{"id":1293,"date":"2020-12-26T01:58:30","date_gmt":"2020-12-26T01:58:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fly8ma.com\/?p=1293"},"modified":"2023-04-12T19:46:02","modified_gmt":"2023-04-12T19:46:02","slug":"how-much-does-a-pilot-license-cost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fly8ma.com\/how-much-does-a-pilot-license-cost\/","title":{"rendered":"How Much Does a Pilot License Cost"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"private<\/p>\n

How Much Does it Cost to Become a Pilot?<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Student Pilot License<\/span><\/td>\nFree<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sport Pilot License<\/span><\/td>\n$4,000 – $6,000<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Private Pilot License<\/span><\/td>\n$8,300 – $12,300<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Commercial Pilot License<\/span><\/td>\n$28,000 to $90,000<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Flight Instructor License<\/span><\/td>\n$32,000 -$95,000\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Airline Transport Pilot License<\/span><\/td>\n$35,000+<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The cost to get your pilot license ultimately depends on what type of pilot license you want to obtain. The level of license you need is determined by what type of flying you\u2019re looking to do. For example, a Sport Pilot license may be the best fit if you are looking to fly for fun, whereas a Commercial Pilot license would be the first big step in an aviation career.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Different licenses require different levels of ground and flight instruction and have different testing requirements.\u00a0 It can be complicated to understand, so we\u2019ll make it simple with our friend \u201cJim\u201d who wants to become a pilot.\u00a0 Let\u2019s follow \u201cJim\u201d along as he works his way towards becoming an airline pilot.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At the end of this article you\u2019ll understand not only how much it costs for each type of pilot\u2019s license, but also why it cost that much, and how to save serious $$$ on your flight training.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

By the way, there is actually no such thing as a pilot license, the correct term in aviation is a Pilot Certificate, but hey, almost everyone calls it a license so we\u2019ll just go with that for our purposes explaining this today.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"how<\/a><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re interested in the cheapest aviation certifications you can obtain, you can click here to view our article on the cheapest aviation certifications you can obtain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Step #1 to Becoming a Pilot<\/b><\/h2>\n

A private pilot license costs $8,000-$12,000\u2026.great…why is that?<\/h3>\n

What kind of pilot license should you get?\u00a0 Actually, it doesn’t matter, if you want to just fly for fun, or be a commercial pilot, everyone starts at the bottom with a Private Pilot License (we\u2019ll save talking about the sport pilot licenses until the end of the article).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s January 1st and Jim made a New Year\u2019s resolution to become a pilot. He begins his flight training right away.\u00a0 His journey will consist of several different certificates or \u201cpilot license levels\u201d.\u00a0 The progression of becoming an airline pilot looks like this:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Private Pilot License (VFR)<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Instrument Rating (IFR)<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Commercial Pilot License<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Flight Instructor License (CFI)<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Now we know Jim has to get his Private Pilot License first before his instrument rating or commercial pilot license.\u00a0 So, what does that cost Jim?<\/span><\/p>\n

    Private Pilot License Cost<\/h2>\n

    Cost to Become a Private Pilot<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Private Pilot Requirements<\/b><\/td>\nCosts<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Pilot Ground School<\/span><\/td>\n$350<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    FAA Private Pilot Written Test<\/span><\/td>\n$175<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    FAA Medical Certificate<\/span><\/td>\n$125<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    40 Flight Training Hours<\/span><\/td>\n$7,000-$11,000<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    FAA Checkride<\/span><\/td>\n$650<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Total Cost<\/span><\/td>\n$8,300-$12,300<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    Jim will need to do a couple of things to get his Private Pilot License. He\u2019ll need:<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Pilot Ground School (an online course works great for this) ~ $350<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. Pass the FAA Private Pilot Written Test ~ $175<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. Get an <\/span>FAA Medical Certificate <\/span>~ $125<\/span><\/li>\n
    4. Flight Training in the Plane ~ $7,000-$11,000 <\/span>(why is it a range and not a set price?)<\/span><\/li>\n
    5. FAA Checkride<\/span> (your flight test, kind of like a driving test for your Driver\u2019s license) ~ $650<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Total:\u00a0 $8,300-$12,300<\/span><\/p>\n

