The cost of flying lessons
By Patch • Category: Pre-LessonsWhen most people think of someone with a private pilots license, they think of the rich or famous who can afford the huge amounts of money it takes to get your license. Truth is, flying lessons are considerably less than most people think. They’re still not cheap, but they’re not out of reach. For most people, like me, it’s a matter of priority, not affordability.
So, what does it cost to get your private pilots license? It’s a combination of aircraft rental fees, instructor time, classroom time and equipment. I’ll take a look at each one separatel but, I recommend you call your local flight schools and ask them for a rough estimate of the total cost. It can vary by region.
Equipment – $250
Before you buy your aviator sunglasses and Epaulets, you’re going to need a few other practical items. The flight schools I’m looking into right now (April 2007) have a pilot kit that includes everything you need in one complete package for $249. What’s in the bag? Basically everything you need to make it through flight training.
- Jeppesen Bag – This is your flying companion. You’ll put all your “pilot stuff” in this bag and use it regularly. Plus, it’s cool to have a pilot bag.
- Books & Manuals – Every manual you’ll need including your basic pilot manual, exam books, record books, test guides and more.
- Metal Slide Computer – Used for calculating your navigation tasks. It’s not a computer, like a PC or Mac, but rather a tool for computing.
- Navigation Plotter – Not really sure what this is for yet. I hope I figure it out. Sorry.
- Pilot Logbook – Something you will have for many years to come. Everytime you’re airborne, you’re going to be logging those minutes and recording everything you did.
- Other stuff – I believe there ‘s a fuel tester in there among other things.
Ground School – $135
Ground school will take you from “this is an propeller” all the way up to plotting and planning a cross-country flight and more. This is the “book knowledge” you’ll need to pass your written test. The real learning comes in the air, but this will teach you WHY you do what you do when your in the air.
Medical Exam – $70
You’ll need to have a physical performed by an FAA certified medical examiner sometime early on in your training. To obtain your private pilots license you’ll need to a class 3 certificate. You can find a local doctor at the FAA website.
Aircraft Rental – $80 to $110 per hour
If you’re going to learn to fly, you’re going to need an airplane. I’m assuming you don’t already own one, so you’ll need to rent something. The school you’re attending will most likely have aircraft available. On the low end, you can rent a Cessna 150 but most people are using a 172. The 150, I’ve heard is a bit more difficult to fly and not as comfortable. But, if you’re looking to save as much as possible, it’s the best way to go.
The FAA minimum to get your Private Pilots License is 40 hours. The average person takes about 50 hours before they’re ready for their checkride (flying test). That puts your total cost for aircraft rental between $3200 (40 hours @ $80 each) and $7000 (50 hours @ $140 each)
Certified Flight Instructor – $40-45 per hour
I believe you’ll need to have your instructor for the entire time you’re flying. Though, some of the flights will be done “solo”. If anyone knows differently, be sure to let me know. 40 hours @ $40 per hour is $1600. 40 hours @ $45 per hour is $1800
Total Cost – Between $5255 and $8855
If you want to keep your costs down, I highly recommend taking as many lessons as you can, as rapidly as possible. If you can go up 5 or more times a week, you will dramatically decrease the number of hours you need to pass your checkride. The more time you leave between lessons, the more you’ll have to relearn on each lesson.
Patch is the owner of this site. I originally took my flight instruction with Spokane Airways located at Spokane International Airport (GEG). I passed my checkride in August of 2007. I now live in Florida and fly out of Lantana (KLNA) or North County Airport (F45).
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Your total cost of flight training as well as time is TOTALLY off. I have about 90 hours and it has taken over 2 years and by the time I finish it will probably cost me about $20,000. Not included in your article is the cost of renters insurance which is required for solo time (around $300-400 per year), FAA physicals ($80.00), extra ground school tutoring time for items you need extra help on ($40.00 per hour), changing planes (I have gone from a 172 to a 150) so that requires extra time in flying and with an instructor to get used to a different plane (same thing if you go from a dial cockpit to a glass one), changing instructors (I got rid of 3 lousy ones and am on my 4th), the written test ($100.00) and the checkride ($300.00).
I think one of the reasons so many people drop out is they have unreasonable expectations of time required as well as cost. They should budget for at least 3 years (weather being a large factor in this part of the country) and about $20,000. So unless they have a damn good job or a 2nd mortgage it is indeed only for the rich. I happen to have both.
2 years and 20k means its time to reevaluate who you’re training with, or keeping in mind that things like ‘ground school tutoring’ are just not a reality for most people. I’d also respectfully point out that statistically speaking, at 2 lousy instructor changes you might be onto something, at 4? The numbers start to swing over to perhaps a more student related issue. My two cents.
I don’t know if I’m totally off on the time. I based it on the AVERAGE time it takes someone. There are things you can do to accelerate your learning and things that happen which slow you down.
I think if the beginning student goes into this with $5000 in the bank, they will be able to get it down much faster. If you can take as many lessons as possible in each week, you WILL complete your training quicker than most. You have less remedial training each time you fly.
So, you’re right, it can take up to and even over 100 hours to complete, but that’s the exception rather than the rule. The same goes for people who complete their training in 40 hours.
I’d be curious to know how many hours each week you fly. Based on your statement that it’s taken over 2 years (104 weeks) and about 90 hours, that comes to an average of .8 hours per week. The typical lesson will last 1.5 hours, so that means you’re doing 1 lesson every 2 weeks… on AVERAGE.
This example makes my point perfectly, the slower you go, the longer it will take and the more it will cost. Increase your lessons to 3 a week and you probably would have been ready much sooner.
Patch’s estimates for the cost of each component of training are reasonable, the big variable is how much flight time you’ll need to become proficient. There are a lot of variables to consider when working out the total cost of learning to fly, and factors like how frequently you take lessons, and how quickly you develop the required skills and knowledge will not become clear until you start training.
If you want to run some “what if “scenarios based on the cost of airplane rental and instructors in your area, and assuming different ammounts of flight time, try the learn to fly cost calculator at http://www.firstflight.com/features/costCalculator.htm
Patch, I’m with you. I’ve been flying since 1967 and this guy with the 90 hours and two years is way behind the curve. I’ve found that if students don’t maintain a MINIMUM pace of at least 2 hours per week, they are accomplishing the equivalent of “one step forward, two steps back.”
A new student can only absorb about one hour of training per day MAX, until he/she gets about 10 hours or a first solo under their belt. Until that time, they are too busy trying to figure out just the basic airplane stuff and going into “brain overload.” Once they become comfortable in the airplane, the retention rate starts to increase and the lesson can be longer or introduce more new information. Factor in some time for practice, before you are ready to advance to the next plateau. A weekly minimum of at least two hours per week is required just to retain the stuff you learned the week before.
I know, when I first started thinking about learning to fly, I thought, “Piece of cake…40 hours, I can get a license in two weeks.” Of course, it didn’t work out quite that way, but I have seen students gone from nothing to a private ticket in just a couple of months. An awful lot depends on weather and ability, but it can be done.