What is Actually Required?

The FAA requires that you have 40 hours of flight experience in the airplane. In reality, the average flight time it takes most people to earn their private pilot certificate is 60 to 70 hours according to the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration). We have experienced that people who schedule lessons at least twice a week learn much quicker than those who schedule one or fewer lessons per week. Essentially, the more frequent you fly, the cheaper it will be to earn your pilot certificate. Additionally, the more you study at home, the less money you have to spend on ground school.

The Most Significant Costs

The majority of the cost towards a private pilot certificate is going to come from airplane rental and instructor fees. We instruct as part of a non-profit flight club, which lowers the cost of airplane rental. Depending on the specific aircraft you rent, you are looking at $160 to $185 per hour. The cost of the instructor is $70 per hour and that time begins from the time you are scheduled to begin until you are done with your lesson. A typical flight will be around 1.2 to 1.5 hours long and you can expect anywhere between 2.2 to 2.6 hours of lesson time. You won’t be charged instructor time when you are solo even though your instructor will be around. This brings the average price per lesson to be around $400.88 when you are with the instructor and $232.88 when you are flying solo.

In Short:

• Airplane Cost Per Hour: $160 - $185

• Instructor Cost Per Hour: $70

• Average Lesson Time: 2.2 - 2.6 hours

• Average Airplane Time: 1.2 -1.5 hours

Miscellaneous Costs

No one likes hidden fees or surprise costs. Here is a list of things you should add to your budget.

Online Ground School/Test Prep: $200-300
Written Exam: $175
Headset: $100-1,300
Medical Exam: $150
iPad (cellular capable version): $500-600
Checkride (your in-person test): $1,000
Club Initiation and Key Fee (one time): $105
Monthly Club Fees: $43/month
Other Pilot Books, materials, etc (estimate): $100

Obviously, what you end up paying will vary depending on which headset, ipad, and online ground school you choose. The average of all of these fees adds up to: $3,288. This is an honest assessment of costs for a typical student.

*Beware of flight schools that fail to include ALL miscellaneous costs into their estimated total. Compare this list to other what other flight training providers are including in their estimates.

Typical Total Cost to Private Pilot

In this particular scenario, we are going to assume that Sally Jane is a textbook example typical student. She scheduled lessons 2 times per week, took her training seriously alongside her work, but also took a week off here and there because of life circumstances. She was ready to take her checkride right at 60 hours of flight time.

Typical Student:

32 Lessons with an Instructor: $12,828

14 Hours Flying Solo: $2,520

Miscellaneous Costs: $3,288

Total: $18,386

Yes, it is absolutely possible to get your private pilot done cheaper. Serious full time accelerated students that are able to fly 3-5 times per week will typically be able to gain their private pilot certificate in approximately 50 hours. We estimate that the cost for a typical accelerated student from zero experience to private pilot is $16,026.

*Beware of flight schools that provide estimates based on exaggerated training times or FAA minimums rather than realistic real world examples.

Why are Flight Training Prices So Variable?

Part 61 v. 141 Flight Schools

Not all flight schools are created equally. Legally, there are two types of flight schools; Part 61 flight schools and part 141 flight schools. Most part 141 flight schools are designed for full time students who are doing this straight out of high school, college, or taking a break from their current job to do accelerated flight training. Part 61 flight schools are typically your mom and pop flight schools. They are generally less expensive, are a lot more flexible with how they are able to train, and are better suited for people who want to train while keeping their job.

Part 141 Flight Schools
Because these schools tend to use newer aircraft, have a larger staff, and have bigger facilities and are subjected to additional oversight and regulation from the FAA (equating to additional overhead cost), you end up paying more at part 141 flight schools. The price at one particular part 141 school in Texas cites a price of $21,00 to $26,000 for the private pilot certificate. *We were unable to determine if this price includes all additional expenses.

Part 61 Flight Schools
Part 61 flight training options in the San Diego area aren’t created equally. If you learn to fly at a non-profit flight club, you can expect rental rates on training aircraft to be as low as $144/hr or as high as $180/hr. Instructor rates are typically around $70-75/hr but can be as high as $90/hr.

If you learn to fly at a for-profit business, rental rates on training aircraft can be as low as $200/hr in a Cessna 172 or as high as $615/hr for a state of the art Cirrus SR22T G6. Instructor rates in the area can be as low as $70/hr or as high as $500-1,000/lesson (half or full day).