Costs of lessons?

[banpei]

Hi everyone, I'm thinking of taking lessons to get my private pilot license, but am confused about the costs.... The prices below are taken from a local (SF Bay Area) instruction school

40 Hours flight w/ instructor $ 3920
10 Hours solo practice $ 630
20 Hours ground instruction $ 600
Medical examination $ 85
Written examination $ 70
Books & Supplies $ 200
Flight test $ 350
Total $ 5855

That seems reasonable, but in other posts in the forum I"m seeing people quote average prices of $6 to $9K. Is there some cost that's not getting posted up here? (Plane rental maybe? or is that tacked onto the "flight w/ instructor"?) And is "Ground School" different than the "ground instruction" that's up there? Is that another requirement? Any help would be appreciated...

Oh, and is there any palpable difference between training on the Cessna 152 versus the 172?

[Panda]

Howdy my friend, well after I was quoted a similar amount to your total, I pulled a 6k loan.

I'm now about $500 short to finish my private. No, there are no other "unquoted" articles, but the problem is that those are JUST the minimums, you have to take into consideration how fast you will be learning.

My advise is to study the ground on your own and save money that way... something I did not do, which has now cost me more "out of the pocket money."

As far as the plane, I don't train in a Cessna, so I would not know the answer to that.

Also, MAKE SURE YOU RESEARCH THE SCHOOL YOU ARE GOING TO ATTEND, MAKE SURE YOU WILL GET ALONG WITH YOUR INSTRUCTOR! It can be a headache when this step is not done properly.

All the best to you!

[Imongo]

I just took an introductory lesson and am now signing up for lessons. The flight school in my area charges 6K flat for up to 60 hours of flight time. This includes everything except the books ($200.00) and the Bose headset . And, the school owner is an FAA examiner and instructor at the school, so every time he flys with you, it is a check ride.

Your price seems just about right.

Mongo

[wdrzal]

As you know 40 hours is the minimum to take a private test, the national average is around 55 hours, some more if you don't prepare and seriously study.I seen 70 to 90 hours to get a private.

At the end of your training when you start cross country flights the hours add up. You should not need more than required hours of ground instruction,most instructors will sit down and debrief the flight and not charge. at least mine didn't,t Find a instructor you feel comfortable with.Stop and buy lunch once in a while as time allows. Treat your instructor well and most will reciprocate,but remember your the student,but it's OK to question instructors as they also make mistakes. just memorize the FAR's ,your flight book and manual and aircraft manual & parameters,many people fail the flight exam because they did not study the aircrafts paper work and have it all there and in order @ time of exam.study on your own and reduce ground training

I did my private in a aerospatial TB-9 wasn't fast red line was 120 knots,we usually flew 115.Nice trainer wide and high for broad shoulder tall guys,6'4" 220 and no problems has center console 54" wide,gull wing doors made in and out easy,great visibility and stall characteristics.. I paid 16 years ago 59.00 for plane/w/fuel and 21.00 for instructor. 80.00 a hour but full IFR duel nav-coms. and the plane was new 300 hours when I started,not a 40 year old Cessna. My instruction was before GPS & moving maps.

I could have rented a much older Cessna for 40.00 a hour plus 20.00 /instructor ,but ,tight fit and just didn't have the new modern radios and instruments in it. The 21.00 a hour extra was worth flying a new modern aircraft. Take this seriously,study hard,and safety in number 1 priority.PERIOD

Books,Boise head set,Jeppesen training manuals,AOPA membership,flight computer ,flight must haves like pilots watch,knee board ,red light etc,etc plus medical,exam & all the extras was around 5,500 in 1990.licensed in 46 hours I thought that was cheap and happy to fly a new plane.Even that a bracket came lose and threw off alternator belt and lost electrical power ,except for battery,& duel magnetos of course,shut off none essentials and made it back to a safe normal landing. was about 60 miles out when incident happened.twilight/VFR conditions.

Now the prices of portable nav/coms/gps dropped so low I keep one in my flight brief case.Crazy not too.

Good luck,have fun,but take your training serious,

I don't want to scare anyone but just go to the NTSB site and look at all the private pilot accidents,you'll be surprised how many each week.Far to high in my opinion,40 to 60 hours is not a lot of time so study, quadruple that on your own,especially meteorology.Thats a few weeks study all alone. I found reading complete accident reports taught me almost as much as a instructor, It's like all what not to do,or dumb things pilots done or like most accidents,its a string of mistakes put together.

