Dan’s Pilot Times

I started taking flying lessons almost 2 years ago to the day.  I’ll be celebrating my two-year anniversary of having my pilot’s license this September (hard to believe it’s been almost two years).  Anyway, since the beginning of my journey, people always ask how much it costs to fly.  I posted originally on this topic in January 2009 – post linked here.  Since that was over a year ago, and my flying habits have changed a bit since then, I figure it’s time for an update.

As I’ve mentioned plenty of times, I’m a member of a non-profit flying club (the Westosha Flying Club to be exact).  My club owns six planes, any of which members can use/rent.  I still pay $55 per month in dues, just for the privilege of membership and to compensate for the fixed costs of running/maintaining the club.  Above that, I pay an hourly “wet” rate to rent the planes, which now ranges from $59/hour for Cessna 152’s up to $86/hour for Cessna 172-SP’s (172P’s are $74/hour).  The term “wet” means that gasoline is included in the hourly rate (I never have to pay extra for gas).  The hourly rate also only applies to actual flying time (when the engine is turned on, as measured by the “Hobbs Meter”).  In other words, if you fly somewhere for dinner and it only takes 30 minutes each way, you only pay for an hour of flight time total – even if you spent lets say 2 hours at lunch.  The club’s flight rates have increased slightly over these past two years, to cover increasing gasoline and maintenance costs.  Overall, though, I know the rates I pay are still some of the best in the country.  They truly keep costs just enough to not lose money (and not profit either).

I continue to track my average cost per hour since I started, and when you add in the monthly fees I am currently averaging $84/hour to fly when all is said and done.  That’s a marked increase from my last update ($66/hour)…mostly because I’m now flying the nice 4-seater planes almost exclusively (since I take passengers on flights now).  Obviously cost is very dependent on the planes you fly.  Most flying clubs do publish their rates, so it would be fairly easy to figure out what it would cost to fly in any particular area.

If people have updates on their cost of flying, I’d love to hear it!

As I’m nearing the end of my initial training journey, I figured I’d take a look back at what this whole endeavor is costing me.  Plus, all my friends and family keep asking: “How much does it cost to learn to fly?”  Well, here’s my answer!  Granted, I haven’t taken the test yet, so I’ve estimated the last few hours of flight training time (I hope I haven’t jinxed myself)…but here’s a solid picture of how much it cost me to learn to fly!

1. 44 total hours of plane time.  My flight club rental rates are VERY inexpensive and this is probably the most variable part of the equation for anyone figuring out how much it would cost them to fly.  But, in my case (and I’ve flown various planes in the club), the average cost per hour of flight time is $52/hour.  That includes fuel.  Total cost = $2,288.
2. 35 hours of instructor time.  That’s the ground instruction and time in the air with him.  He charges the fairly standard rate of $40/hr around Chicago.  Total cost = $1,400.
3. Pilot reference book, FAR/AIM, sectionals, E6B calculator, plotter, and study guide for written test.  Total cost = $90.
4. Headset.  Another huge variable cost, I bought a Flightcom 4DLX, a solid starter set.  You can check out my review here.  Obviously you can save costs here if you buy something used – I bought new.  Total cost = $120.

Grand Total = $3,898.

So, there you have it!  I figure I’m probably on the low end of full training costs, but if anyone knows there individual costs, put them below.