How to Determine the Cost of Flight School

Determining the cost of flight school is the most difficult part of receiving your pilot's license. On average, obtaining a pilot's license will cost about $4,000. Because of a variety of factors, it is very difficult to get an exact estimate of what your flight school will cost.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Determine what kind of pilot's license you want to obtain. Private pilots and commercial pilots are the two main categories. Many subcategories fall under both of these. Some of the subcategories certify you to fly certain types of planes.

2. Decide how many lessons you can take a week and how many hours you will be able to study. The longer it takes you to complete the school the more expensive your flight school experience will be.

3. Pay for what you want to receive. Each pilot in training is required to have 40 hours of flight time to receive a pilot's license. That's the regulation from The Federal Aviation Administration. Make sure the price you are paying will guarantee you a license, not just a certificate.

4. Choose the type of plane you want to train in. Newer and high tech airplanes will cost you much more than the older models. Keep this in mind when determining the cost for your flight school.

5. Find out if the cost of fuel is included in the price quoted. Some flight schools charge you for fuel in addition to the cost of books and tuition.

6. Shop around and ask for price quotes from a variety of flight schools. The price should include books, tuition, flight time, instructor fees, testing fees and licensing fees.

7. Consider the cost of having to renew your license. Some types of licenses are fairly expensive to renew.