Real-world PPL cost

fiveoboy01

fiveoboy01

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Dirty B
I get asked this a lot, what's it cost?

I have always just given ballpark numbers, and guessed what the total would be.

Now that I'm done, I added all my reciepts up.

$8,454 total, instructor and airplane included.

Add $350 to that for the DPE's fee.

Numbers above do not include any books, headset, fuel stick, sump cup, flight bag, kneeboard, etc etc ad nauseam.

I had a total of 59.9 hours(including the checkride).

46 hours in a 152 @85.00/hr wet.

13.9 hours in a 172N@107/hr wet.

The school just raised the prices, not much though. I think it's now 87/hr for the 152 and 109 for the 172N.

Figure in a couple hundred for books etc... and whatever you want to blow on a headset.

So there you go. Was it worth it, hell yes.

You could save some cash if you did it in fewer hours, but it takes what it takes. Best money ever spent IMO:D
 
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I stopped adding mine up when I hit 5 or 6 thousand, lol.
 
I had almost same hrs in 152. Everything totaled up to just over $8500, not including headset and GPS...ect ect.
 
This is from Aviatrix's blog.......This is out of KFRG on Long Island, NY

Training Numbers
Dual Received: 56.4
Solo Time: 10.3
Cross Country Time: 13.0
Total Time: 68.2
Fuel Used: 409.2 gallons (estimated)
Landings: 202
Instructors: 5 (2 for progress checks), 1 DPE
Tail Numbers I Flew: 6
Airports: 7
Lessons: 46
Months: 9

Pilot Supplies
Headset: $109
Kneeboard: $15
E6B: Hand me down (ie free)
Flight bag: Free with AOPA membership
AOPA Membership: $25 (plus free flight bag and year’s subscription of Flight Training)
Plotter: $8
Logbook: $15

TOTAL: $172

Books/Charts
FAR/AIM 2013: $14
ASA Oral Prep Guide: $12
Gleim Written Prep Guide: $12
Sporty’s Study Buddy Written Prep: Free
Airplane Flying Handbook: Free Online
Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge: Free Online
POH – $8 (eBay)
Sectional (one free) – $8
A/FD (x2): $10

TOTAL: $64

Exam Fees
Written Exam: $150
3rd Class Medical: $110
DPE Fee: $450

TOTAL: $710

Rental/CFI Costs/Landing Fees/Travel
Plane & Instructor: $12,100 (152 @ $119, CFI @ $45, Landing Fees @ $2.50)
Train Rides: $898 ($18 round trip – $21.50 round trip at start of training)

TOTAL: $12,998

Scholarship
Girls With Wings Dreams Take Flight: -$500

GRAND TOTAL: $13,444
 
fiveoboy01 said:
Numbers above do not include any books, headset, fuel stick, sump cup, flight bag, kneeboard, etc etc ad nauseam.
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Struck me as funny as that stuff falls somewhere between $200 and 2 grand depending on personality.:D
 
Ah. I forgot to add my medical in there.

Add another $150...

$119/hr for a 152???? Damn.
 
I, too am out of KFRG...I choose not knowing how much money I have spent...b/c it's easier to take in that way. :rolleyes:

momalley said:
This is from Aviatrix's blog.......This is out of KFRG on Long Island, NY

Training Numbers
Dual Received: 56.4
Solo Time: 10.3
Cross Country Time: 13.0
Total Time: 68.2
Fuel Used: 409.2 gallons (estimated)
Landings: 202
Instructors: 5 (2 for progress checks), 1 DPE
Tail Numbers I Flew: 6
Airports: 7
Lessons: 46
Months: 9

Pilot Supplies
Headset: $109
Kneeboard: $15
E6B: Hand me down (ie free)
Flight bag: Free with AOPA membership
AOPA Membership: $25 (plus free flight bag and year’s subscription of Flight Training)
Plotter: $8
Logbook: $15

TOTAL: $172

Books/Charts
FAR/AIM 2013: $14
ASA Oral Prep Guide: $12
Gleim Written Prep Guide: $12
Sporty’s Study Buddy Written Prep: Free
Airplane Flying Handbook: Free Online
Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge: Free Online
POH – $8 (eBay)
Sectional (one free) – $8
A/FD (x2): $10

