Flight training is expensive – there’s no way of getting around it. But if you’re willing to think outside the box and work hard, you can save a substantial amount of money and still achieve your goal of becoming a pilot. But first, a reality check how much it costs. The answer depends on your objective. The following estimates are for students flying with us at Holladay Aviation. If your goal is to just fly for fun with family and friends, then all you need is a private pilot certificate, and that’s going to run you about $20,000. If you want to take it to the next level and earn your instrument rating, which will let you fly through the clouds and in lower visibility, that will cost about another $20,000. If your goal is to earn a living as a pilot, then the next step is to earn your commercial pilot and flight instructor certificates, for about another $20,000. So the total cost to go from “zero to hero” with Holladay Aviation is about $60,000.

Now that you know how much all of this costs, let’s dive into ways that you can keep these costs as low as possible without sacrificing safety, quality or fun!

#1. Don’t get a loan to pay for flight training! Save up instead. 

Getting an educational loan of any kind is a gamble like putting a stack of Benjamins on the roulette wheel in Vegas. Why? Because there is no guarantee that you’ll walk away from the experience with anything other than a lighter wallet. Questions you need to ask yourself before you sign up for a loan include: How will you repay the loan if you don’t get a flying job after you complete the program? What happens to the loan if you can’t complete the training program? What if you change your mind halfway through the program? 

One of the largest providers of flight training loans in the U.S. is Sallie Mae. They used to be a government sponsored college loan program, but became a private lender in 2014. Still, Sallie Mae generally only works with Part 141 flight schools, where you will generally spend lots more earning your certificates than if you train under Part 61. If you’ve never heard of Part 141 or have questions about the differences between a Part 61 and a Part 141 flight school, you may want to check out the blog post I wrote on the subject, it’s a real eye opener. 

Private aviation loans like those offered through companies like AOPA Finance, Stratus Financial or Meritize typically have high interest rates that are similar to credit cards. If you’re unable to find a job after earning your flight instructor certificate, you’ll have a really hard time paying back that loan and building the flight time you’ll need to qualify for a more lucrative airline job. Like I said, educational loans are a huge gamble.

A more conservative, fiscally smart choice is to save up the money for flight training and keep working while you train. Personally, I worked full-time throughout all of my training, which spanned nearly 4 years, from my first lesson in August 2001 through my initial flight instructor practical test in May 2005. I was extremely lucky to have had some first-class mentors and instructors during that time and beyond, who not only taught me how to be a safe pilot and instructor but how to be a savvy businesswoman. I met all of these people at my home airport through several based flying clubs. More on the amazing benefits of flying clubs soon. 

There are lots of ways to sock away cash quickly for large life purchases including a flight training program:

  • If your lifestyle permits, consider renting out a bedroom in your apartment or house to reduce your monthly housing costs.
  • Stop eating out all the time. Cook your own meals at home and pack a lunch.
  • Quit drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes. This one should be a financial no-brainer, and will also improve your health. 
  • Make your own coffee at home instead of buying it at Starbucks or another fast food chain.
  • Sell your car or truck and buy a less expensive vehicle, like a motorcycle or scooter. Or, consider not having a vehicle at all and using Uber or Lyft if you don’t need a car that often anyway. 
  • Pay for everything you can with a credit card that offers cash rewards on your purchases, and of course, pay that credit card balance in full each month. 
  • Put your flight training savings money in an interest-bearing savings account. (show savings calculator)

In just 2 years almost anyone with a full time job can save enough money to earn a private pilot certificate. We tell our customers to budget $60K for a zero to CFI program with us, and we recommend saving at least one-third of that, or $20K, before you begin training. That should pay for your private pilot certificate. Then, we recommend continuing to work your full-time job to replenish your training fund.

As a side bonus of staying debt free, the self discipline, attention to detail and patience that you practice to save the money for flight training will pay dividends when you are learning to act as Pilot In Command.

#2. Join a flying club. 

A flying club is typically structured as a not-for-profit organization whose members collectively own one more aircraft for the purpose of sharing their mutual enjoyment of flying. One of the greatest benefits of joining a flying club is that everyone in the organization has a vested interest in the club’s success and safety. As a result, a well run flying club can offer better quality aircraft for lower rates than a typical flight school. Look for an established club with well maintained aircraft and a built-in team of seasoned member-instructors who are willing to teach students from private all the way through CFI. I was extremely lucky to have been a member of not just one but 3 amazing flying clubs during the course of my flight training. I felt like I had 50 brothers, uncles and grandfathers who all truly cared about me and wanted to see me succeed. We went on all kinds of fun flying trips together and hung out during club meetings and hangar parties. It truly felt like a family. Dana was also a member of a flying club during his flight training and, like me, went on to be an instructor for his club. Our shared history as flying club members and instructors definitely influenced the development and growth of Holladay Aviation. Even though we’re a for-profit business and not a flying club, we’ve managed to maintain the same core values as a club, and we’re very proud of that.

