Accelerated academy · 2 states · Checked August 19, 2026
What American Flight Schools costs
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
Section 1Program price
Published program price
$79.9K
Flight Level 1
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 · 250 hrs
- August 19, 2026Source
- An estimate built on FAA minimum hours, so hours beyond the minimums are extra. The packages page does not itemise what the price includes, and does not say whether written exams or examiner fees are inside it.
- Stratus Financial is named. The program requires the total cost prepaid in three instalments, the first before the start date.
- Private (50 hours flight, 40 instruction), Instrument (73 aircraft, 10 simulator, 30 instruction), single-engine Commercial with time-building to 250 total hours, and the CFI with up to 8 hours of flight time. Holding a Private already reduces the price by $10,000.
- Flight Level 2 (adds multi-engine Commercial)
- $89,900
- PPL · IR · CPL · Multi · CFI
- August 19, 2026Source
- The same estimate basis as Level 1. The multi-engine hours quoted are 10 dual, 3 simulator and 10 ground, on top of the Level 1 plan.
- Flight Level 3 (adds CFII)
- $92,900
- PPL · IR · CPL · Multi · CFI · CFII
- August 19, 2026Source
- The same estimate basis. The CFII is quoted at 10 hours of dual on top of Level 2.
- Flight Level 4 (adds MEI)
- $99,900
- PPL · IR · CPL · Multi · CFI · CFII · MEI
- August 19, 2026Source
- The same estimate basis. The MEI is quoted at 15 hours PIC, 10 dual and 10 ground on top of Level 3.
Section 2Where 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)
Section 3Paying 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.
- 46
- 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
Section 4Add to my plan
Turn this into a plan.
Turn this into a route to your checkride, with American Flight Schools's published price built in.
Add to planSee 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 American Flight Schools cost?
- American Flight Schools publishes $79,900 for its Flight Level 1, as listed on the academy's own pricing page (August 19, 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. The headline track plans for about 250 flight hours. On what it excludes, the academy states: An estimate built on FAA minimum hours, so hours beyond the minimums are extra. The packages page does not itemise what the price includes, and does not say whether written exams or examiner fees are inside it.
- 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.
Section 6Sources
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·americanflightschools.com
Other academies with campuses in more than one state
- Academy of Aviation · 5 states
- AeroGuard Flight Training Center · 2 states
- American Flyers · 4 states
- ATP Flight School · 34 states
- Blue Line Aviation · 2 states
- Coast Flight Training · 2 states
- CTI Professional Flight Training · 2 states
- Epic Flight Academy · 2 states
- Fly Accelerated · 2 states
- flyGATEWAY Aviation Institute · 2 states
- Hawkins Flight Academy · 2 states
- Infinity Flight Group · 3 states
- Jet Access Flight Training · 4 states
- LIFT Academy (Republic Airways) · 4 states
- Ocean Aviation Flight Academy · 2 states
- Orange County Flight Center · 2 states
- Short Final Aviation · 2 states
- Silverhawk Aviation Academy · 2 states
- Thrust Flight · 2 states
- U.S. Flight Academy · 2 states
- US Aviation Academy · 6 states
All flight academies by stateAll academy prices, cheapest first
Plan the money before you commit
A program price only makes sense next to what each rating costs on its own, what free money exists, and what borrowing actually looks like.
What each rating costs
Honest per-rating ranges, with the fees most quotes leave out.
Free money first
Verified flight training scholarships. Every scholarship dollar is a dollar you never finance.
If you borrow
Compare lenders and see the real monthly payment before you sign.