Books, Charts & Tests

• A number of aeronautical and flight training books and manuals will be required along with various sectional and regional charts. Books and charts cost approximately $250.
  
  In addition, student pilots must pass an FAA written exam costing approximately $100 and do a check ride with a FAA examiner costing approximately $300.
  
  

Equipment & Gear

• Student pilots will need a manual or electronic flight computer, a plotter, a kneeboard to hold charts, checklists and a notepad during flights, a flashlight for night flights, some form of headset and a flight bag to hold everything. Cost, mostly depending on the type of headset purchased, will range between $150 to $1000.
  
  

Aircraft Rental

• A student pilot (based on their comfort and budget) and their Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) will decide which airplane is best for training. Aircraft rental will range between $75 per hour for a two-seat Cessna 152 to $150 per hour for a four-seat Cessna 182 with GPS and a 230HP engine.
  
  

Flight & Ground Instruction

• CFI flight instruction for both ground and flight runs between $40 and $75 per hour, depending on the experience of the instructor.
  
  

FAA Medical Exam

• In order to solo, student pilots need, at a minimum, a Third Class Medical Certificate from an FAA-designated Aviation Medical Examiner. The cost runs between $75 and $150.
  
  

Total Cost

• A student who finishes her training with the FAA minimum of 40 flight hours will pay approximately $6,000 while a student who finishes his training closer to the national average of 75 hours will pay approximately $10,500.