What American Flight Schools costs

Accelerated academy · 2 states · Checked October 24, 2026

A full-time, integrated career program sold at a fixed price, not an hourly rate. Every figure below is American Flight Schools's own published price, with the source and the date we read it, and it is the same at every campus. This is the published sticker, not a personalized quote.

Website americanflightschools.com

Program price

Published program price

$79.9K

Flight Level 1

Minimum hours

Assumes the program's planned hours. Most students fly over the minimums, and the extra flight time is billed separately.

Every figure is published as a cost estimate based on the FAA minimum flight hours for each rating, and the program is priced against Part 61 minimums. Most students fly more than the minimums, so expect to pay above these numbers.

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 American Flight Schools.

The programs, with sources

Flight Level 1: $79,900; PPL · IR · CPL · CFI; October 24, 2026Source; An estimate built on FAA Part 61 minimum hours: flight or instructor time beyond the program minimums is billed at current rates. Knowledge test fees and initial examiner fees are stated to be inside the price. The page does not say whether the medical or supplies are.; Stratus Financial is named as the finance partner.; Private, Instrument, single-engine Commercial and the CFI. Roughly 12 to 18 months for a student training consistently. Students who already hold a Private may qualify for reduced pricing, which the school no longer quantifies.
Flight Level 2 (adds multi-engine Commercial): $89,900; PPL · IR · CPL · Multi · CFI; October 24, 2026Source; The same estimate basis as Level 1. Adds the multi-engine Commercial rating; the school no longer publishes the hours behind it.
Flight Level 3 (adds CFII): $92,900; PPL · IR · CPL · Multi · CFI · CFII; October 24, 2026Source; The same estimate basis. Adds the CFII on top of Level 2; the school no longer publishes the hours behind it.
Flight Level 4 (adds MEI): $99,900; PPL · IR · CPL · Multi · CFI · CFII · MEI; October 24, 2026Source; The same estimate basis. Adds the MEI on top of Level 3; the school no longer publishes the hours behind it.

Where it trains

American Flight Schools trains in 2 states, at 5 campuses it lists on its own site. The published price is the same at each; living costs are not. Each state has its own page with the campuses in it.

American Flight Schools in CaliforniaLivermore (LVK) · San Jose (RHV)
American Flight Schools in ColoradoEnglewood (APA) · Broomfield (BJC) · Watkins (CFO)

Paying for it

Two ways to cover $79,900.

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 forTop awards reach $22,200. Every dollar won is a dollar you never finance.: 45
Money you pay backLenders that cover $79,900Four 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

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Questions

How much does American Flight Schools cost?

American Flight Schools publishes $79,900 for its Flight Level 1, as listed on the academy's own pricing page (October 24, 2026). It publishes 4 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 American Flight Schools's program price?

American Flight Schools's published programs cover Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Flight Instructor, Multi-Engine (AMEL), Instrument Instructor and Multi-Engine Instructor. On what it excludes, the academy states: An estimate built on FAA Part 61 minimum hours: flight or instructor time beyond the program minimums is billed at current rates. Knowledge test fees and initial examiner fees are stated to be inside the price. The page does not say whether the medical or supplies are.

What happens if you need more hours than American Flight Schools's program includes?

Assumes the program's planned hours. Most students fly over the minimums, and the extra flight time is billed separately. Every figure is published as a cost estimate based on the FAA minimum flight hours for each rating, and the program is priced against Part 61 minimums. Most students fly more than the minimums, so expect to pay above these numbers. 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 American Flight Schools 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 American Flight Schools train?

American Flight Schools trains in 2 states: California and Colorado. Its own location list names 5 campuses, and each state has its own page here with the campuses in it. The published program price is national and does not change by campus, though living costs do.

Sources

Figures are American Flight Schools'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. 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 American Flight Schools. Disclaimer & removal policy.

Primary sources: americanflightschools.com· americanflightschools.com

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