inFrequently Asked Questions about Flight Training

Things You Might Wonder About Learning to Fly

3. What does it cost to learn to fly?

How much do you have? Can you borrow more? (Just kidding, sort of.) In the U.S., the short answer is about $3500-6000 to get a private pilot's license. Most of the cost is for plane rental and instructor fees, both of which are charged by the hour, and are thus hard to calculate in advance.

Two-seat trainers such as the Cessna 150/152 typically rent for $40-60 per hour. However, a two-seater will not necessarily carry two real people. If you or your CFI are taller or heavier than average, you may need to use a four-seater such as a Cessna 172 or Piper Warrior, which usually rent for $65-90 an hour. (Rental rates are usually quoted wet, meaning the fuel is included. Be sure to ask.) Primary instruction rates vary widely from about $20-40 per hour. The range of rates for both aircraft and CFIs has been widening over the past few years, so it pays to shop around. The legal minimums are 20 hours of dual (plane and CFI) and 20 of solo (plane only), but hardly anyone will finish in that amount of time.

To get a rough cost estimate, call a few flight schools and ask for their hourly rates for single-engine trainer planes and instruction. Multiply the plane rate by 70 (hours) for a high estimate and 50 for a low one. Add this to 50 and 30 times the CFI rate. Below are high- and low-hour examples for typical two- and four-place planes, along with what it cost me. Note that my costs were lower because I did my training back in 1996-97.

(Note: I actually spent more than this, since some of my hours were in more expensive planes. These numbers are for the C152 I used most of the time.)

Once you've estimated the training costs, add the following items: medical exam ($70-100), headset ($80-300), ground school and/or study materials ($100-300), written exam ($60-80), and checkride ($150-250). There will be other supplies, like charts, to buy, and we all find other things to spend our aviation money on, if there's any left, but these are the basics you'll need to get. The high and low totals for these items are $1030 and $460. Keep in mind there's no need to have the whole amount up front, since most schools operate on a pay-as-you-go basis. Flying will seem more affordable if you look at the cost as spread over the months you spend, with a bit more at the beginning to buy the extras, for example $1000 down and $500 per month for six months instead of $4000. (It's much cheaper than Harvard, and a lot more fun.)