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One of the first questions many people ask is "What does it cost to
learn to fly?"
Another good question is "What is it worth to you to learn to fly
safely"?
New Private Pilot
Cost Information
What Does it Cost to Fly?
According to Len Morgan, in a column he wrote years ago in Flying
magazine, the answer to that question is
"Everything you've got. And it's worth every penny!"
How can that be? Well, if you only have a little money, you fly older, two
seat taildraggers. More money, and you'll fly high performance 6-place
single or twin-engine planes. Lots of money, and you'll fly a private
jet.
But the issue is not what it costs, but what it's worth to you. Pilots
sometimes try to justify their flying based on how practical it is, or how it
saves them time or money. While it may do that in some cases, most people justify
the cost of flying the way they do any other
sport, hobby, or pleasurable activity--because it's fun!
Private Pilot Training
It shouldn't surprise you that the cost of flying has gone up as the prices of aviation fuel have risen over the last few years. Currently, we're teaching people to fly in the latest glass cockpit aircraft, such as the G1000-equipped Cessna C172, which rents for approximately $150/hour, and the Cirrus SR20 and SR22. Instructor fees are additional. You should plna to budget a minimum of $10,000 for flight training, when you include ground school, books and other materials, and examiner fees. Beware of lower estimates that may be based upon training the minimum 40 hours (whereas the average is 60-70 hours) or for low cost areas outside the San Francisco Bay area. If you're very cost sensitive, you may want to find a school that teach in older Cessna 152 and 172 aircraft that rent at a lower rate.
The best way to minimize the cost is to fly twice a week or more,
particularly in the early part of your training. If you fly less than once
a week, you'll need more hours of training. Also, you can make your
training more productive if your instructor tape records your lesson (we do!) and
you review at home. Taking a ground
school class can also be very productive.
Learning to fly should
be fun. If
you're worried that you don't have enough money, you may be better off waiting
until you have the funds set aside to complete your training.
Other common questions are what's required to get
a pilots license, are small airplanes safe, how do
I find an instructor, what books
should I buy, and where
can I go when I have my license? If you'd like us to email you our free
2-page "Tips
for getting a Private Pilot's License," fill out our contact
form now.
If
your goal is to become a safe pilot with quality training from one of only three
Master CFI's in the Bay Area, at a reasonable
cost we may have a match.
Start living the dream; Learn to fly now!Or email
us now.
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Online Training for the Garmin G1000! Take VFR and IFR G1000
courses now over the internet on your computer. Only $59 per course! Learn
more or take the
course now.

Or, for only $34.95, order Max Trescott's G1000 Glass
Cockpit Handbook
Start studying for your Private Pilots License.
Order your books now!
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