How Much Money does a Private Pilot License Actually Cost?
TLDR
A realistic quote for all the costs involved in flight training includes:
- Ground School
- FAA Written Exam
- Medical Exam
- Books & Materials
- Flight Equipment
- Aircraft Rental at the national average # of hours (65 hours)
- Dual flights with an instructor at the national average # of hours (30 hours)
- Pre-flight and Post-flight Ground Instruction w/ Instructor (15 hours)
- FAA Checkride
- Housing (if applicable)
On average, student pilots are spending anywhere between $14,000 and $17,000 with some students paying as low as $10,000 and others paying $20,000, $30,000 or even more. There are many things a student pilot can do to keep themselves at the low end of these averages or even lower. Part Time Pilot was designed with the idea of helping students plan their flight training journey and start it off the right way with a solid fundamental understanding of the ground knowledge.
You simply cannot trust a quote from a flight school. They are in it for your business and the money. You need to do the homework and calculate a quote for yourself, it is actually not too hard. I will show you how here. In order to create your own quote you are going to need some information from the flight schools you are interested in. I recommended choosing 4 or 5 flight schools or flying clubs within a reasonable distance from where you live and gather the following information from them:
- What is their hourly “wet” rental rate for aircraft (wet means including fuel)
- What are their monthly dues (if a club)
- How many instructors do they have?
- Are any of the instructors NOT planning to leave if they get an airline job?
- How many students do they have?
- How many aircraft do they have?
Once you get this information you are on your way to making an extremely important decision that will make all the difference in you becoming a pilot or not. Narrow your list down to 2-3 schools that have a low student to aircraft ratio and/or an instructor that does not plan on pursuing an airline job.
Schools with a low student to aircraft ratio means that the aircraft are easier to schedule and re-schedule when flight are unexpectedly cancelled due to a variety of causes. This doesn’t seem like it would be a big deal but it is. Remember, we want to avoid interruptions in our training because they lead to loss of skill, repeated lessons and added costs.
Finally, finding a school or club associated with a flight instructor that does NOT plan on pursuing an airline job means that the instructor will be with you for your entire flight training experience. This helps your training immensely. If you do not find an instructor like this you will likely go through 3 to even 5 to 6 instructors as they await a call for an airline job to only leave you stranded.
I have heard WAY too many horror stories about this and it is one of the worst aspects of flight training in the US today. I don’t blame the instructors for leaving for a better opportunity but it puts students in an awful situation and costs them $1000s getting acclimated to a new instructor and their teaching style. Instructors that are in it for the long haul is the absolute BEST choice.
You will also want to get a quote from your final 2-3 flight schools but remember… DON’T TRUST IT just yet. Their quote is likely going to consist of the following items:
- Ground School
- FAA Written Exam
- Aircraft Rental for FAA minimum hours (35 hours Part 141, 40 hours Part 61)
- Dual flights with instructor at FAA minimum hours (20 hours)
- FAA Check-ride
But your own, realistic quote should consist of more than this:
- Medical Exam
- Ground School
- Books & Materials for Knowledge
- FAA Written Exam
- Flight Equipment
- Aircraft Rental at the national average # of hours (65 hours)
- Dual flights with an instructor at the national average # of hours (30 hours)
- Pre-flight and Post-flight Ground Instruction w/ Instructor (15 hours)
- FAA Check-ride
- Housing (if applicable)
As you can see there are quite a few more costs to factor into your own quote. Let’s get started in building it so that you know exactly what to expect.
How much does a Pilot Medical Exam Cost
The cost of a 3rd class medical exam required to be a student pilot varies by location and examiner. They can range anywhere from $50 to $200. Let’s take the average and use $150. Shop around and find an examiner at a lower cost. You can find them here and give them a call to get their quotes.
$150
How much does Ground School Cost
As mentioned previously, in-person ground schools can vary anywhere from $500 to $1000. However, there are many online options for ground schools that are much cheaper (around $350 or less). You can also do a self-study which is the least expensive option. No matter which option you choose you just need a certified instructor to endorse you for the FAA Written exam… That’s it!
Most students choose an Online Ground School because you not only get an endorsement from the instructor at the end of the course but it also provides both structure (syllabus, lessons, videos, quizzes) but also flexibility. Self-study can be difficult to keep yourself accountable, find the right material and get your questions answered… plus you need to find an instructor to endorse you… so many students just go with an Online Ground School. Best of both worlds!