VFR pilots getting into IFR conditions is one of the main reasons for crashes. Spend the money,Take the time and get IFR rated. As all experienced pilots will tell you,if you loose your ground references,you can get in real trouble real fast if you can't interpret your instrument CORRECTLY.

Flying is a incredible accomplishment and experience.I still remember when I solo'd. Do all your preflight,start and run-up checks, But as you roll down the runway picking up speed and reach V-R, you pull back a little on the yoke the plane jumps smoothly off the runway,faster than usual,THEN during your scan,you notice why,I said to myself "Now I done it,there NO INSTRUCTOR ,the right seats empty" for the first time. you realize it's up to you too land this plane,there is no one else."I got to do this perfect" you think ,all by myself,as you know your instructor and all the other pilots there are watching intensely. It's a thrill, excitement with a little touch of fear,not afraid,Too busy concentrating on procedures. But your heading into the unknown.Never landed with only 1 sole on board. WoW what a ride,remember it like I solo'd yesterday. 3 takeoffs & Landings and your off to buy a new shirt.

[SkykingC310]

My private pilot certificate cost me $7,000. It took me 59.8 hours.

[Wolfbane]

Hi

Allow me to introduce myself. I am a 46 year old engineer who needed a new hobby. So, one day I decided to find out about flying lessons. I have now logged about 12 hours, and have never looked back. All I can say, I wish I had started 20 years ago!

All I can conclude from your discussion above is that I am glad that I am not learning to fly in the USA. I am sitting in South Africa. Here I pay ZAR 550 (about 80 US$) per lesson, i.e., a minimum of US$ 3600. This includes everything! Okay, it's on a Cubby and not a Cessna!

As far as instructor goes, well I got a classic. He used to instruct and fly for the air force, and still looks the part (smokes a pipe, has a moustache with handles etc). Fortunately, I really get on well with him. Utterance like: "I don't feel like dying today" as I lose air speed on finals really make an impression, with the net result that I now watch the airspeed indicator like a hawk. That just leaves everything else that tries to get away from me and encourage snide remarks from the instructor. Oh well, that is just the way it goes. At least he does not make me fetch leaves from trees at the end of the runway after the lesson.

The way I see it is that I am flying the plane and the instructor is a necessary evil to prevent me from bending thing. 

Flying is fantastic. Can't wait to do my solo!!

[Jacob9582]

I finished in 48 hours and it set me back 6g's.

[sync55]

I own a new Zodiac 601 and have leased it to the local fllight school in Lantana, FL. The plane is $80 and hour and CFI $38 for $118 total per hour with fuel. This is a very reasonalble price. Lantana is just south of West Palm Beach.
If you want to get your sport pilot certificate first then continue on toward a private you can apply all your hours and enjoy the privedege of being a pilot while finishing. Sport Pilot requires only 20 hours and there is no night or bad weather flying so it goes very quick.
The plane has two moving maps and full weather subscription, very comfortable and great for cross county. Pattern work is easier beacuse you can see the runway when you turn. Stalls and landings are a breeze.
Good Luck
For more information, pictures and videos see www.goodsportaviation.com

[4 DELTAFOX]

Hello gang, I took my ground school at my local community college.
There might also be a coastline community college in your area.... it's a college that has classroom instruction in different buildings, and or schools... (eg. high schools, grammer schools...etc.), with one facillity acting as the administration for enrollment. It was cheaper than the Local FBO at JWA airport. I took the actual flying instruction through the connections of the ground instructor. There is a lot to learn, and you have to love the books... but it is well worth it when you solo that first time. Try to schedule your flight instruction the same day as your ground school class.... or the day after, that way you can put what you've learned to use , while it's fresh in your mind. I took both of my lessons on Saturdays. I also waited until I had at least 10 hours of ground instruction under my belt before I climbed into the left seat of the plane. You have to have a good grasp on the theory of flight, before you can put it to use in the practial realm. The Cessna 152 is cheaper than the 172. You can get checked out in larger planes after you get the basics down first, so stick with the 152 for your initial flight training. After I passed my FAA check ride... I got checked out in a Piper Warrior, and I love the low wing aircraft.... it makes it easier to see the runway while turning from downwind to base, and then to final leg of the approach to landing, since the wing drops out of the way and you can see where you're turning to ... unlike a high wing aircraft (Cessna) that drops to blocks your view when turning... something to think about! Don't be afraid to ask questions from your instructor about things that aren't clearly understood. and don't be intiminated to change to another instructor if there's a personality conflict.... I switched instructors three times.... until I got with one that I felt could communicate the lessons. There are some great pilots out there.... but they lack communicating skills... and are not the best at teaching. Stick with it.... practice what you've learned... there's nothing better than becoming a pilot!

