How Much Is Flight School?

In this blog post, we will be discussing one of the most frequently asked questions about flight training which is “How Much Does it Cost to Become a Pilot?”

In today’s markets, it is safe to say you can become a pilot for as low as $10,000. That being said, the most important question you need to ask yourself is what is your reason for becoming a pilot?

I’m assuming most people reading this are interested in becoming a pilot to fly for the Airlines or Cargo companies. Others might be reading because they’re interested in becoming recreational pilots which means you just want to be able to fly here and there with some family and friends. We will take a look at both shortly.

First, if you’re looking to become a professional pilot and fly for an airline or cargo company, you will need an Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) In order to get this license, you will need 1500 Hours of Total Time (TT) and a Private Pilot License, Instrument Rating and a Commercial Pilot certificate. Some restrictions apply to this hour requirement which drops it down to as low as 750 Hours which is called a Restricted ATPL and that only applies if you have military experience or if you graduated from a college affiliated part 141 aviation program.

For the purpose of today’s conversation, we will be assuming you start with Zero experience and no military experience and you will need the full 1500 hours total time.

In order to successfully achieve this, the best way is to get a flight instructor license once you’re done with your commercial training, this will enable you to build your hours without paying for any flight hours as you gain experience by teaching others how to become a pilot.

Therefore, in order to achieve this you will need the following licenses and the approximate cost to obtain each at our flight training school Aero Global Aviation Academy is shown below:

Course	Cost
Private Pilot License	$12,000
Instrument Rating	$17,000
Commercial (Single & Multi Add on)	$38,000
CFI Certificates (CFI, CFI-I & MEI)	$15,000
Testing and Checkride Fees	Included above
Total Cost	$83,000

The prices above reflect an approximate cost that can get you all your pilot certificates and then you can build your hours up as flight Instructors or by renting planes and flying on your free time. Some people even buy their own planes and build their time that way.

Now, if you’re only interested in flying recreationally, the minimum certification you need is a Private Pilot certificate. Furthermore, if you’re willing to push yourself and are open to more possibilities to fly safer and overcome various adverse weather conditions you can consider adding an Instrument Rating to your Private Pilot Certificate. This will enable you to fly both VFR and IFR and will ultimately make you a safer pilot.

In order to achieve this, you will need about $30,000 as shown in the table below:

Course	Cost
Private Pilot License	$12,000
Instrument Rating	$17,000
Testing and Checkride Fees	Included above
Total Cost	$30,000

Finally, all the prices quoted above are estimated based on the minimum requirements of a Part 61 Flight Training syllabus. Note that there are Part 141 programs that are available and they will achieve the same goal but at a slightly higher cost depending on the size of the flight school you choose.

Here at Aero Global Aviation Academy, our courses are designed to help you save cost and to become a great pilot while following all the standards set forth by the FAA. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.