How much does it really cost to learn to fly?
We charge $69/hr for the airplane and $38/hr for the instructor. A typical lesson is about an hour long. When it’s all said and done the real answer is approximately $5000. Beware of the “marketing” answer you get at some flight schools/airports that come up with a lot lower cost. You can buy the required bare minimum of flight instruction (20 hours) and aircraft rental (40 hours) for around $3500, but there are other substantial costs. You’ll need ground instruction, which most people get from an interactive CD or DVD computer-based home study course (also available on video tape if you’re not a computer person) that costs $300. There are another 10 hours or so of ground school to learn the things you can’t get from the home study course, and that costs about $400. Other things you will need include some books, a headset, and other pilot’s tools costing about $200. There is a final examiner’s fee of $250. And don’t forget the 6% sales tax on everything except the instructor fees, anot