[Robert Trice]

I'm thinking the two big "ifs" are IF you study and work hard, and IF your instructor charges Hobbs time only. (If he's Hobbs only, don't expect much in the ground instruction department. You get what you pay for.)

Lowballing new students with visions of 40-hour completion is done all the time, but how many people actually learn all the material and master all the skills in that amount of time? Not very many, and those that did just squeeked by with bare minimums.

The 40-hour thing has turned into a sales gimmick by flight schools. Not very ethical at all.

[andyrus]

Hello,

Here are the prices I am paying in NJ suburbs of NYC:
2002 C-172S @ $119/hr + sales tax
2005 or 2006 Diamond DA-20 @ $109/hr + sales tax
Instructor @ $50/hr
I have ~14 hrs of flight time and I have paid for ~25 hrs of instructor's time.
I am anticipating around $8k for my Private Certificate.

Good luck.

[Dainha]

Originally Posted by Panda

My advise is to study the ground on your own and save money that way... something I did not do, which has now cost me more "out of the pocket money."

Guys, I'm saving money working 11hrs/6 days a week to get enough money to pay for all this expenses that I'm really looking to face, the point is -If I study the ground school on my own (let´s say getting info from books, internet and FSX) so then what?, I just ask the school for a ppl test?. sorry I'm totally new and this thing of saving the money of groundschool to invest it in hours sounds just awesome.
thanks.

[shorty]

The price you were quoted, as the other posters have noted, are minimums. These are FLOORS not Ceilings.

The national average is between 65-75 hours. Much of this is due to gaps in training. They start, then stop. It is particularily critical not to have gaps in the first half of training.

If you go once per week--meaning that if you are cancelled you make up for it later that week, you'll probably finish within the national average. If you go two-three times a week, especially the first half (a little past solo), you will probably finish in about 50-55 hours.

Other factors that are very, very important: Your study habits, your instructor, and if you are BOTH utilizing some sort of training syllabus. Too often Instructors do not utilize a syllabus. They are unfortunately under the impression that they do not need one, because they are experienced enough. The syllabus is not just for the instructor--it is for the learner, as well. Knowing where you are going is a big help to get there! I've noticed a key difference between learners that are provided a syllabus (along with appropriate study materierals) and those who are not.

Saving up money ahead of time helps to reduce cost by preventing gaps in training at critical times. Another option is "Pilot Financing." Ask your FBO if they offer this. It is a loan company. Being a loan, there is interest charged, but it is less than a credit card. usually around 8%. I had a student who used this program to get his certificate. We calculated how much he likely saved by the time he paid it off, and came up with around $3000. He also never bought a text book! He used "The airplane flying handbook" and "the pilot's handbook of aeronautical knowledge" downloaded for free off FAA - Home, as well as on-line courses and circulars from AOPA Online: AOPA Air Safety Foundation, and online written exam guides, such as "exams4pilots.org"

[andyrus]

The correct link to the website with test questions is
Pilot Practice Page (not .com)

Regards

[Wingtipvortex]

My school charges 45 dollars for one lesson. That means I get an hour flying and some ground lesson, preflight, and a post flight debriefing.

The plane rental is 107 dollars an hour wet, so I pay about 160 dollars all up since the Hobbs time usually goes a hair over an hour.

If you think about it, since the instructor can't do any more than one lesson every two hours, he makes only 22.5 dollars an hour even if he is fully booked. That's not much, especially if you need to live on this.

I think learning to fly isn't cheap, but when you consider how hard the instructors have it financially, after they themselves invested all that time and money to become a CFI, it's really not much at all.