      Learn about how our Private Pilot Ground School<\/a> can help you save money getting your private pilot certificate.<\/p>\n

      So Jim begins his <\/span>online ground school<\/span> on January 1st, and that helps him prepare for both his flight training and the FAA Private Pilot Written Exam (60 questions, multiple-choice test).\u00a0 He signed up for ground school at FLY8MA.com and completed it in 2 weeks, spending about 50 hours of total study time on the courses.\u00a0 Since Jim completed his ground school at FLY8MA.com, he had a great foundation of knowledge and easily passed his FAA written exam.\u00a0 Jim has spent about $500 so far.<\/span><\/p>\n

      He then went to his local flight school (<\/span>he chose his flight school using our guide here<\/span>) and took his first flight lesson.\u00a0 The flight lessons vary in cost depending on how long each lesson lasts, but he planned accurately that each lesson would be $300-$450. After his first lesson, Jim asked his Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) for a recommendation on which doctor to use to get his <\/span>Medical Certificate.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Jim goes to the recommended AME (Aviation Medical Examiner) and gets his FAA Medical for $125.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Jim studies hard, flies at least 5 days per week, and earns his Private Pilot License on February 15th after completing his Private Pilot Checkride with the FAA for $650.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      All together, Jim spent about 6 weeks learning to fly and earned his pilot\u2019s license for $8,527.\u00a0 Jim has also logged a total of 44.2 flight hours which is just over the FAA minimum requirement of 40 flight hours to become a private pilot, but well under the national average in 2020 of 73.1 hours.<\/span><\/p>\n

      What did the 40 flight training hours consist of?<\/h2>\n

      While we do explain this in a lot more detail in another <\/span>article here. <\/span>\u00a0We\u2019ll explain here briefly what you are getting in your 40 hours of flight training.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Assume you are paying $100\/hr to rent a plane and paying a flight instructor $60\/hr for the time they spend training you both in the air and on the ground in your briefing sessions.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
      Pilot Time<\/b><\/td>\nCertificate Cost (From zero experience)\u00a0<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      40 hours total to include:<\/span><\/td>\nThis is the minimum<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      20 hours flight training<\/span><\/td>\nJim spent 32.3 hours with his CFI<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      3 hours night training<\/span><\/td>\nJim had 3.1 hours of night training<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      3 hours cross country training<\/span><\/td>\nJim had 3.2 hours of \u201ccross-country\u201d training<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      10 hours solo<\/span><\/td>\nJim had 11.9 hours of solo flight<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      10 hours used towards either training or solo<\/span><\/td>\nJim spent that extra time with his CFI<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

      \"Timeline<\/a><\/p>\n

      This is how Jim racked up a bill of $7,425 from the flight school, plus his other fees came to his total of $8,527 for his Private Pilot License.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Instrument Rating Cost<\/h2>\n

      You\u2019ve probably heard things about pilots who fly VFR (visual flight rules) or IFR (instrument flight rules).\u00a0 We\u2019ve all heard about how JFK Jr. crashed his plane in bad weather because he didn\u2019t know how to fly on instruments.\u00a0 Jim heard about that too and doesn\u2019t want that to happen to him, so he decides on March 1st to get his <\/span>instrument rating<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
      Instrument Rating Requirements (IFR)<\/b><\/td>\nCosts<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      IFR Ground School<\/span><\/td>\n$350<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      FAA IFR Written Test<\/span><\/td>\n$175<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      40 flight hours of flying on instruments and 50 flight hours of \u201ccross country\u201d flying<\/span><\/td>\n$5,000-$9,000 (<\/span>why is this a range<\/span><\/a>)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      15 Flight Training Hours Minimum<\/span><\/td>\n$3,000-$5,000<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      FAA Checkride<\/span><\/td>\n$650<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

      Just like any other type of pilot license, Jim has to take a \u201cground school\u201d course to study for both flight training and for the FAA Pilot Test (each level of pilot license has a required FAA written exam, and you are required by the FAA to receive ground training and an endorsement specifying you are ready for the test prior to being allowed to take the written exam).<\/span><\/p>\n