An online ground school course will cost you around $250-$350
However, the Part Time Pilot online ground school is the best-priced online ground school on the market at $199.99 for lifetime access and a full money-back guarantee and worry-free purchase. But for those who enrolled in this course, I am giving you 3 days to get it for $199.99!!
Click Here to Learn More
For the purposes of our cost estimations let’s assume that the in person option is the average of $750:
With Part Time Pilot: $200
Without: $750
How much do Books & Materials Cost
This number should be as close to $0 as you can realistically make it. NEVER buy anything from the flight school. A flight school will buy materials on Amazon or in bulk and sell them back to you at a higher price for profit, sometimes $100 to $200. It is not required that you buy any books or materials from the flight school… even if they say you are required because they are a Part 141, you are not.
Every Part 141 is also a Part 61… it is just that some don’t want to be known as one because they make more money as a Part 141 because they have more requirements. But even still at a Part 141 the FAA only states that you must have the materials listed in the TCO when you enroll in ground school. They do not specify where you get the materials from. And for a Part 61 you can get the materials from outer space… as long as they are accurate.
Amazon is a good source for cheap books and materials. A former student is also a good source for cheap books and materials as they may not want to pack around those giant books anymore and would be happy for you to take them off their hands. Finally, the FAA has a ton of free training materials and books. I have listed many free resources and links to them here. Seriously, if you aren’t using these then you are wasting money. Go and bookmark these on your browser, download the PDFs, and build an online library for yourself to have wherever you go.
Even better, with the Part Time Pilot Online Ground School you need absolutely NO ADDITIONAL materials. The ground school comes with written lessons, audio lessons, video lessons, quizzes, practice tests, flash cards, eBooks and even the Part Time Pilot Ultimate Private Pilot Test Prep book pdf ($37 value).
With Part Time Pilot: $0
Without: $150
How much does the FAA Written Exam Cost
Not much wiggle room here. I’ve seen online that you can find this for $150 in some test centers these days or as high as $175, Let’s use $160 as an average:
$160
How much does Equipment for Flight Training Cost
Most students purchase e6B (manual or electronic), plotter tool, charts, FAR/AIM, chart supplement, headsets, kneeboard, and iPad, charting software like Foreflight, portable GPS, flight bag, sunglasses and even more. However, at Part Time Pilot we advise are students that not all of this equipment is necessary and even some of this equipment can HINDER your learning in the early stages of your training.
For example, buying an iPad with foreflight as soon as you start flight training can develop bad habits in navigation and cause you to rely on your GPS. When it comes time to be tested on traditional navigation, these students are ill-prepared and fail miserably. This is why at Part Time Pilot we teach both manual navigation and calculation techniques and more technologically advanced techniques.
We recommend learning to navigate and fly without an iPad until you have proven to yourself with a solo cross-country flight without GPS. Then, you can reward yourself with GPS and make your life easier as a pilot with an iPad and foreflight… They really do make things easier but now you have the skills in case the technology fails, batteries die or your examiner takes it away from you (this happened to me).
At Part Time Pilot we advise our students to purchase equipment based off how much their training actually needs it. Things you absolutely need, things that you need later, things that help you and things that are just fun and nice to have. You can find that list here.
Following Part Time Pilot: $200
Without: $1500
How much do Aircraft Rentals Cost
A flight schools hourly rental is a factor of many things. One thing that factors into the aircraft’s hourly rate is the location of the school. Supply and Demand. If the school is near a large airport where a lot of students live then the school might need to lower their prices to attract customers. If the school is the only one in 100 mile radius then they have the luxury of raising their prices as high as they wish.
I have seen rental prices as low as $125 per hour and as high as $200 for a Cessna 152 or Piper Cherokee Warrior. For the sake of our estimate we are going to use an average of $165 an hour. This might be a little conservative, but again, it’s better to be conservative and you will be glad you were.
Now, we know that the flight school will give you a quote likely off of their cheapest aircraft. Not all aircraft have the same rate at flight schools. Depending on how new the aircraft is and what it is equipped with, the aircraft price will vary. The flight school will also give you a quote based off you finishing in the FAA minimum amount of flight hours (35 for Part 141, 40 for Part 61). Our quote is going to be based off a national average for those students that do not train full time.
Full time student pilots can fly 4-5 times a week and finish their training in 2-3 months. Because of this consistent training they may be able to finish their license near the minimums or somewhere in the range of 45 hours. It took me over 100 hours (but I did a lot of things wrong, as we will talk about soon). If you search the web on forums, you’ll find that for those of us that work full time, have kids and can only fly on the weekends or a couple days a week… the number to finish is usually in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s or even 100s. For the purposes of this estimation, let’s use 65 hours.
