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Accelerated academy · 2 states · Checked August 24, 2026

What Epic Flight Academy costs

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, and it is the same at every campus. This is the published sticker, not a personalized quote.

Website epicflightacademy.com

Two campuses: New Smyrna Beach, Florida and Tuscaloosa, Alabama. THE PRICES ABOVE ARE THE NEW SMYRNA BEACH ONES. Epic's cost breakdown is published for that campus only, and its Tuscaloosa page carries no figure at all, so confirm the price for Tuscaloosa before planning around it.

Section 1Program price

Published program price

$89.2K

U.S. Airline Pilot Program (zero experience)

Other tracks from $36K (see breakdown).

Not stated

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)
$89,235
PPL · IR · CPL · CFI
August 24, 2026Source
Published cash tuition for Private, Instrument, Commercial single-engine, and the initial CFI, per Epic's PDF cost breakdown. The Commercial Multi add-on ($5,786), CFII ($5,860), and MEI ($11,663) are separate courses not included in this price. Also excludes exams, examiner/checkride fees, supplies, and housing.
Part 141. The published $89,235 covers Private, Instrument, Commercial single-engine, and the initial CFI; the multi rating, CFII, and MEI are paid add-ons. About 12 months to flight instructor; the 1,500 hours for the airlines come after, by instructing (income, not program cost). Does not reduce the 1,500-hour airline minimum.
U.S. Airline Pilot Program (starting with the Instrument course)
$53,088
IR · CPL · CFI
August 24, 2026Source
Published tuition for Instrument, Commercial single-engine, and the initial CFI, per Epic's PDF cost breakdown. For students who already hold a Private certificate; training begins with the Instrument course. The Commercial Multi add-on, CFII, and MEI are separate courses not included in this price.
U.S. Airline Pilot Program (starting with the Commercial course)
$36,036
CPL · CFI
August 24, 2026Source
Published tuition for Commercial single-engine and the initial CFI, per Epic's PDF cost breakdown. For students who already hold Private and Instrument; training begins with the Commercial course. The Commercial Multi add-on, CFII, and MEI are separate courses not included in this price.

Section 2Where it trains

Epic trains in 2 states, at 2 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.

Section 3Paying for it

Two ways to cover $36,036.

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.
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Money you pay backLenders that cover $36,036Four 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.
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Section 4Add to my plan

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Section 5Questions

How much does Epic Flight Academy cost?
Epic Flight Academy publishes $89,235 for its U.S. Airline Pilot Program (zero experience), as listed on the academy's own pricing page (August 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 and Flight Instructor. The academy states about 12 months to finish. On what it excludes, the academy states: Published cash tuition for Private, Instrument, Commercial single-engine, and the initial CFI, per Epic's PDF cost breakdown. The Commercial Multi add-on ($5,786), CFII ($5,860), and MEI ($11,663) are separate courses not included in this price. Also excludes exams, examiner/checkride fees, supplies, and housing.
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?
Epic Flight Academy trains in 2 states: Alabama and Florida. Its own location list names 2 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 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. 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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