You will also find a breakdown of what it typically costs to earn the Private Pilot Certificate. This page describes the requirements needed in order to qualify to be eligible to take the FAA Practical Test, commonly called the Checkride. If a pilot already has those hours, then it’ll cut out those costs.įlight Time Average: 103.7 hours, with 58.6 hours Dual, 45.1 Hours Solo, 9.1 hours Ground Instruction and 12.0 hours Simulator time.Īverage duration of traning: 213 days from Private Pilot to Instrument Rating.While there are other types of pilot certificates to get that are of a “lower grade”, Recreational and Sport Pilot Certificates, the Private Pilot certificate gives the pilot full range of General Aviation. This also includes obtaining all the necessary Cross Country flying as well. The cost can increase if the student flies more than the required 40 instrument hours and 50 cross country hours.Īs of the end of 2013, for an Instrument rating, our average is:Ĭost: $17,990 – including books, materials, aircraft rental, instructor charges, testing, etc. You mayl acquire most of that time during your instrument cross country training, but will probably have to do some extra cross country flights. The FAA also requires an instrument candidate to have 50 hours of PIC cross country time. The minimum hours required is 40 hours of dual instrument training. $11,190 – including books, most materials, aircraft rental, testing and instructor chargesįlight time average: 70.0 hours total, 47.4 Hours Dual with 22.6 Hours Solo.Īlso: 14.4 hours Ground Training and 0.9 hours Simulator.Īverage duration of traning: 462 days from start to finish, including lapse time for various real-life events like babies, job-changes, moves, new jobs, etc.Ī reasonable estimate range is $15,000 to $18,000, which includes aircraft, all training, supplies, exams and costs of building Cross Country PIC time in our aircraft. The best way to stay on the low side of the average is to study a lot so you’re prepared, fly as regularly as your schedule allows, and pay attention to the instructors!Īs of the end of 2013, our average costs and times were: Adding in books, accessories and outside testing requirements give an average cost of about $11,200. Currently, the recent average is about 70 hours flight time with about 15 hours ground time. Recent price increases in fuel and other requirements have also affected the overall costs. Very few people obtain their licenses in the minimum required flight time, though.

The cost can also increase depending on the aircraft you train in and the books, materials & supplies you purchase while training. The cost increases if you fly more than the minimum 40 hours towards earning your license. The cost varies, since it includes aircraft rental, instructor time, training, supplies and exams.

Recreational pilot license