      It\u2019s important to note Jim does not <\/span>have<\/span><\/i> to get his instrument rating right now, but it is a good idea to get it before you proceed onward to your commercial pilot license, as no company will hire you without that rating (note: in aviation, we have \u201ccertificates\u201d which are commonly referred to as licenses, and we have \u201cratings\u201d.\u00a0 You must first earn a certificate, and then you can add additional \u201cratings\u201d to it, such as an instrument rating).<\/span><\/p>\n

      Jim again studies hard and takes about 3 weeks to complete the IFR online ground school course at FLY8MA.com, and receives the endorsement to take the written test from the course, and then completes the test at his local testing center.\u00a0 While studying, he continues flying on his own, taking short trips of 50 miles or more that count towards his \u201ccross country\u201d flight time, of which he needs at least 50 hours worth before he can take his IFR checkride.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Jim also heads back to the flight school around early April and begins working on his required 15 flight hours of training with his instrument flight instructor (CFII).\u00a0 By late April, Jim has logged 115.8 hours total and spent about $17,522 since January 1st.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      Jim now just needs to spend another $650 to take the FAA Instrument Pilot Checkride, which he is guaranteed to pass since he took the online course at FLY8MA.com.\u00a0 It\u2019s important to note every flight student that has used the FLY8MA has passed their checkride on their first try, which saves a lot of money.\u00a0 If you fail a checkride, you have to pay for it all over again, plus pay for extra training before you can retry, which adds to the cost quickly.\u00a0 Luckily, Jim passed his checkride no problem and has now spent just over $18,000 to become an instrument rated private pilot with about 117.2 hours of flight time.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Commercial Pilot License<\/h2>\n

      So how much does a commercial pilot license cost? Well, hopefully, you can see now that for Jim, or for anyone to become a commercial pilot, they must first complete their private pilot training and likely earn an instrument rating.\u00a0 Part of why it makes good financial sense to get your instrument rating right after you get your private pilot license is because you will need to reach a total of 250 flight hours logged before you can become a commercial pilot.\u00a0 As you can see in our cost breakdown, the flight time (renting an airplane) is generally the most expensive part of becoming a pilot.\u00a0 If you need to log the flight time anyway, you might as well let that time count towards earning your instrument rating rather than just flying around for fun.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
      Commercial Pilot License Cost<\/b><\/td>\nCosts<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Commercial Ground School<\/span><\/td>\n$350<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      FAA Commercial Written Test<\/span><\/td>\n$175<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      250 Flight Hours total<\/span><\/td>\n$25,000-$50,000 (<\/span>why is this a range<\/span><\/a>)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      10 Hours of training<\/span><\/td>\n$2,000-$4,000<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      FAA Checkride<\/span><\/td>\n$650<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

      The initial 117.2 flight hours Jim had logged up to the point of him getting his instrument rating all counts towards the 250 hour requirement of becoming a commercial pilot.\u00a0 That means Jim needs to get 10 hours or so of training from his flight instructor (CFI) and then fly around for another 122.8 hours by himself (he could fly all of that time with a CFI on board, but he would have to pay for that flight instructor to sit next to him, so flying by himself or with friends to help split the costs probably makes the most sense).<\/span><\/p>\n

      This flying to build up flight time is some of the most fun Jim will have as a pilot.\u00a0 It\u2019s now May 1st and summer is right around the corner.\u00a0 The weather is getting nicer, and Jim\u2019s main job at this point is just renting an airplane and flying wherever he wants in the country building up his flight time towards 250 total hours.\u00a0 Jim is also spending more money per week than a gambling addict in a casino at this point, but hey, it\u2019s all counting towards him getting that great job as a commercial pilot.<\/span><\/p>\n

      It takes Jim about 2 months of flying around for fun, having the vacation of a lifetime as he travels in his rented plane to new places and studies the Commercial Pilot Ground School course in his free time.\u00a0 By July 1st, Jim has 240 flight hours and is ready to take the <\/span>FAA written exam for his commercial pilot license<\/span>!\u00a0 He flies 10 more hours with his CFI, hits the magic 250 mark, and schedules his FAA Commercial Pilot Checkride.<\/span><\/p>\n

