Accelerated academy · Alabama · Checked September 24, 2026
What Epic Flight Academy costs in Alabama
A full-time, integrated career program sold at a fixed price, not an hourly rate. Every figure below is Epic Flight Academy's own published price, with the source and the date we read it. This is the published sticker, not a personalized quote.
Website epicflightacademy.com
Epic campuses in Alabama
Tuscaloosa (TCL)
This page covers Epic's Alabama campuses. Epic Flight Academy at every location, with the national price →
Section 1Program price
Published program price
$118K
U.S. Airline Pilot Program (zero experience)
The academy does not publish how hours beyond the estimate are billed. Confirm before enrolling.
Epic's tuition is shown as an estimate that "varies with student performance," but Epic does not publish how hours beyond the estimate are billed. It publishes hourly aircraft rates separately (e.g. C172 with instructor about $378/hr). Confirm the overage policy with the school.
The academy's own published price. It does not reduce the 1,500-hour airline minimum (only a qualifying degree does). Prices change. Confirm current figures with Epic Flight Academy.
The programs, with sources
- U.S. Airline Pilot Program (zero experience)
- $118,467
- PPL · IR · CPL · Multi · CFI · CFII · MEI
- September 24, 2026Source
- Published cash tuition for the whole ladder: Private ($36,147), Instrument ($22,975), Commercial single-engine ($24,880.51), CFI ($11,155), CFII ($5,860), the Commercial multi-engine add-on ($5,786) and the MEI ($11,663). Epic itemises $11,518.85 of non-tuition expenses on top, including $8,200 of FAA check rides, $1,050 of written exams, books, the medical and online access, for $129,985.36 all in. Housing is not included.
- Part 141. Epic's own course sequence puts the CFII and the paid instructor job before the multi-engine add-on and the MEI, so this price covers training either side of a period of earning. Does not reduce the 1,500-hour airline minimum.
- U.S. Airline Pilot Program (starting with the Instrument course)
- $82,320
- IR · CPL · Multi · CFI · CFII · MEI
- September 24, 2026Source
- The zero-experience tuition less the $36,147 Private Pilot course. For students who already hold a Private certificate; training begins with the Instrument course. The same $11,518.85 of non-tuition expenses sits on top.
- U.S. Airline Pilot Program (starting with the Commercial course)
- $59,345
- CPL · Multi · CFI · CFII · MEI
- September 24, 2026Source
- The zero-experience tuition less the Private and Instrument courses. For students who already hold Private and Instrument; training begins with the Commercial course. The same $11,518.85 of non-tuition expenses sits on top.
Section 2Paying for it
Two ways to cover $118,467.
Win what you can first, then borrow only what is left. Neither figure assumes anything about you: one is what our scholarship directory holds, the other is what the lenders publish.
- Money you keepScholarships you could apply for51 open to anyone, plus 2 in Florida. Top awards reach $22,200.
- CFBAA Foundation ScholarshipAmount varies · Check dates
- James C. Ray Flight Training Scholarship (ACE)Amount varies · Polk County · Open · closes in 27 days
- 53
- Money you pay backLenders that cover $118,467Four of the six lenders in our comparison lend this much. That is whether a loan this size is on offer, not whether you would be approved.
- 4 of 6
Section 3Add to my plan
Turn this into a plan.
Turn this into a route to your checkride, with Epic's published price built in.
Add to planSection 4In the app
Track your training at Epic.
Enter the aircraft and instructor rates for your training at Epic Flight Academy when you set up PilotBound, and the app tracks every flight you log against the projection. On a fixed-price program, it shows what the hours you actually fly would cost by the hour, to set beside the package.

See how an academy stacks up against Part 61, Part 141, and a 2-year or 4-year degree.
Compare the pathsSection 5Questions
- How much does Epic Flight Academy cost?
- Epic Flight Academy publishes $118,467 for its U.S. Airline Pilot Program (zero experience), as listed on the academy's own pricing page (September 24, 2026). It publishes 3 tracks in total, priced by how much flight experience you start with. That is the published sticker for the program, not a personalized quote, and it is what the academy asks before the fees the sticker excludes.
- What is included in Epic Flight Academy's program price?
- Epic Flight Academy's published programs cover Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Multi-Engine (AMEL), Flight Instructor, Instrument Instructor and Multi-Engine Instructor. On what it excludes, the academy states: Published cash tuition for the whole ladder: Private ($36,147), Instrument ($22,975), Commercial single-engine ($24,880.51), CFI ($11,155), CFII ($5,860), the Commercial multi-engine add-on ($5,786) and the MEI ($11,663). Epic itemises $11,518.85 of non-tuition expenses on top, including $8,200 of FAA check rides, $1,050 of written exams, books, the medical and online access, for $129,985.36 all in. Housing is not included.
- What happens if you need more hours than Epic Flight Academy's program includes?
- The academy does not publish how hours beyond the estimate are billed. Confirm before enrolling. Epic's tuition is shown as an estimate that "varies with student performance," but Epic does not publish how hours beyond the estimate are billed. It publishes hourly aircraft rates separately (e.g. C172 with instructor about $378/hr). Confirm the overage policy with the school. This is the question worth asking hardest at any accelerated academy, because the published price and the price a student who flies over the plan actually pays are two different numbers.
- Does going to Epic Flight Academy lower the 1,500-hour airline requirement?
- No. An accelerated academy does not reduce the 1,500-hour ATP minimum. Only a qualifying aviation degree does, under 14 CFR 61.160, which lowers it to 1,000 hours for a bachelor's or 1,250 for an associate's. What an academy sells is speed and a fixed price to the commercial certificate and instructor ratings, not a shortcut to the airlines. Most graduates then instruct to build the remaining hours.
- Where does Epic Flight Academy train in Alabama?
- Epic Flight Academy lists one campus in Alabama: Tuscaloosa (TCL). The published program price is national and does not change by campus, though living costs do.
Section 6Sources
Figures are Epic Flight Academy's own published program prices, shown with the date we read them. They are not a personalized quote, and a student's actual cost will differ with location premiums, the fees the sticker excludes, and pace. Published prices generally assume the program's planned hours; flight training often runs over the FAA minimums, and how extra hours are billed varies by academy (some hold a truly fixed cost, others charge an hourly rate for additional time). Confirm the overage policy with the academy. An accelerated academy does not lower the 1,500-hour airline minimum; only a qualifying degree does, under 14 CFR 61.160. PilotBound is not affiliated with Epic Flight Academy. Disclaimer & removal policy.
Primary sources: epicflightacademy.com·epicflightacademy.com·epicflightacademy.com·epicflightacademy.com
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