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Private pilot license cost: what flight schools publish
Each school's own pages, read on October 4, 2026. These are published rates, not quotes. One hour of dual instruction runs $165 to $315 across 17 schools.
Read this before the numbers
The tables are not like for like. Schools publish different things under the same words:
- Wet (fuel included). The school says the hourly aircraft rate includes fuel.
- Dry (fuel extra). The school says fuel is not included in the hourly aircraft rate. Add fuel before comparing a dry rate with a wet one.
- Fuel not stated. The page does not say whether fuel is included. We do not guess.
Sales tax differs too. Windborne Flight says its rates include Wisconsin sales tax. Roadrunner Flight School and AZ Flight Training say theirs do not. Most schools do not say.
One hour of dual instruction
Aircraft rate plus instructor rate for one hour with an instructor, shown only where the page gives both or states the combined figure. The bar's color says what the page says about fuel.
Fuel included Fuel extra Fuel not stated
| School | One dual hour | Fuel | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accelerated Flight School School's own combined figure | $165 | Wet (fuel included) | |
| Butte Aviation School's own combined figure | $195 | Fuel not stated | |
| AZ Flight Training | $200 | Fuel not stated | |
| Scottsdale Executive Flight Training | $204 | Dry (fuel extra) | |
| Phoenix Flight Academy | $205 | Wet (fuel included) | |
| Dragonfly Aviation | $215 to $255 | Fuel not stated | |
| Roadrunner Flight School | $215 | Fuel not stated | |
| Texas State Aviation | $215 | Fuel not stated | |
| Pilot Rise | $235 | Wet (fuel included) | |
| Vegas Aviation | $235 | Fuel not stated | |
| Pensacola Air Flight School | $240 | Fuel not stated | |
| CFI Sacramento | $275 to $285 | Wet (fuel included) | |
| Illinois Aviation Academy | $282.63 | Fuel not stated | |
| Windborne Flight | $291 | Wet (fuel included) | |
| Epic Flight Academy School's own combined figure | $298.20 | Fuel not stated | |
| Pinnacle Aviation | $300 | Fuel not stated | |
| Tailwinds Academy | $315 | Wet (fuel included) |
The marker is a single figure unless the school gives a range for instruction. Schools with no hourly rates are on the all schools page.
The Cessna 172, by what each page says about fuel
| What the page says | Schools | Lowest | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wet (fuel included) | 3 | $165 | $220 | $225 |
| Dry (fuel extra) | 2 | $129 | $159.50 | $190 |
| Fuel not stated | 5 | $135 | $150 | $215 |
Small samples: 10 schools in all. The list is the schools we read, not every school.
What each school says a private pilot certificate costs
Every estimate rests on a number of hours. The FAA sets a floor of 40 flight hours (14 CFR 61.109), and some schools price exactly that.
| School | Estimate | Hours and items it assumes |
|---|---|---|
| Butte Aviation | $7,800 | 40 hours at $195 an hour, the Part 61 minimum. The article says most students need more than the minimum. |
| AZ Flight Training | $8,900 | the FAA minimum: 40 hours of flight time at $135, 20 hours dual at $65, 15 hours of ground instruction at $65. Not including tax. The page says the average private pilot needs more than 50 hours. |
| California Flight School | $9,000 | 40 hours; the page shows $13,000 to $15,000 for an accelerated, pay-as-you-go course. Bundled prices, not itemized hourly rates. |
| Phoenix Flight Academy | $9,400 | FAA minimum hours: 20 hours of instruction at $50 and 40 hours of aircraft at $155. The school's average total is $11,500 and includes additional instruction and test retakes. |
| CFI Sacramento | $10,900 | 40 flight hours in a Cessna 172 at $200 an hour, plus 20 hours of ground and 30 hours of flight instruction at $55 and about $150 of materials. Its example uses $200 an hour; its fleet table lists Cessna 172s at $220 to $250. |
| Essence Flight School | $10,900 | its Standard package, 40 total flight hours; the Comprehensive package is 60 hours and the Premium package 80. Shown as "From $10,900." |
| Roadrunner Flight School | $11,248 | FAA minimums: 30 hours with instructor, 10 hours solo, 20 hours of pre and post flight instruction, and 2 hours of aircraft for the checkride, in a Cessna 172 at $150 an hour. Sales tax not included. The page says costs rise with extra flights, lessons or exam retakes. |
| Windborne Flight | $17,000 | 65 hours at its standard airplane and instructor rates, training cost only. The page gives a range of $17,000 to $18,000. |
| Vegas Aviation | $17,285 | 62 flight hours and 2 simulator hours: 50 hours dual at $235 an hour, 10 hours solo at $175, 20 hours of ground instruction at $60. Includes a $765 onboarding kit with the Cessna online course, a 2-hour checkride aircraft rental ($350) and the $1,200 examiner fee. |
| SimpliFly | $18,000 | not stated on the page; the calculator on the page did not show figures without scripts. The page gives a range of $18,000 to $20,000. |
| Illinois Aviation Academy | $19,346.59 | 35 flight hours with instructor, 5 solo hours, 3 simulator hours and 37 hours of ground school, plus stage checks, medical, written exam, examiner fee and books. A second block on the page shows $15,763.89 for 21 hours with instructor and 12 simulator hours. |
| Tailwinds Academy | $23,000 | about 80 flight hours and 90 instruction hours. The page gives a range of $23,000 to $28,000. |
| Epic Flight Academy | $36,147 | not stated on the page; the course is described as taking about 3 months. Prices are for U.S. students effective April 1, 2026. |
Common questions
- How much does a flight lesson cost per hour?
- Across the 17 schools where we can work out one hour of dual instruction (aircraft plus instructor), the published figures run from $165 to $315, with a median of $235. These are not like for like: some figures include fuel, some do not, and one includes sales tax. Read October 4, 2026. They are not quotes.
- How much does it cost to rent a Cessna 172 for training?
- 10 schools list a Cessna 172 as their trainer, at $129 to $225 an hour. Splitting by what each page says about fuel: 3 say fuel is included ($165 to $225), 2 say it is not ($129 to $190), and 5 do not say ($135 to $215). Compare dry rates only after adding fuel.
- Why do schools quote such different private pilot totals?
- Mostly because they assume different numbers of hours. The FAA minimum is 40 flight hours (14 CFR 61.109). Among the 13 estimates we read, the lowest is $7,800 (Butte Aviation, 40 hours at $195 an hour, the Part 61 minimum) and the highest is $36,147 (Epic Flight Academy). A total built on the minimum hours is a floor, not a forecast. Ask any school how many hours its number assumes.
- Is the hourly rate the price I will pay?
- No. Schools name different extras: a refundable deposit, a fuel surcharge, an airport user fee, a card fee, minimum hours, exam fees and gear. The listings record the ones each page names. A figure with none named may still have them.
How to use this
- Ask each school whether its aircraft rate includes fuel and tax, and whether instruction is billed for ground time.
- Ask how many hours its private pilot estimate assumes, and what happens to the price if you need more.
- Check for a deposit, minimum hours, a fuel surcharge or card fees. The listings record the ones each page names.
- If a school lists no hourly rate, that is a finding, not a mark against it. Many sell by program. They are on the program prices page.
24 schools read. We have not flown with, visited or called any of them. Corrections go through the corrections page.