      On July 15th, Jim becomes a commercial pilot with an instrument rating.\u00a0 He\u2019s flown just over 250 hours in the last 7 and a half months, and spent $33,212 (thanks to the courses at <\/span>FLY8MA.com<\/span> not only preparing him well for his training, but also providing lots of tips to save money along the way).<\/span><\/p>\n

      Jim can go get a job now flying as a commercial pilot and start earning money to pay back those loans he took out to pay for his training.\u00a0 Common jobs for the newly minted commercial pilot include skydiver pilot, advertising banner towing, aerial photography, pipeline patrol, and aerial survey work.\u00a0 Although, to be honest depending on where you are in the country, some of those jobs may be hard to come by or may be seasonal.\u00a0 A common way for new commercial pilots to make money and continue building their flight time is to get their \u201cflight instructor license\u201d or in more correct terms, become a CFI (certified flight instructor).\u00a0 We\u2019ll cover that next.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Cost to Become a Flight Instructor CFI<\/h2>\n

      Our friend Jim decided he wants to make money to pay back some of his loans, and also build a lot of flight time very quickly so he can get that big paying airline pilot job he is really after (just so you know, airline pilots make about $50,000-$60,000 their first year or so on the job.\u00a0 The $300,000+ wages come later on after you\u2019ve been with the company a few years.\u00a0 We just want you to have realistic expectations).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
      Flight Instructor Costs<\/b><\/td>\nCosts<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      CFI Ground School<\/span><\/td>\n$350<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      FAA Written Test x 2<\/span><\/td>\n$350<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      10-25 hours flight training<\/span><\/td>\n$2,500-$5,000 (<\/span>why is this a range<\/span><\/a>)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      10-20 hours ground training<\/span><\/td>\n$1,000-$2,000<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      FAA Checkride<\/span><\/td>\n$1200<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

      Now the best thing Jim can do is begin his CFI training immediately after getting his commercial pilot license so all the information is still fresh in his mind (sorry Jim, you\u2019re going to spend more of your summer studying).\u00a0 It\u2019s going to take Jim nearly a month of studying to get through the ground school, two required FAA written exams this time, and the ground and flight training he will need to be ready for a long, thorough, and expensive FAA checkride.\u00a0 A flight instructor license might seem like an easy way to make money and build lots of time quickly in an airplane you are already very familiar with, but the FAA expects those who teach to really know their aviation knowledge inside and out.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      Jim earns his Flight Instructor Certificate on August 15th, 8.5 months to the day since he first decided to become a pilot.\u00a0 The CFI training cost him an additional $5,400, bringing his total cost to become a pilot to $38,612.\u00a0 Still pretty good considering some flight schools in the US advertise over $90,000 to get you the same licenses in the same amount of time.\u00a0 If you want to know why that is, <\/span>click here.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Airline Transport Pilot License Cost (ATPL)<\/h2>\n

      Now when Jim started his journey to become a pilot, he really wanted to be an airline pilot.\u00a0 So how much does it cost for an airline pilot license?<\/span><\/p>\n

      Well, your airline pilot license (the proper term is Airline Transport Pilot Certificate) does not have a real \u201ccost\u201d associated with it.\u00a0 Some people will tell you it costs $90,000 to get an airline pilot license.\u00a0 Those estimates are quite frankly, arbitrary at best.<\/span><\/p>\n

      The fact is you must have a minimum of 1,500 flight hours to get an unrestricted Airline Pilot License.\u00a0 The cost for you to rent a plane to build that flight time from 250 hours where Jim was, to 1,500 hours would be ($100\/hr x 1,250 hours) $125,000 in addition to what Jim already spent becoming a commercial pilot.\u00a0 That is unrealistic for anyone, and that is why you commonly see new commercial pilots take low paying jobs as flight instructors, banner towers, etc.\u00a0 For these new commercial pilots, racking up the flight time while their boss pays for the airplane is more valuable than a decent wage.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      So what\u2019s the real cost of an airline pilot license?<\/b><\/h3>\n

