Flight school rates
What learning to fly costs, school by school.
Hourly aircraft rental, instructor rates, discovery flights and the private pilot total, from the prices flight schools post on their own sites. Every number links to its source.
74 schools in 4 metros · 47 with posted rates · 211 prices, each with its source and check date
What schools post
- Cessna 172 / PA-28 rental
- $93 to $295
- per hour, median $164.5 across 24 schools
- Flight instructor
- $50 to $235
- per hour, median $70 across 22 schools
- Discovery flight
- $99 to $1,290
- 28 schools
Posted rates only
Every price comes from the school’s own website, with a link and the date we checked it. Nothing is guessed.
Private pilot cost, computed
For each school that posts both an aircraft and an instructor rate, we compute the private pilot cost at 40 and 65 hours, and show the arithmetic. See the method.
Wet or dry, said plainly
Each aircraft rate is marked wet (fuel included), dry, or not stated, so you compare like with like.