TOTAL: $64

Exam Fees
Written Exam: $150
3rd Class Medical: $110
DPE Fee: $450

TOTAL: $710

Rental/CFI Costs/Landing Fees/Travel
Plane & Instructor: $12,100 (152 @ $119, CFI @ $45, Landing Fees @ $2.50)
Train Rides: $898 ($18 round trip – $21.50 round trip at start of training)

TOTAL: $12,998

Scholarship
Girls With Wings Dreams Take Flight: -$500

GRAND TOTAL: $13,444
Click to expand...
 
i think i spent about 10,000 for my private and about 5,000 for my instrument. i envy you guys paying those prices. you should come to new york for a while!
 
OR you can just forgo all that adding, and subtracting and just go the all inclusive route of $9500.00 and then all you have to worry about is buying a headset (ours of course) and getting there, instead of counting hours, finding a plane, getting books, paying examiners, etc.

yay!
 
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I spent about $3500 in 1987, with 48 hours

Using the CPI, that would be approximately $7250 today.
 
I'd say $8-12k is a "normal range" these days. I'm sure soon enough there will be one or two peeps chiming in with "WHAT, I got my PPL for $3k blah blah" (and I don't mean 10-20+ years ago) and that is just not normal, so don't plan on that #.
 
$14,922

80.9 Total hours @ $125, $135 or $145/hr (mostly $125) in a 172 + some time in a 182 and Decathlon

34.0 Ground (usually 0.5 or so every lesson)

63.7 Dual

I trained out of KRNO so there was a "mountain flying" course built-in to the training.
 
DesertNomad said:
$14,922

80.9 Total hours @ $125, $135 or $145/hr (mostly $125) in a 172 + some time in a 182 and Decathlon

34.0 Ground (usually 0.5 or so every lesson)

63.7 Dual

I trained out of KRNO so there was a "mountain flying" course built-in to the training.
Click to expand...

Mountian course?? What's the name of the school?


Most of our PPLs are getting done in the 7500-8500 range, though we have bartered/traded for training before

63hr dry AA1

50hr CFI, no charge for ground if the student doesn't require spoon feeding

200 per yr for their insurance

No "pilot bundles", just buy a chart, craigslist a headset, written and DPE fee and that's it.
 
It's truly one of the only things in my life where I don't care how much it costs. Flying is amazing and I'd be a much different person without it( richer- but likely way less happy!).

Truthfully, my license cost about 8 grand here on Long Island. I now spend about 4,000-5,000 a year on flying. Oh well, it's money well spent!
 
jspilot said:
It's truly one of the only things in my life where I don't care how much it costs. Flying is amazing and I'd be a much different person without it( richer- but likely way less happy!).

Truthfully, my license cost about 8 grand here on Long Island. I now spend about 4,000-5,000 a year on flying. Oh well, it's money well spent!
Click to expand...

Pretty much my situation. I am far from rich and I spend a hefty portion of my paycheck on flying. Honestly its the only expensive thing ive ever done that I really dont think about money wise. I would only give it up if I absolutely had to financially... right now there are many other things I would cut first :)
 
Yikes! I feel old lol. I was $3500 all in including the headset. That was a while back...
 
fiveoboy01 said:
I get asked this a lot, what's it cost?

I have always just given ballpark numbers, and guessed what the total would be.

Now that I'm done, I added all my reciepts up.

$8,454 total, instructor and airplane included.

Add $350 to that for the DPE's fee.

Numbers above do not include any books, headset, fuel stick, sump cup, flight bag, kneeboard, etc etc ad nauseam.

I had a total of 59.9 hours(including the checkride).

46 hours in a 152 @85.00/hr wet.

13.9 hours in a 172N@107/hr wet.

The school just raised the prices, not much though. I think it's now 87/hr for the 152 and 109 for the 172N.

Figure in a couple hundred for books etc... and whatever you want to blow on a headset.

So there you go. Was it worth it, hell yes.

