science Complex Room 101Wilmington, CA 90744about 4 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00am-5:00pm
South Bay One-Stop Business & Career Center - CarsonAffiliate site
Phone: 310-680-3870
801 E Carson StreetRoom 116 Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald Community CenterCarson, CA 90745about 5.6 miles away
Hours: Monday - Thursday 8:00am – 5:00pm; Every other Friday 8:00-3:30pm Closed every other Friday
Has a veterans' representative

At a comprehensive center all the required partner programs can be reached; an affiliate site offers some of them. Distances are straight-line, so the drive is longer. Call before you travel: opening hours here are as the federal directory published them, and the state notes its own staff are not present at every location.

Find a center anywhere in California, and check what is on the list today:
CareerOneStop — American Job Center Finder (U.S. DOL) · California EDD — Office Locator · California EDD — Eligible Training Provider List

How this gets paid for, and what to ask →

Whether a person can have a program paid for is decided by their local workforce development board and the America's Job Center staff who interview them — not by this site, and not by the training provider. California has 45 local workforce development areas and each sets its own policies, so the answer can differ between two people in neighboring counties. Nothing here is a promise of funding or a determination of eligibility.

The rules cited here, and the state and federal sites linked to, are published in English.

How this site gets its figures, and what they do not tell you →