#3. Purchase an airplane (or a share of one) and hire a CFI to train you in it. 

I know I just advised against getting a loan to pay for training, but borrowing money to purchase an aircraft can be a smart financial move, for the right person. An airplane is an appreciating fixed asset, like a house, so banks are more willing to lend money for this purchase than for a private education loan. Banks can’t repossess your brain and your logbook if you go into default on a flight training loan, but they can repossess your airplane, so it’s a safer bet for the bank. There are also more options for loans and also more options for shopping for a better rate, especially if you have decent credit. 

Let’s say your goal is to go from “zero to hero” in 12 months. You could purchase a four-seat, IFR-capable, single-engine airplane with a low to mid-time engine for about $100,000. In today’s economy and aircraft market, that price won’t get you a best-in-show hangar queen with perfect paint and interior like it would have just a few years ago, but it should get you a solid, reliable cross country airplane with a decent IFR instrument panel including a WAAS GPS. Mid-time describes where the airplane’s engine is in its TBO, or time before overhaul cycle. The manufacturers of most GA aircraft engines (Lycoming and Continental) recommend overhauling the engine after about 2,000 hours, so if you purchase an airplane with about 1,000 hours on the engine, and you only plan to put about 250 hours on it (the time it’ll take you to get your CFI certificate), it’ll still be considered mid-time if you sell it after your training is completed. Assuming you take good care of it while you own and fly it, you can reasonably expect to sell the airplane for about what you paid for it at the end of your training journey. 

This means that in 12 months you’ll only have paid for fuel, oil, insurance and storage. Then, you hire a CFI (or multiple CFIs) to work with you in this aircraft to earn your private pilot certificate, instrument rating, commercial and flight instructor certificates and voila! You’re ready to start working as a CFI either in this airplane that you now own, or you get a job working for someone else and either keep the airplane, or sell it. 

Another option is to find another pilot to purchase the airplane with you as an equal partner, or find an existing aircraft owner looking for a partner. This will basically cut your ownership costs in half, but you’ll still be responsible for all of the upkeep and maintenance. Partnerships can be great if both partners agree on the terms and conditions and have compatible usage requirements, but they can also turn into a nightmare if let’s say one partner balks on addressing maintenance issues.

Let’s talk about maintenance. I can tell you from personal experience that big ticket items do happen, but they are generally predictable and the largest one, an engine overhaul, won’t be in the cards for you if you buy an airplane with a low to mid-time engine and take good care of it. Dana and I now have collectively owned 12 airplanes over the last 15 years and we’ve never had a surprise engine overhaul situation. And we run our airplanes hard. Engine overhauls are a complicated process and the subject of another video, but the bottom line is you can expect to spend about $20-40K for a replacement engine for a single-engine training airplane. We just put down a deposit for a replacement engine for one of our Cessna 172s, and have been planning for that all along. 

However, over the years we’ve had some four-digit surprises like a couple of cracked engine cases, blown cylinders, and smaller stuff like batteries, alternators and tires. It’s a good idea to stash a few thousand dollars in the bank for unexpected maintenance expenses. 

A word of caution to my fellow flight instructors: If a customer approaches you with this scenario, wherein the customer owns the airplane and asks you to train him or her in it, there are several factors for you to consider before you say yes. If you’re the student owner, keep these factors in mind also when approaching a flight instructor with your proposal.

  1. Make sure the aircraft was inspected by a reputable mechanic and that all discrepancies have been addressed. Carefully review the maintenance logs. If there is anything sketchy in the logs or visibly wrong with the airplane, don’t fly it until you are satisfied.
  2. Make sure you are able to be insured in that aircraft. Most CFIs of any experience level will have no problem being added as a named insured or meeting the open pilot policy requirements for something like a Cessna 172 or a Piper Cherokee, but if the aircraft is considered high performance or has retractable gear, you may need to log additional PIC time or even get additional training in the airplane before you’re insurable. Some manufacturers also have their own brand-specific training programs that aviation insurance companies abide by, for example Cirrus Aircraft.
  3. If you’re an independent flight instructor working for yourself, consider purchasing personal liability insurance.
  4. If you’re currently employed by a flight school, make sure your employer is OK with you training a customer in their aircraft. Many flight schools are not OK with this scenario because they don’t want to take on the responsibility and risk of a staff member flying an aircraft they are not familiar with, and this is somewhat understandable. More selfishly, though, many flight schools won’t work with customers who want to use their own aircraft for training because the flight school doesn’t earn any rental revenue from that customer. Dana and I have not only always been OK with this scenario but offer it as an option to customers who are in a financial position to purchase an aircraft, because we know in the long run it will save them money! We do impose a $10/hour surcharge on our staff instructor rate when flying with customers in their own aircraft, but this is a relatively small additional expense for the customer.
  5. Use care when issuing solo endorsements to student pilots who own their aircraft. Make sure you develop a mutually respectful relationship with the student, such that the student understands the consequences if he or she oversteps the boundaries of their solo endorsement — like flying to airports they’re not authorized to land at, flying solo past the expiration date of their solo endorsement, or worse, flying with passengers, which is a direct violation of the regulations. Remember that a flight school that owns or leases the aircraft that students rent has physical control over the aircraft and who flies them, but when you’re working with a student who owns his aircraft, the CFI and or the flight school has no control over what the student does with his or her airplane. For example, you might consider limiting your endorsements to 30 days instead of 90 days, and requiring the student to fly with you once every 2 weeks to check in and maintain proficiency. A student pilot who owns his or her airplane is likely brand new to aviation and needs your guidance on all aspects of flying and aircraft ownership. If you’re not comfortable with this responsibility, or just get a bad vibe about the customer or the aircraft, don’t take the assignment.