Aircraft rental for 65 hours at $165 per hour comes out to be $10,725.
$10,725
How much does a Flight Instructor Cost
Dual Flight Instruction
The number above was only for the cost of renting the aircraft. When you fly with your flight instructor you have to pay them hourly for their time as well. The FAA minimum for dual flight with an instructor is 20 hours. I had 4 different instructors during my training in Seattle and San Diego and they ranged from $40 to $60 an hour and not all of them were highly experienced. I have seen some instructors for as low as $40/hr and some as high as $80/hr.
This is NOT something to be cheap about. In fact, if the instructor is experienced and you know that are in it for the long haul of your training (wont jump to an airline job) I would recommend paying up to $20/hr more for an instructor like this. Trust me, it will be worth it. Let’s use $60/hr for our instructor rate as another conservative estimate.
Now, the FAA minimum is 20 hours of instructor time but if you are flying on weekends only or just 2 times a week, if you ever need to miss a week for personal reasons or if you ever have to travel for work then you may have to redo a few lessons. If this happens, you may lose currency or proficiency (I advise avoiding this at all costs) and have to redo a lesson or a flight with your instructor in order to become current again.
Let’s assume you need to do this a couple times and then you want to fly with your instructor a couple more times before your final check-ride. So instead of 20 hours, you fly with your instructor for 32 hours. 32 hours at $60 an hour comes out to $1920.
$1920
Pre and Post Flight Ground Instruction
We don’t just pay for our instructors time in the air. We also pay them for the time on the ground. This was one of the things that I wish I knew before I started my training. There is NO REQUIREMENT for ground instruction once you have received your ground school endorsement and passed your FAA written.
Unfortunately, I chose a school that had its own set of tests and checks for knowledge (common with Part 141 schools) and I spent way too many hours on the ground before and after my flights paying my instructor to review things that I could have reviewed at home. The instructor needs to endorse you so they need to feel that you are competent in the knowledge portion of your training before doing so but they do not need to teach it to you.
So if your flight instructor ever wants to plan a ground session with you, ask him/her what it will be for and tell them that you can study on your own and he can quiz you for a bit to make sure you understand the knowledge if he needs to. The only pre and post flight time should be talking about the flight to come and reviewing the flight that just occurred as well as the next flight to come.
To put yourself in a position to do this and be confident in your knowledge and flight planning abilities… YOU NEED a good ground school and YOU NEED to complete your ground school prior to flight training. This is exactly what Part Time Pilot was designed for. To not only prepare you to pass the FAA Written but also to prepare you for your flight lessons so that you can avoid additional ground hours with your flight instructor.
Flight schools do not include this time into their quotes. A good conservative estimate for this time is 20 hours. 20 hours at $60 an hour for the instructor is another $1200. But if you come into flight training prepared by something like Part Time Pilot this number can be limited to only 30 minute sessions or less that are dedicated to the flight ahead and NOT dedicated to reviewing ground knowledge. We see our students generally needing 10 hours or less of ground instruction with their flight instruction after going through the Part Time Pilot ground school.
With Part Time Pilot: $600
Without: $1200
How much does the FAA Checkride Cost
There is no standard fee set forward by the FAA. It is completely determined by the FAA examiner that you choose. So talk to some pilots, call around and do some shopping. There is something to be said about using an examiner that your instructor is familiar with. This way, he/she has a better idea of what to prepare you for. However, if the price is ridiculous you are completely within your rights to find and schedule your own examiner. You can find a designated pilot examiner here. My examiner cost $700 but others can be found as low as $400. For our purposes, let’s use $600.
$600
Total Cost to Become a Pilot
Let’s total this all up:
Without Part Time Pilot Online Ground School:
$150 + $750 + $150 + $160 + $1500 + $10,725 + $1920 + $1200 + $600 = $17,155
With Part Time Pilot Online Ground School:
$150 + $200 + $0 + $160 + $200 + $10,725 + $1920 + $600 + $600 = $14,555
Both of these are quite higher than the quotes you will get from flight schools and it may be alarming to some. While you may end up spending more than this you may also spend less than this. This exercise was based on conservative estimates. Conservative numbers were used at every turn so that you can prepare for a larger amount. The worst thing you can do is plan to spend less and then be surprised by more cost and unable to finish your training (or have a delay in your training which will cost you more) due to your finances.
The number 1 way to ensure your success in becoming a pilot is by properly managing your time and money.
