What a discovery flight costs in Pennsylvania
A discovery flight costs a median of $150 at the 16 Pennsylvania flight schools that publish a price, and published prices run $75 to $280.Each price below is the school's own figure, with its source, the date it was checked, and a number to call.
- Median price
- $150
- Schools
- 16
- Range
- $75 to $280
Updated November 3, 2026
Pennsylvania 16
ACES Aviation · Beaver Falls
An hour in a Diamond DA20, plus tax. A DA40 is $199 plus tax.
$99
Moore Aviation · Beaver Falls
30 minutes, plus tax. An hour is $140.
$75
Chester County Aviation · Coatesville
In a Piper Warrior or Cessna 172, sales tax included. $369 in a Cirrus.
$269
$150
Keystone Aviation Group · Elysburg
$120
$150
$99.95
$125
GQ Aviation · Philadelphia
The intro flight: taxi, takeoff and landing. The longer discovery flight is $199.
$99
Hummingbird Aviation · Philadelphia
About 45 minutes. Departs Linden or Northeast Philadelphia.
$280
Penn Flight School · Quakertown
30 minutes of ground school and 45 to 50 minutes in the air.
$249
Top Flight of Reading · Reading
About 30 minutes flying and 30 minutes on the ground with the instructor.
$180
Smoketown Flight Center · Smoketown
30 minutes of ground and a one-hour flight.
$249
$139
$149
Brandywine Flight School · West Chester
A first flight lesson of about two hours: an hour on the ground and an hour in the plane.
$250
Common questions about discovery flights in Pennsylvania
How much does a discovery flight cost in Pennsylvania?
Across the 16 Pennsylvania flight schools that publish a discovery flight price, the median is $150. Published prices run from $75 to $280. What the price buys varies: some include thirty minutes in the air, others an hour plus a ground briefing, so compare what each one includes as well as the figure.
What is a discovery flight?
A short first lesson in a training airplane with a flight instructor. You sit in the pilot's seat, and most schools let you take the controls once you are in the air. Schools also call it an intro flight or a demo flight.
Does a discovery flight count toward a pilot certificate?
It can. Time flown with a certificated flight instructor can be logged as dual instruction, which counts toward the private pilot certificate. Ask the school whether the instructor will sign your logbook for the flight.
What should I ask before booking one?
How long you will be in the air, as opposed to the whole visit; which airplane you will fly; whether a ground briefing is included; whether tax is added; any weight limit; and whether a friend or family member can ride along.
Cite or share this stat
PilotBound, "Discovery flight prices in Pennsylvania": median $150 across 16 Pennsylvania flight schools that publish a discovery flight price (range $75 to $280), each from the school's own site, updated November 3, 2026. https://pilotbound.app/discovery-flights/pennsylvania
Free to reuse with credit. A link back to this page is appreciated.
The figures on this page are published under CC BY 4.0. Each school's price links to the page it comes from.
Beyond the first flight: what training costs at Pennsylvania flight schools, or discovery flight prices in every state.
PilotBound is not affiliated with these schools. Each price is the school's own published figure on the date shown, and schools change them; confirm with the school when you book. A state gets a page like this once 5 of its schools publish a price. Disclaimer & removal policy.