How much will it cost?
How much your flight training costs depends on several factors.
- How frequently you fly: flying more often will keep the information and muscle memory fresh where flying infrequently will take longer as many of the basics will need to be refreshed.
- What type of flying you want to do: if you want to do basic flying in a light aircraft it will cost less than if you want to fly in the clouds or fly professionally.
| I want to fly... | Suggested certificate | Low cost estimate | High cost estimate | How much time? | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For fun, during the day, in good weather and with no more than one passenger | Sport pilot | $8,000 | $10,000 | 1-2 months | |
| For fun or business with more passengers and in many more | Private pilot | $10,000 | $14,000 | 3-4 months | Learn More |
| In clouds and in other situations where the weather is not ideal | Instrument rating | $8,000 | $10,000 | As few as a couple of weeks | Learn More |
| professionally as a flight instructor, airline pilot or another paid piloting career | Commercial pilot | $8,000 | $10,000 | As few as a couple of weeks | Learn More |
Private Pilot Estimate
| 40 Hour FAA Minimum Requirement | Cost | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Dual Flight Hours including Piper Warrior Aircraft Rate, Fuel, and Instruction Rate | 5,100.00 | |||
| 15 Solo Flight Hours including Piper Warrior Aircraft Rate and Fuel | 2,235.00 | |||
| Ground Course with Books and Materials | 619.00 | |||
| Pilot Supplies (headsets, charts, fuel tester, log book, additional books, etc.) | 400.00 | |||
| FAA Knowledge Test | 165.00 | |||
| FAA Practical Test Designated Pilot Examiner’s Fee | 500.00 | |||
| Club Annual Membership Fee | 500.00 | |||
| One Year Unlimited Simulator Package | 700.00 | |||
| Estimated Total: | $ 10,219.00 | |||
| 50 Hour Zone Aviation Student Average | Cost | |||||
| 35 Dual Flight Hours including Piper Warrior Aircraft Rate, Fuel, and Instruction Rate | 7,140.00 | |||||
| 15 Solo Flight Hours including Piper Warrior Aircraft Rate and Fuel | 2,235.00 | |||||
| Ground Course with Books and Materials | 619.00 | |||||
| Pilot Supplies (headsets, charts, fuel tester, log book, additional books, etc.) | 400.00 | |||||
| FAA Knowledge Test | 165.00 | |||||
| FAA Practical Test Designated Pilot Examiner’s Fee | 500.00 | |||||
| Club Annual Membership Fee | 500.00 | |||||
| One Year Unlimited Simulator Package | 700.00 | |||||
| Estimated Total: | $ 12,259.00 | |||||
Estimate only. Actual time and cost may vary depending on pilot proficiency, frequency, and consistency of flight lessons. All Training is completed to standard of pilot proficiency and safety, and not only on FAA minimum hours required.
Instrument Rating Estimate
| 40 Hour FAA Minimum Requirement | Cost | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Dual Flight Hours including Piper Warrior Aircraft Rate, Fuel, and Instruction Rate | 4,280.00 | |||
| 20 Dual Instruction Hours in Simulator (20 hours of logged simulated time allowed) | 1,300.00 | |||
| One Year Unlimited Simulator Package | 700.00 | |||
| Ground School with Books and Materials | 619.00 | |||
| FAA Knowledge Test | 165.00 | |||
| FAA Practical Test Designated Pilot Examiner’s Fee | 500.00 | |||
| Estimated Total: | $ 7,564.00 | |||
| 50 Hour Zone Aviation Student Average | Cost | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Dual Flight Hours including Piper Warrior Aircraft Rate, Fuel, and Instruction Rate | 6,420.00 | |||||
| 20 Dual Instruction Hours in Simulator (20 hours of logged simulated time allowed) | 1,300.00 | |||||
| One Year Unlimited Simulator Package | 700.00 | |||||
| Ground School with Books and Materials | 600.00 | |||||
| FAA Knowledge Test | 165.00 | |||||
| FAA Practical Test Designated Pilot Examiner’s Fee | 500.00 | |||||
| Estimated Total: | $ 9,704.00 | |||||
Estimate only. Actual time and cost may vary depending on pilot proficiency, frequency, and consistency of flight lessons. All Training is completed to standard of pilot proficiency and safety, and not only on FAA minimum hours required.
Commercial Pilot License Estimate
| Zone Aviation Student Average | Cost | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Dual Flight Hours including Piper Arrow (single engine complex) Aircraft Rate, Fuel, and Instruction Rate | 2540.00 | ||||||||
| 15 Hours Ground Instruction | 975.00 | ||||||||
| Books | 100.00 | ||||||||
| Club Annual Membership Fee | 600.00 | ||||||||
| One Year Unlimited Simulator Package (50 hours of logged simulated time allowed) | 700.00 | ||||||||
| FAA Knowledge Test | 165.00 | ||||||||
| FAA Practical Test Designated Pilot Examiner’s Fee | 500.00 | ||||||||
| Estimated Total: | $ 5,580.00 | ||||||||
Estimate only. The FAA minimum requirement of 250 hours total logged flight time is not included in estimate; estimate only for dual time logged. Actual time and cost may vary depending on pilot proficiency, frequency, and consistency of flight lessons. All Training is completed to standard of pilot proficiency and safety, and not only on FAA minimum hours required.