Flight Instruction Price- is it steep or halfway decent?

JWages

New Member
I called my local airport today and they said flight instruction is $91/hr with the instructor, then once you start soloing its $55/hr.

I figured instruction would be a one time payment, not by the hour.
 
I called my local airport today and they said flight instruction is $91/hr with the instructor, then once you start soloing its $55/hr.

I figured instruction would be a one time payment, not by the hour.

What type plane? That makes a little difference, but no matter what it is $55 solo and $91 for plane and instructor is CHEAP....
 
I called my local airport today and they said flight instruction is $91/hr with the instructor, then once you start soloing its $55/hr.

I figured instruction would be a one time payment, not by the hour.

$91 per hour with instructor is less than I pay for just the plane, so yes, that is cheap. All FBO's around me charge $45-$50 an hour just for the instructor, $100 minimum for the plane.
 
I called my local airport today and they said flight instruction is $91/hr with the instructor, then once you start soloing its $55/hr.

I figured instruction would be a one time payment, not by the hour.

If you can guarantee me the number of hours it'll take for a student to meet the standards, I'll guarantee them a flat rate. Unfortunately there's no real way to tell how long it might take any one student to "get it." That's the flight instructors job - to figure out what needs to be said, done, and demonstrated to a student to get inside their heads. Sometimes it happens rather easily, sometimes it might take considerably longer. I for one took what felt like forever to solo, but once I got that down, the rest came easily.

91 per hour is a bit steep, but that sort of depends on your areas of the country. It's worth asking multiple flight schools what the going rates are.

Best of luck!

LC
 
.

91 per hour is a bit steep, but that sort of depends on your areas of the country.

LC

Where do you fly? NOWHERE in the Houston area can you get a plane and an instructor for less than $91. And if that is steep were you fly let us know where that is!!
 
I was paying $88 an hour for instructor and plane more than 5 years ago in a place WAY smaller than CAK. I think $91 is a good deal.
 
If you can guarantee me the number of hours it'll take for a student to meet the standards, I'll guarantee them a flat rate. Unfortunately there's no real way to tell how long it might take any one student to "get it." That's the flight instructors job - to figure out what needs to be said, done, and demonstrated to a student to get inside their heads. Sometimes it happens rather easily, sometimes it might take considerably longer. I for one took what felt like forever to solo, but once I got that down, the rest came easily.

91 per hour is a bit steep, but that sort of depends on your areas of the country. It's worth asking multiple flight schools what the going rates are.

Best of luck!

LC

$91/hr breaks down as $55/hr for the plane and $36/hr for the instructor. Those are pre-2003 prices.
 
Great deal.
I pay $125/hr for the plane, $30 to 40/hr for my CFI.

....Then again, its only a great deal if the planes aren't going to kill you. Check the MX work.
 
To questions like that, and most aviation questions I am asked, I invariably answer "That all depends." Is that a wet price? Is insurance (hull/liability) included? What is the level of mx on the plane? IMHO, all things being equal and in an FBO environment, that is a pretty good price.
 
Alright, I'll look into it a little farther. I'm still a complete noob at this, so is it as simple as signing up for the instruction?
 
Alright, I'll look into it a little farther. I'm still a complete noob at this, so is it as simple as signing up for the instruction?

Yes and no. When you are ready, all you have to do is sign up and fly. However, I would take time to research other flight schools in your area. Talk to locals, talk to the instructors, talk to students, and search online for reviews. Price is only one aspect of the decision.
 
Down here the going rate is $115 and $35 for primary instruction. You might want to look into taking an introductory flight with the flight school to see if it's for you and if you enjoy it. After that, if you decide to step forward with training, they can give you all the details about the process.

Just another factor to consider is that there's also required ground instruction, which can be done as a either a class, or individually with your instructor. The class is a nice way to go because the information is structured and uniformly delivered with a single up front cost, but the advantage of your instructor is the individualized attention even though you have to pay by the hour.

As far as other details, you'll need to pass a medical exam and then eventually both a written exam and a practical flight exam.
 
Im a little confused. So its $91 an hour for the plane and CFI?

When you call the schools, ask these questions:

What type of aircraft?
How much each type?
Is that wet or dry?
How much for instruction towards private pilot?

I have a feeling those prices are dry, or maybe even part of a club. $55 an hour is an insanely cheap price.

And just because you are new and may not know whats up. Wet means the price includes fuel. Even if you go to another field and fill it up, the school will take your total, and then deduct the cost of fuel that you paid. Dry means that you have to fill it up and pay for it, but no refund because its a dry rate.

A club rate means you pay a lump sum towards the club, then get a cheaper rate. I have never been in a club personally so I dont know exactly how all that works.
 
Where I live 91/hr with and instructor is not insanely cheap.....it's unheard-of cheap.
 
Lol well, as for the type, I'm sure they are just some sort of Cessna. I'm going to be a little set-back because as cheap as you say $91/hr is, I don't have that kind of money.


About how many hours does it take until you can solo?
 
A club rate means you pay a lump sum towards the club, then get a cheaper rate. I have never been in a club personally so I dont know exactly how all that works.

The club I'm in costs $30/month in dues. It's one of the biggest clubs in the country -if not the biggest - with around 800 members. Tons of planes, reasonably priced (172 is around $90/hr wet), and mx is top notch! Professionally run with a great scheduling system and electronic payment.

$91/hr with an instructor is...well... wow! Almost sounds too good to be true.
 
Back at my old stomping grounds with a decent 150 and instructor you can still pay less than 100/hr. Even a 2001 172 with instructor goes for a little over 100... It's a state school though. I'm sure that's hard to find at an FBO.:dunno:
 
Back
Top