So You Want Go Be A Professional Pilot? It Will Cost You!
Posted by Jeffrey on November 28th, 2008
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When I was a new hire with SkyWest, I heard a funny story. For some reason, some of the pilots went over to where the flight attendants attend ground school. Maybe they were going over there to use their microwave, I don’t know. Anyway, when they came back they told us about a conversion they had just had with some flight attendants. The flight attendants and pilots were talking about how long their ground schools were. The flight attendants ground school is three weeks long. The pilots ground school is six weeks long. One flight attendant spoke up and said, “You mean, just three more weeks and I could have been a pilot?” I don’t think so!
For those of you who have been through any sort of flight training, you will probably get a chuckle out of that statement. I know every time I tell the story or think about it, I do. I chuckle because it is almost impossible to explain to the lay person exactly how you got to be a first officer at a regional airline much less how you became a pilot in the first place. Furthermore, it’s fairly difficult to explain what you are going to still be going through for the next couple weeks AFTER you finish ground school.
If you would like to follow the steps of someone just learning to fly, consider following: MyFlightBlog.com. Todd is doing a great job working towards his Private Pilot rating. I always stop by for a read.
Now when I started flying, way, way, way back when I was 15 years old, I would work for my Dad during the weekend installing kitchen cabinets. He would pay me for my work and I would take the money and fly…literally. On my sixteenth birthday I soloed an airplane even before I had my driver’s license. Now, there is more to the story about me, but you can check it out on my About page if you are interested.
If you read my About page, you’ll notice there were huge gaps in my flying. I never got my Private Pilot until I was almost 22 years old. And I never REALLY made it a career choice until I was 35 years old. And all this time, along the path to becoming an airline pilot, I NEVER kept track of the money I was spending. EVER! All I worried about were the hours. Even when I was working on my advanced ratings: multi-engine, commercial, and instrument, I still didn’t worry about what I was spending…and this is bad! I was literally focusing on the hours that I needed…and found the money to pay for it. I still have no clue how much I spent over the entire process, but it was a lot of money!
In 1999, when I finally had the money to shift careers and pursue flying professionally, I had saved up a lot of money from working overseas, and coupled with my GI Bill, I could pay for my flight training without taking out any loans. My GI Bill dried up just about the time I was working on my multi-engine flight instructor rating (MEI) but by then I was on my way.
How Much Is It Going to Cost?
So what is it REALLY going to cost you to become a professional pilot, flying for a regional airlines? Well assuming you already have your Private Pilot certificate, I’ve compiled some numbers that I think will be interesting. Now mind you these are not exact figures. Depending on whether you decide to go to an organized Part 141 school like FlightSafety Academy (not recommended) in Vero Beach, Florida, or your local flight school, the total cost could possibly be much higher. Again, what I’ve provided is just a guide.
Instrument Rating in a Single-Engine Airplane:
20 hours of airplane rental @ $100/hr. = $2,000
20 hours of simulator rental at $45/hr. = $900
40 hours of dual instruction @ $35/hr. = $1,400
Written exam fee = $50
Designated examiner fee for checkride = $175
ASA Pilot’s Manual – Instrument Flying = $59.95
Additional ground school materials = $200
Total Cost = $4,784.95
Commercial Rating in a Single-Engine Airplane:
20 hours of airplane rental @ $125/hr. = $2,500
20 hours of dual instruction @ $35/hr. = $700
Second-class medical = $75 (if you plan to fly for compensation or hire)
Written exam fee = $50
Designated examiner fee for checkride = $175
ASA Pilot’s Manual for Private and Commercial Certificates = $49.95
Additional material = $200
Total Cost = $3,749.95
5 hours simulator time @ 45/hr. = $225
15 hours of dual instruction @ $35/hr. = $525
Designated examiner fee for checkride = $175
Books for the multi-engine rating = $35
Total Cost = $2,760
Note: When you do your Multi-Engine Commercial checkride, consider adding instrument privileges to this certificate. You will do two approaches: one with both engines and one in simulated single-engine conditions. I recommend doing two ILS’s.
Primary Certificated Flight Instructor (CFI) Certificate:
15 hours of airplane rental @ $125/hr. = $1,875
60 hours of dual instruction @ $35/hr. = $2,100
Written exam fees = $100
Checkride given by FAA (not designated examiner) = Fre.e
ASA Certified Flight Instructor Prepware = $49.95
Additional material = $100
Total Cost = $4,225
Instrument Flight Instructor Certificate (CFI-I)
10 hours of airplane rental @ $100/hr. = $1,000
20 hours of dual instruction @ $35/hr. = $700
Written exam fees = $50
Designated examiner fee for checkride = $175
Books for the CFI rating = $100
Additional material = $100
Total Cost = $2,125
Multi-Engine Instructor (MEI) Rating:
5 hours of airplane rental @ $180/hr. = $900
5 hours simulator time @ 45/hr. = $225
10 hours of dual instruction @ $35/hr. = $350
Designated Examiner fee for checkride = $175
ASA – The Complete Multi-Engine Pilot = $19.50
Total Cost = $1,670
So, have you been keeping track of the total cost?
Well, if you add it all up, you are looking at around $19,000!
That’s a lot of money, isn’t it?
And remember, this is just a very rough estimate. How much you fly also factors in to how much you pay because if you have huge gaps in your flying, you are going to find that the minimum number of hours are not enough because you have to repeat lessons, etc. There are a ton of other variables to consider as well.
Think about his too. If you opt for an established, Part 141 school like FlightSafety Academy or Aviator, Inc., you could spend between $35,000 to $45,000 for your training. Almost double what it would cost to go to a Part 61 school.
So, are you still interested? If you are like me, you are! Now you will just have to find a way to pay for it. And like they say, “Where there is a will, there is a way!”
Soon, I’ll give a few suggestions on how to pay for your flight training. Or if you can’t wait, for a Special Report, visit “Fund Your Flying” here.
To Your Flying Success…
Jeffrey
Here are a few links you might enjoy:
- Focusing on Your Dream (http://flycrj.com/2008/10/20/focusing-on-your-dream/)
- How to Advance Your Flying Career
- Official FAA Pilot License Training Kits
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