Accelerated academy · Des Moines, IA
What US Flight Co's program costs
A full-time, integrated career program sold at a fixed price, not an hourly rate. Every figure below is US Flight Co's own published price, with the source and the date we read it. This is the published sticker, not a personalized quote.
US Flight Co campuses in Iowa
Des Moines (DSM)
Published program price
$85K
Fast Track Airline Pilot Program (zero to MEI)
The academy does not publish how hours beyond the estimate are billed. Confirm before enrolling.
US Flight Co publishes the program as a fixed price and states unused hours are reimbursed, but it does not state how hours beyond the planned 295 are billed. Third-party testing fees are extra and can run up to about $10,000 for the full program per the school. Confirm the overage policy before enrolling.
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 US Flight Co.
Step 2 · Plan
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Add to planThe programs, with sources
Published fixed price before taxes and third-party testing fees (checkride and testing fees can total up to about $10,000). Covers 295 total flight hours (25 multi-engine), about 200 hours of one-on-one ground, and unlimited simulator, with books, materials, and equipment included except an iPad with ForeFlight. Unused hours are reimbursed.
Des Moines International Airport (DSM) academy, zero to MEI in as little as 9 months (up to 12 allowed). Does not reduce the 1,500-hour airline minimum.
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Compare the pathsCommon questions about US Flight Co
- How much does US Flight Co cost?
- US Flight Co publishes $84,995 for its Fast Track Airline Pilot Program (zero to MEI), as listed on the academy's own pricing page (July 2026). 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 US Flight Co's program price?
- US Flight Co's published programs cover Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Multi-Engine (AMEL), Flight Instructor, Instrument Instructor and Multi-Engine Instructor. The headline track plans for about 295 flight hours. The academy states about 9 months to finish. On what it excludes, the academy states: Published fixed price before taxes and third-party testing fees (checkride and testing fees can total up to about $10,000). Covers 295 total flight hours (25 multi-engine), about 200 hours of one-on-one ground, and unlimited simulator, with books, materials, and equipment included except an iPad with ForeFlight. Unused hours are reimbursed.
- What happens if you need more hours than US Flight Co's program includes?
- The academy does not publish how hours beyond the estimate are billed. Confirm before enrolling. US Flight Co publishes the program as a fixed price and states unused hours are reimbursed, but it does not state how hours beyond the planned 295 are billed. Third-party testing fees are extra and can run up to about $10,000 for the full program per the school. Confirm the overage policy before enrolling. 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 US Flight Co 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.
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Figures are US Flight Co'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 US Flight Co. Disclaimer & removal policy.
Primary sources: usflightco.com