      The real cost is whatever it cost you to become a commercial pilot (in Jim\u2019s case this was $33,212) plus any additional costs you might spend to get an additional rating or certificate to get hired on at your first job (such as earning your flight instructor certificate).\u00a0 Once you are hired on at your first commercial pilot job, your company will likely pay for any additional training needed as you build flight time.\u00a0 Some folks may scare you with the cost of training for your actual ATP license (like the cost of a checkride or simulator training on airline jets), but really the airline will hire you with just 1,500 hours, your commercial pilot certificate, and they will pay for the rest.\u00a0 So in Jim\u2019s case, he got hired at a flight school, worked there for 18 months, hit 1,500 hours total flight time and was hired as an airline pilot.\u00a0 Jim essentially paid $38,612 for his airline pilot license.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Sport Pilot License Cost<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
      20 Flight Hours Minimum<\/span><\/td>\n$2,300<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      30 Hours Instructor Fees<\/span><\/td>\n$1,800<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      FAA Written Test Cost<\/span><\/td>\n$165<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      FAA Checkride Cost<\/span><\/td>\n$650<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Total Cost<\/span><\/td>\n$4,915<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

      Now after everything we explained in this article to this point, do you really believe that a Sport Pilot license costs $4,915?\u00a0 In all reality, while it might be theoretically possible to earn a Sport Pilot License (or more accurately a Sport Pilot Certificate) for under $5,000, it is more likely that it will cost closer to the $8,000 mark.\u00a0 This is because learning to fly as a sport pilot and learning to fly as a private pilot are both <\/span>learning to fly<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0 The only difference between the sport and private pilot certificate is as a sport pilot you will be unable to fly in busy airspace without further training after your FAA checkride, you won\u2019t be able to fly with more than one passenger, and you will not be able to fly at night.\u00a0 Given that the national average to become a Sport Pilot is 36 hours, you can expect to increase both your Aircraft Rental expense and your flight instructor fees by several thousand dollars.<\/span><\/p>\n