You could save some cash if you did it in fewer hours, but it takes what it takes. Best money ever spent IMO:D
Click to expand...

Forgive me- doing the math in my head. So was that about 60 hours of instructional time at about $50/hr?

Interesting to see the breakdown. I did my pvt in '93 for $4k, so that's not far off once inflation is accounted for.
 
40.6 172@$90/hr. $3654
34.4 cfi@$30/hr. $1032
Gleim books. $99
Medical. $150
DPE/checkride $450


Total $5385

July 2010
 
I paid nothing for my PPL when I got it in my teens....my pilot dad paid for it. Now I am paying for my kid's license.
 
Brad Z said:
Forgive me- doing the math in my head. So was that about 60 hours of instructional time at about $50/hr?

Interesting to see the breakdown. I did my pvt in '93 for $4k, so that's not far off once inflation is accounted for.
Click to expand...

Ah yes I'm sorry I forgot to add that. The CFI is $45/hr in addition to the airplane and generally every lesson would have .2-.3 of ground added as well(same rate).
 
My son got off cheap...

Airplane: free (but paid for rebuilt vac pump, $200, and used AI, $250)
Fuel: 250 gal @ $5 for $1,250 (estimated...50 hrs at 5 gph)
Instructor: Pay Dad? Ha!
Books/Supplies: $50
Online Ground School: Free
Written: $150
DPE: $400

Total: $2,300
 
Got my private in 1969 under GI bill . Can't remember the total cost .
 
LDJones said:
My son got off cheap...

Airplane: free (but paid for rebuilt vac pump, $200, and used AI, $250)
Fuel: 250 gal @ $5 for $1,250 (estimated...50 hrs at 5 gph)
Instructor: Pay Dad? Ha!
Books/Supplies: $50
Online Ground School: Free
Written: $150
DPE: $400

Total: $2,300
Click to expand...

Can you adopt me before I get my IR? :D
 
Looks like I was at about $8,125 w/ 75TT (includes about 25 hours in a cub and 50 in a 180HP 172). I probably could have done it a bit sooner but took some time off and had to get back in the swing of things. All-in, including headset, books, exam fees, etc. was probably close to, but south of, $10k

Incidentally, I also get asked this question all the time, and my answer is a little different. Everyone knows flying is expensive, and I really didn't think too much about the cost while I was paying the bills. What surprised me most was the considerable time investment!
 
Truth. I'm sitting around bored now that I don't have to study. I've kept all my books and I've made it a plan to study some subject at least once a week for an hour, minimum. Keeps my brain fresh and when that biannual comes, I won't look like I forgot everything:)
 
I finished in 48 hours and I'm pretty sure I kept it right around $6k last October. Haven't added it all up and don't want too.
 
FredFenster said:
Plan that first $100 burger run? :D
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Already planned, waiting for a good weather weekend. Gonna fly dad from KMSN to KLNR for breakfast or lunch. He has his PPL but he isn't current and hasn't flown for 6-7 years.
 
I was right at about 10k including everything - books, bag, headset, charts, examination, medical. Seems about average.

Saw earlier in the post $5k for instrument rating. I wonder if that's what I would expect. I was thinking it would be more.
 
71 hours; cost about $9000 over 9 months in a C-152. Trained during an Oregon winter, so plenty of weather delays.
 
dperez said:
Saw earlier in the post $5k for instrument rating. I wonder if that's what I would expect. I was thinking it would be more.
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it should be from 5k to about 7k, plus you also need to get 50 hrs pic x country on top of those prices. to reduce costs, take advantage of a simulator at your flight school if they have one. i did about 15 hrs of my instrument training in one and it helped a lot
 
momalley said:
Agreed.....My first hamburger run will probably be to either Sky Acres or Sky Manor
Click to expand...

Never been to sky manor but sky acres is a great place for a 100 hamburger. Just make sure you got Wednesday- Sunday as they are closed on Monday and Tuesday. Also best to go on a calm wind day. It's a wide enough runway but I'd not want to be flying in there on a tough day, lots of cliffs on 3 sides of the runway!
 
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