A "Pay to Fly" (P2F) program is a controversial practice in the aviation industry where a junior pilot pays an airline or a training organization to gain "Line Oriented Flight Training" (LOFT) on a commercial aircraft. Essentially, instead of being paid to work as a co-pilot, the pilot pays the airline to fly as a "second officer" for a specific number of block hours (usually 300 to 500 hours) to build experience on a specific type of jet, like a Boeing 737 or Airbus A320. This is often seen as a way for new pilots to reach the "1,500-hour rule" required by many major carriers more quickly. While P2F is largely banned or heavily discouraged in the United States and much of Europe due to safety and labor concerns, it still persists in certain regions of Asia and Africa. Critics argue that P2F programs create a "pay-for-play" environment that prioritizes wealth over talent and places unnecessary pressure on junior pilots, while proponents claim it provides a vital bridge for cadets to gain "real-world" multi-crew experience that is otherwise difficult to obtain in a competitive global pilot market.