      How do I save money?<\/b><\/h3>\n

      Flight training is, unfortunately, very expensive. Fortunately, FLY8MA Flight Training has some great tips on how you can save money throughout your flight training. Click here to learn how you can cut your flight training costs and ensure you are stretching your dollar to the greatest extent possible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      How Much Does it Cost to Become a Pilot? Student Pilot License Free Sport Pilot License $4,000 – $6,000 Private Pilot License $8,300 – $12,300 Commercial Pilot License $28,000 to $90,000 Flight Instructor License $32,000 -$95,000\u00a0 Airline Transport Pilot License $35,000+ The cost to get your pilot license ultimately depends on what type of pilot license you want to obtain. The level of license you need is determined by what type of flying you\u2019re looking to do. For example, a Sport Pilot license may be the best fit if you are looking to fly for fun, whereas a Commercial Pilot license would be the first big step in an aviation career.\u00a0 Different licenses require different levels of ground and flight instruction and have different testing requirements.\u00a0 It can be complicated to understand, so we\u2019ll make it simple with our friend \u201cJim\u201d who wants to become a pilot.\u00a0 Let\u2019s follow \u201cJim\u201d along as he works his way towards becoming an airline pilot.\u00a0\u00a0 At the end of this article you\u2019ll understand not only how much it costs for each type of pilot\u2019s license, but also why it cost that much, and how to save serious $$$ on your flight training.   By the way, there is actually no such thing as a pilot license, the correct term in aviation is a Pilot Certificate, but hey, almost everyone calls it a license so we\u2019ll just go with that for our purposes explaining this today. If you\u2019re interested in the cheapest aviation certifications you can obtain, you can click here to view our article on the cheapest aviation certifications you can obtain.\u00a0 Step #1 to Becoming a Pilot A private pilot license costs $8,000-$12,000\u2026.great…why is that? What kind of pilot license should you get?\u00a0 Actually, it doesn’t matter, if you want to just fly for fun, or be a commercial pilot, everyone starts at the bottom with a Private Pilot License (we\u2019ll save talking about the sport pilot licenses until the end of the article).\u00a0 It\u2019s January 1st and Jim made a New Year\u2019s resolution to become a pilot. He begins his flight training right away.\u00a0 His journey will consist of several different certificates or \u201cpilot license levels\u201d.\u00a0 The progression of becoming an airline pilot looks like this: Private Pilot License (VFR) Instrument Rating (IFR) Commercial Pilot License Flight Instructor License (CFI) Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) Now we know Jim has to get his Private Pilot License first before his instrument rating or commercial pilot license.\u00a0 So, what does that cost Jim? Private Pilot License Cost Cost to Become a Private Pilot Private Pilot Requirements Costs Pilot Ground School $350 FAA Private Pilot Written Test $175 FAA Medical Certificate $125 40 Flight Training Hours $7,000-$11,000 FAA Checkride $650 Total Cost $8,300-$12,300 Jim will need to do a couple of things to get his Private Pilot License. He\u2019ll need: Pilot Ground School (an online course works great for this) ~ $350 Pass the FAA Private Pilot Written Test ~ $175 Get an FAA Medical Certificate ~ $125 Flight Training in the Plane ~ $7,000-$11,000 (why is it a range and not a set price?) FAA Checkride (your flight test, kind of like a driving test for your Driver\u2019s license) ~ $650 Total:\u00a0 $8,300-$12,300 Learn about how our Private Pilot Ground School can help you save money getting your private pilot certificate. So Jim begins his online ground school on January 1st, and that helps him prepare for both his flight training and the FAA Private Pilot Written Exam (60 questions, multiple-choice test).\u00a0 He signed up for ground school at FLY8MA.com and completed it in 2 weeks, spending about 50 hours of total study time on the courses.\u00a0 Since Jim completed his ground school at FLY8MA.com, he had a great foundation of knowledge and easily passed his FAA written exam.\u00a0 Jim has spent about $500 so far. He then went to his local flight school (he chose his flight school using our guide here) and took his first flight lesson.\u00a0 The flight lessons vary in cost depending on how long each lesson lasts, but he planned accurately that each lesson would be $300-$450. After his first lesson, Jim asked his Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) for a recommendation on which doctor to use to get his Medical Certificate. Jim goes to the recommended AME (Aviation Medical Examiner) and gets his FAA Medical for $125. Jim studies hard, flies at least 5 days per week, and earns his Private Pilot License on February 15th after completing his Private Pilot Checkride with the FAA for $650.\u00a0\u00a0 All together, Jim spent about 6 weeks learning to fly and earned his pilot\u2019s license for $8,527.\u00a0 Jim has also logged a total of 44.2 flight hours which is just over the FAA minimum requirement of 40 flight hours to become a private pilot, but well under the national average in 2020 of 73.1 hours. What did the 40 flight training hours consist of? While we do explain this in a lot more detail in another article here. \u00a0We\u2019ll explain here briefly what you are getting in your 40 hours of flight training. Assume you are paying $100\/hr to rent a plane and paying a flight instructor $60\/hr for the time they spend training you both in the air and on the ground in your briefing sessions. Pilot Time Certificate Cost (From zero experience)\u00a0 40 hours total to include: This is the minimum 20 hours flight training Jim spent 32.3 hours with his CFI 3 hours night training Jim had 3.1 hours of night training 3 hours cross country training Jim had 3.2 hours of \u201ccross-country\u201d training 10 hours solo Jim had 11.9 hours of solo flight 10 hours used towards either training or solo Jim spent that extra time with his CFI This is how Jim racked up a bill of $7,425 from the flight school, plus his other fees came to his total of $8,527 for his Private Pilot License. Instrument Rating Cost You\u2019ve probably heard things about pilots<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1303,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[51,9],"tags":[50,47,49,48],"class_list":["post-1293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-flight-training","category-private-pilot","tag-pilot-cost","tag-pilot-license-cost","tag-private-pilot-license","tag-private-pilot-license-cost"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fly8ma.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fly8ma.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fly8ma.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fly8ma.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fly8ma.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1293"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/fly8ma.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1293\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1003991,"href":"https:\/\/fly8ma.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1293\/revisions\/1003991"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fly8ma.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fly8ma.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fly8ma.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fly8ma.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}