Accelerated academy · California · Checked August 19, 2026
What American Flight Schools costs in California
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. This is the published sticker, not a personalized quote.
Website americanflightschools.com
American Flight Schools campuses in California
Livermore (LVK) · San Jose (RHV)
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
PPL · IR · CPL · CFI · 250 hrs
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.
PPL · IR · CPL · Multi · CFI
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.
PPL · IR · CPL · Multi · CFI · CFII
The same estimate basis. The CFII is quoted at 10 hours of dual on top of Level 2.
PPL · IR · CPL · Multi · CFI · CFII · MEI
The same estimate basis. The MEI is quoted at 15 hours PIC, 10 dual and 10 ground on top of Level 3.
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Compare the pathsCommon questions about American Flight Schools
- 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 in California?
- American Flight Schools lists 2 campuses in California: Livermore (LVK) and San Jose (RHV). The published program price is national and does not change by campus, though living costs do.
Other academies in California
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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 (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 American Flight Schools. Disclaimer & removal policy.
Primary sources: americanflightschools.com·americanflightschools.com·americanflightschools.com