#4. If you weigh more than 200 pounds and could stand to shed 20 or more pounds, make losing weight a priority. 

Why? You will be more likely to be able to train in a less expensive two-seat airplane like a Cessna 150 or 152, which have a substantially lower useful load than a four-seat Cessna 172. Over the course of a 250-hour commercial pilot program, you could save more than $10,000 renting our Cessna 150s or 152s instead of our Cessna 172s. To meet FAA experience requirements, you will have to fly a Technically Advanced Aircraft (TAA) like our Cessna 172 or Cessna 182 for at least 10 hours of your training, but that’s a small percentage of your total cost. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the average weight of a man in the United States is 199.8 pounds. More than 70 percent of all U.S. adults are considered overweight. So, we all clearly have some “wiggle room” here to save some money on flight training – and improve our health. This has had a significant direct impact on our business. We are fortunate that we’ve been able to hire and retain CFIs who are fit and trim and can easily fit in a Cessna 150 with students who weigh up to 200 pounds. Those students used to be able to do all of their private pilot training and take their check ride in the Cessna 150, because one of the DPEs working our area was the size of a Triple Crown jockey and only weighed about 150 pounds. Well, he retired about a year ago and our new go-to DPE, who is awesome, weighs 230 pounds and can’t fit in a Cessna 150 with many of our customers. So, students who train in the Cessna 150 have been forced to transition to the Cessna 172 after solo so they can meet weight and balance restrictions on their check ride. I’ve considered becoming a DPE for the sole reason that I weigh 120 pounds, but I honestly don’t have any interest in doing that job. Flying my Cub and making these videos is much more fun and professionally satisfying. But, if you’re a DPE and weigh less than 200 pounds and are willing to conduct check rides here in Jacksonville, Florida, I’d love to hear from you!

#5. Be diligent about studying and come to your flight lessons well prepared. 

I cannot emphasize this enough. You’ve probably heard the phrase “time is money” and this is especially true when it comes to flight training. When you are paying a flight instructor by the hour, your objective should be to spend as little time with him or her as possible. You will be more likely to achieve the objective of the lesson if you study the material thoroughly in advance. 

#6. Use a simulator throughout your training and fly with a safety pilot during instrument and commercial training. 

This one’s a no-brainer for the customer, but many instructors don’t use sims with their students because, you guessed it, the instructor doesn’t get to log any flight time during a sim lesson. The math is simple for you as a student. The FAA allows up to 10 hours of simulated instrument training to be logged using a Basic Aviation Training Device like our Elite PI-135, and up to 20 hours using an Advanced Aviation Training Device like a Redbird LD. We only charge $25 a session for students to use our BATD, so if you log one hour per session, the sim is only going to cost you $250 to rent, compared to 10 hours in a Cessna 172 for $1,700. 

Once you’ve learned instrument procedures with a CFII on the sim and in the airplane, you can then go out and fly with another private pilot acting as your safety pilot to log additional simulated instrument time toward the 40 hours you’ll need to qualify for the instrument rating. This can be a really fun way to practice IFR flying and learn valuable crew resource management skills. If you chose to exercise this option as a Holladay Aviation customer, you’d save $75/hour in instructor fees for every hour of simulated instrument time you log with a safety pilot. Do this for 10 hours and you just saved yourself $750!  

But before you hop in your airplane with a random private pilot and throw on the Foggles, there are several important things to consider. Download our FREE Safety Pilot Guide to learn more.

#7. Start preparing for your flight instructor check ride as soon as you earn your instrument rating. 

If your ultimate goal is to become a flight instructor, it makes absolutely no sense to wait until after you earn your commercial pilot certificate to start preparing for your flight instructor practical test. Aside from the knowledge tests, the only prerequisite to becoming a flight instructor is to be a commercial pilot. As soon as you earn your instrument rating, start practicing flying from the right seat and drafting lesson plans. Let’s face it, the commercial pilot requirements are a total joke.