And the easiest way to properly manage your time & money is by doing ground school before it’s too late and ACTUALLY understanding the material
5 years ago I saw NO ONE mentoring unsuspecting students on the traps in flight training that was costing them $1000s.
This is why I created the Part Time Pilot Online Ground School.
The ground school was created with these ideas at the heart of our mission statement:
- Mentoring students from start to finish
- Providing content that saves time & money & provides a deep understanding
How does Part Time Pilot compare to other Online Ground Schools?
I went to the website of each of the Top10 Online Ground Schools and gathered ALL the relevant info a student pilot like you needs to make an informed decision.
Things like cost, student ratings, lifetime access or not, types of lessons, bonuses included, scholarships included, support available and more.
Then, I lined them all up and compared them all in a single table so that student pilots could make the best, most informed decision on their training.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some frequently asked questions about the topic of the costs of flight training.
Can Private Pilot's make money flying?
No, a Private Pilot cannot legally make money or fly an aircraft for compensation or hire. The Private Pilot Certificate is specifically for non-commercial operations. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) defines “compensation or hire” very broadly, and it doesn’t just mean direct payment; it can include anything of value received in exchange for a flight.
In order to make money flying, a pilot needs to have obtained a Commercial Pilot certificate which includes more training, more minimum hours and more exams that must be passed successfully.
With that said, there are a few exceptions that allow a Private Pilot to receive some form of reimbursement or payment related to flying:
Pro-Rata Share (Cost Sharing)
Incidental to Business or Employment
Charitable, Non-Profit, or Community Event Flights
Search and Location Operations
Aircraft Sales Demonstration Flights
Towing Gliders or Unpowered Ultralight Vehicles
What Jobs are there for Private Pilots?
As stated above, a Private Pilot certificate is for non-commercial operations and cannot fly for compensation or hire. However, there are several ways a Private Pilot can leverage their aviation skills and privileges with activities where the flying itself isn’t the primary compensated service, or where expenses are shared, or where specific FAA exceptions apply.
Here are some “jobs” or compensated opportunities for Private Pilots:
Cost Sharing (Pro-Rata Share)
Incidental to Business or Employment
Aircraft Salesperson
Towing Gliders or Unpowered Ultralight Vehicles
Production Flight Testing (Light-Sport Aircraft)
Certain Charitable, Non-Profit, or Community Event Flights
Search and Location Operations
How much does becoming an Airline Pilot cost?
The total cost of becoming an Airline Pilot varies from person to person and the differences in their training journey. Typically, it costs anywhere from $65,000 to $135,000 or more to become an Airline Pilot from start to finish.
There are ways to plan your training strategically and stay on the low end of these costs such as flight instructing, buying your own aircraft, scholarships, training where costs are lower and more that we outline in this article here.
How much money do Airline Pilots make?
Airline pilot salaries vert depending on whether the airline is regional or major, the rank of the pilot (first officer or captain) and how many years of service the pilot has. Here are some general averages for Airline Pilot salaries as of 2025:
- Flight Instructor still building hours (not yet Airline hired):
- $35,000 to $60,000
- Regional Airline First Officer Entry-Level:
- $90,000 to $120,000
- Regional Airline Captain:
- $120,000 to $200,000
- Major Airline First Officer Entry-Level:
- $100,000 to $150,000
- Major Airline Captain with Average Years of Service:
- $250,000 to $400,000
- Major Airline Captain with High Years of Service:
- $450,000 to $1,000,000
Can you save money by Buying your Own Airplane?
Yes, buying your own airplane and using it for flight training can end up saving you money on flight training costs, but it depends on several factors such as your long term goals, costs of the aircraft and whether or not you can rent it out when you aren’t using it. Here is a break down of things to think about before buying an aircraft for your training:
- Upfront Costs
- Aircraft cost a good amount. Older, lower horsepower options like a Cessna 152 can be found for as low as $50,000 but come with added risk and maintenance. Newer, higher horse power Cessna 172s, Sling TSIs, Cirrus SRs or Diamond DA40s can cost $150,000, $250,000 or even more.
- Fixed Costs
- These are ongoing costs after you make the purchase that don’t change regardless on how you use the aircraft. Things like Hangar rentals, insurance, registration and required inspections are all costs to consider that can add up to $4000 to $16,000 or more depending on how you do it and where your aircraft is located
- Variable Costs
- These are things that depend or vary based off how you use or how often you use your aircraft. Things like fuel, oil, maintenance, and instructor fees when training.
