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What does it cost to learn to fly? |
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We are often asked by prospective pilots for an estimate of costs. An FAA Private Pilot's license can be obtained for less than the cost of some
vacations, less than the cost of that new motorcycle or ATV. (A Private License allows a pilot to carry passengers to any airport in the United States.)Actual costs will vary widely for each person, because each
person learns at a different rate. And our estimated costs will vary from other flight schools because we compute a different amount of flying time required. Generally, a flying school will base their
estimated costs on 40 hours of aircraft time, and 20 hours of instructor time, because this is the minimum requirements of the FAA.These requirements are unrealistically low, and nationally, the average flight
time for a new Private Pilot is closer to 75 hours. Our experience is that most students in our club will take approximately 45 hours of flight with an instructor and an additional 11 hours of solo flight. And,
our instructors will average an hour of ground instruction for every hour in the air. Additionally, for the club, there are monthly dues plus an initiation fee. Obviously, the longer the the process takes, the
more months of dues to accrue. (Spreading the time between lessons often makes the process slower because so much skill is lost between lessons.) And finally, we have two different airplanes suitable for flight
training, each with a different hourly rate. We are also often asked if a person has to pay for the entire course at one time. Although some members have chosen to do so, most pay as they go. Because our
costs are extremely low, and the club is not a profitable enterprise, we do not offer any discounts for prepayment. OK, with all of the disclaimers, the following is our estimated cost of a Private License, assuming
that the process occurs within 12 months. |
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lesson nr. |
instructor time |
airplane, dual |
aircraft,
solo |
task |
1 |
3 |
1.5 |
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Introductory; Takeoff, straight and level, climbs, turns |
2 |
3 |
1.5 |
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Slow flight, stalls |
3 |
3 |
1.5 |
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Rectangular courses, S turns, turns about a point, emergencies |
4 |
3 |
1.5 |
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spin awareness, forced landings |
5 |
3 |
1.5 |
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Review of above |
6 |
3 |
1.5 |
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Review of above |
7 |
3 |
1.5 |
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Review of above |
8 |
3 |
1.5 |
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Normal patterns and landings |
9 |
3 |
1.5 |
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Review |
10 |
3 |
1.5 |
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Review |
11 |
3 |
1.5 |
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Review |
12 |
3 |
1.5 |
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Review |
13 |
3 |
1.5 |
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Review |
14 |
3 |
1.5 |
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Review |
15 |
3 |
1.5 |
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Pre-solo check ride |
16 |
3 |
0.7 |
0.8 |
First supervised solo |
17 |
3 |
1.5 |
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Review of all pre-solo maneuvers |
18 |
3 |
0.8 |
0.7 |
Second supervised solo |
19 |
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0 |
1 |
solo practice |
20 |
3 |
1.5 |
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Review of all pre-solo maneuvers |
21 |
3 |
1.5 |
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Short \ soft field takeoffs \ landings, instruments |
22 |
3 |
1.5 |
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Night |
23 |
6 |
3 |
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Cross country, day |
24 |
2 |
1 |
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basic instruments |
25 |
2 |
1 |
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basic instruments |
26 |
2 |
1 |
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basic instruments |
27 |
3 |
1.5 |
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Night cross country |
28 |
1.5 |
0 |
1.5 |
Night solo, supervised |
29 |
3 |
1.5 |
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Review for check ride |
30 |
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1 |
solo, practice |
31 |
3 |
1.5 |
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Phase Check |
32 |
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3 |
Solo Cross Country |
33 |
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3 |
Solo Cross Country |
34 |
1.5 |
1.5 |
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Review for check ride |
35 |
3 |
1.5 |
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Review for check ride |
36 |
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1.5 |
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FAA Checkride |
total hours |
90 |
45 |
11 |
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90 hours |
instructor at |
$ 30 |
$ 2,700 |
56 hours |
Cessna 152 aircraft at |
$ 55 |
$ 3,080 |
OR 56 hours |
Cessna 172 aircraft at |
$ 72 |
$ 4,032 |
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Initiation Fee \ , 250 shares |
$ 500 |
12 months dues at $60/mon |
$ 720 |
Ground School, allowance |
$ 250 |
supplies, allowance |
$ 250 |
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total cost using Cessna 152 |
$7,500 |
total cost using Cessna 172 |
$8,452 |
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