# Commercial pilot course ground training — balloon — FAA flight training hour minimums: Part 61 vs Part 141, by certificate and rating

For Commercial pilot course ground training, certificate or rating is Commercial pilot course ground training — balloon; part 141 minimum is 20 hours of training if the course is for lighter-than-air category with a balloon class rating; part 141 appendix is Part 141 Appendix D, para. 3(a) (Aeronautical knowledge training), recorded from its source on 2026-08-18.

- **Certificate or rating:** Commercial pilot course ground training — balloon _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Part 141 minimum:** 20 hours of training if the course is for lighter-than-air category with a balloon class rating _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Part 141 appendix:** Part 141 Appendix D, para. 3(a) (Aeronautical knowledge training) _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_

## What the source says

> ( 1 ) 35 hours of training if the course is for an airplane category rating or a powered-lift category rating. ( 2 ) 65 hours of training if the course is for a lighter-than-air category with an airship class rating. ( 3 ) 30 hours of training if the course is for a rotocraft category rating. ( 4 ) 20 hours of training if the course is for a glider category rating. ( 5 ) 20 hours of training if the course is for lighter-than-air category with a balloon class rating.

## Source

- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-141

Last verified: 2026-08-18. Review by: 2027-08-18.
Part of [FAA flight training hour minimums: Part 61 vs Part 141, by certificate and rating](https://referencesource.org/flight-training-hour-minimums-61-vs-141/).