How much does a private pilot license cost?
There is an amazing amount of variation. The minimum flight time for the private certificate is 40 hours, 20 of which are with an instructor. More likely, expect 50 to 60 hours, with 30 to 40 with an instructor. Depending on where you fly and what type of aircraft you use, a typical training aircraft can run from around $60/hour to $150/hour. Instructors typically charge anywhere from $20 to $60 per hour. With this kind of variation it is really hard to nail down a specific number. To complicate things further, you need to consider the cost of taking the FAA written exam (around $100), the cost of any required groundschool (either with your CFI, in a class, or with a self study course), and the fee the FAA examiner charges (Generally between $200 and $500). With all that in mind, I’d plan on around $6,000 to $8,000 if you use a relatively small aircraft (like a Cessna 152) and are average or slightly above average in your progress.
