I've
had a ball!
Chuck Yeager (famous aviation pioneer)
describing his 30-year Air Force career
What Does All This Cost?
It is not possible to give a set price on such things so we will try to give
you an idea of cost.
Many schools advertise the minimum training required to get your license. Since
virtually no one ever does it in the minimum time it would be deceptive to give you a
price that would not apply to you. We will be honest with you and instead of giving you
the minimum cost we will give you the average costs. This might cause us to look more
expensive than other schools but it will come out the same. The only difference is that we
are giving you the real costs. See below as to how you pay.
Private Pilot:
The minimum is 40 hours but the national average is about 65 hours. You will do about half
your time dual and half will be solo. You will also need to eventually get a medical
certificate, books, ground school, a written test and a checkride (your final test with an
FAA designated examiner). Most people will buy a headset ($149) although it is not
required. When you put all these together you will spend about $5,000 for your Private
Pilot certificate. The price will vary depending upon how easily you absorb the training,
if you have had any experience in a plane before or how often you take lessons.
Instrument Rating:
This is similar in time to the Private. Expect to pay about $5,000 for your Instrument
Rating.
How you pay:
Most lessons are paid for at the end of each lesson. Some people will put down a
chunk of money so they don't have to keep handling money each time they come in.
The amount of each lesson would then be deducted until you need to replenish the
account again. If you put down extra funds into your account and later change
your mind, or cannot continue, Via Air will refund any unused funds. Most
schools will keep those funds once deposited or make you sell the time on the
open market to someone else if you can find someone. We feel that until you
spend that money it is not ours and the only right thing to do is to refund
those funds. You do not lose the unused portion of your money. It's your money,
not ours, until you spend it. |