- Usage & Long-term Goals
- The more you plan to use an aircraft you purchase, the more of a potential savings it becomes. For example, if you only plan to get a Private Pilot certificate and fly every few months it will take a long time to recoup the costs of buying the aircraft we just talked about. But, if you plan to use the aircraft to train for private and IFR and then fly it every week, it will start saving you money much quicker because of the rental costs you are saving each time you fly.
- Maintenance
- Aircraft are required to meet ongoing maintenance standards. This adds an additional cost and time commitment to an aircraft owner who is responsible for the aircraft being in a safe and airworthy condition. So if you want to buy an aircraft, you need to be willing to add an extra time commitment or pay someone you trust to make sure the aircraft stays safe and legal.
- Rental Opportunities
- Another way to recoup your money faster by buying an aircraft is to rent it out when you aren’t using it. Eventually, this can even start making you some money. However, depending on where your aircraft is located the rental opportunities may not be available. So you need to do the research prior to purchasing an aircraft with the desire of renting it out to get your money back faster.
How much does it cost to Rent an Airplane?
The following rates are averages across the US and will vary from location to location. Typically in more urban areas the rates are higher than in rural areas. The rates below are also “wet” meaning it includes the cost of fuel and students don’t have to pay for the fuel they use on top of the rental rate:
- Cessna 152
- $110 to $160 per hour
- Cessna 172
- $140 to $220 per hour
- Cirrus SR20
- $235 to $435 per hour
- Diamond DA40
- $180 to $250 per hour
- Sling TSI
- $180 to $250 per hour
For a total cost of flight training a student should also keep in mind the hourly rate of their instructors which can range between $40 to $90 per hour, ground school, gear and insurance.
Is it worth it to get a Private Pilot License?
Yes! But this depends heavily on your goals. If you want to have the maximum amount of privileges as a pilot with the minimum amount of training then a Private Pilot certificate is worth it. If you want to become an Airline Pilot or fly as a career then you are required to first get a Private Pilot certificate and in that case, it would be worth it as well. So whether you want to be a hobby pilot and able to fly family or friends from state to state or you want to fly for the Airlines one day, a Private Pilot certificate is the best choice. This is why Private Pilot certificates are by far the most popular certificate in the US.
What is the Cheapest Way to become a Pilot?
The cheapest way to become a pilot explained step by step in Part Time Pilot’s free email course called “How to Become a Pilot and Save Money” and summarized below. There is no one trick or one flight school that allows a student pilot to save the most money. Rather, it is a series of things student pilots can prepare and plan ahead for that will make their flight training journey as cheap and as stress-free as possible. Some of those things are:
- Doing Ground School before Flight Training
- Doing a complete Ground School & understanding the concepts in the material rather than just doing FAA Written Test Prep
- Planning ahead financially instead of flying paycheck to paycheck
- Doing flight training at a Flying Club
- Doing flight training in rural parts of the US
- Taking time off work and avoiding travel during flight training
- Flying during the sunniest months of the year
- Buying your own aircraft if you plan to fly a significant amount after receiving a Private Pilot certificate
- And more outlined in the Free “How to Become a Pilot & Save Money” course
How Long does it take to become a Private Pilot?
This varies depending upon several factors but mostly on how often you perform flight training lessons and how quickly you progress through the lessons in the eyes of your flight instructor.
The FAA minimum number of hours to become a Private Pilot is 40 hours for Part 61 or 35 hours for Part 141. However, there are several underlying requirements such as solo flight hours, night flight hours, cross-country flight hours, simulated instrument flight hours, ground training and more. Even if you meet all minimum hour requirements, your flight instructor still needs to endorse you for your final checkride exam to become a pilot. In order for your instructor to endorse you, they must deem you proficient in all areas required by the FAA in the Airmen Certificate Standards (ACS) document.
Students that are able to progress and gain proficiency quickly while flying full-time (every day or every other day) can finish near the minimum hour requirement (35 to 50 hours) in about 2-3 months. These students also perform their ground training and have a good understanding of the knowledge prior to starting flight lessons.
Students that aren’t able to fly full-time but on the weekends or off-days from work are more likely to finish in 50-70 hours and in about 4-6 months.
And students that have gaps in their training lasting multiple weeks or that aren’t able to fly each week are going to finish in the higher range of 70-100 hours and 6 months to a year or more.
Can I get a PPL in 3 months or less?
As mentioned in the above FAQ, yes it is possible to get a Private Pilot certificate in 3 months or less if and only if you are flying multiple times per week, gaining proficiency in the required skills quickly and you have performed ground training at a high level prior to your flight lessons.
