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Accelerated academy · 2 states · Checked August 27, 2026

What Short Final Aviation costs

A full-time, integrated career program sold at a fixed price, not an hourly rate. Every figure below is Short Final Aviation'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 shortfinal.org

Instructors at Branson, Missouri and Harrison, Arkansas.

Section 1Program price

Published program price

$60.5K

Commercial Pilot (non-pilot to Commercial)

Other tracks from $18K.

Not stated

The academy does not publish how hours beyond the estimate are billed. Confirm before enrolling.

Each figure is published as an estimated MAXIMUM rather than a minimum, and the school says it "may be reduced by prior training, effective study methods, and discounts". It also offers a discount for pre-loading your account. What it does not say is what happens if you need more than the estimate, and it publishes no hourly aircraft or instructor rate, so there is no way to price an extra hour from the site. Ask for the hourly rates and the pre-load discount terms before you commit.

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 Short Final Aviation.

The programs, with sources

Commercial Pilot (non-pilot to Commercial)
$60,500
PPL · IR · CPL
August 27, 2026Source
Published as a breakdown rather than an all-in figure: about $5,000 out of pocket for supplies, a headset, testing fees, flight-bag software and study materials, about $32,500 for aircraft rental and instruction, and about $13,000 for fuel. Nothing is said about the examiner fees or the medical.
The one genuine starting point here: "From Non-Pilot to Commercial Pilot", covering the Private, Instrument and Commercial, quoted at "as little as 12-14 months". The school's argument for buying it whole is that training toward Commercial from the start avoids spending hours that do not count toward it. It does not include a CFI, which the school offers but does not price.
Private Pilot
$18,000
PPL
August 27, 2026Source
Broken out as about $3,000 out of pocket for supplies, a headset, testing fees, flight-bag software and a test-prep subscription, about $12,000 for aircraft rental and instruction, and about $3,000 for fuel.
An estimated maximum for the Private on its own. It is the first third of the Commercial programme above, not an additional cost, so the three figures on this listing do not sum to a path.
Instrument Rating
$18,000
IR
August 27, 2026Source
Broken out as about $1,700 out of pocket for testing fees and study materials, about $13,300 for aircraft rental and instruction, and about $3,000 for fuel.
The school notes the cost "may be significantly less with some Safety Pilot work and time building", and that the hours count toward the Commercial. Assumes you already hold the Private.

Section 2Where it trains

Short Final 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 $18,000.

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Section 4Add to my plan

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Section 5Questions

How much does Short Final Aviation cost?
Short Final Aviation publishes $60,500 for its Commercial Pilot (non-pilot to Commercial), as listed on the academy's own pricing page (August 27, 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 Short Final Aviation's program price?
Short Final Aviation's published programs cover Private Pilot, Instrument Rating and Commercial Pilot. The academy states about 14 months to finish. On what it excludes, the academy states: Published as a breakdown rather than an all-in figure: about $5,000 out of pocket for supplies, a headset, testing fees, flight-bag software and study materials, about $32,500 for aircraft rental and instruction, and about $13,000 for fuel. Nothing is said about the examiner fees or the medical.
What happens if you need more hours than Short Final Aviation's program includes?
The academy does not publish how hours beyond the estimate are billed. Confirm before enrolling. Each figure is published as an estimated MAXIMUM rather than a minimum, and the school says it "may be reduced by prior training, effective study methods, and discounts". It also offers a discount for pre-loading your account. What it does not say is what happens if you need more than the estimate, and it publishes no hourly aircraft or instructor rate, so there is no way to price an extra hour from the site. Ask for the hourly rates and the pre-load discount terms before you commit. 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 Short Final Aviation 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 Short Final Aviation train?
Short Final Aviation trains in 2 states: Arkansas and Missouri. 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 Short Final Aviation'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 Short Final Aviation. Disclaimer & removal policy.

Primary sources: shortfinal.org·shortfinal.org

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