PilotBound
PilotBound

Sourced cost directory · Updated August 20, 2026

Flight school costs by state

An honest, sourced cost directory. Each school listing shows its own published rates with the source and date, next to a PilotBound estimate you can add to your plan. Pick your state below. We add schools as we verify them.

schools listed
1169

schools listed

with published rates
458

with published rates

states covered
50

states covered

for your Private cert
from $7K

for your Private cert

Alaska: 12 schools, from $14.9KAlabama: 26 schools, from $14.4KArkansas: 15 schools, from $11.2KArizona: 26 schools, from $12.1KCalifornia: 82 schools, from $10.4KColorado: 11 schools, from $12.6KConnecticut: 10 schools, from $15.1KDelaware: 1 school, from $18.5KFlorida: 29 schools, from $11KGeorgia: 14 schools, from $9.7KHawaii: 6 schools, from $17.5KIowa: 25 schools, from $9.9KIdaho: 15 schools, from $14.1KIllinois: 18 schools, from $13.3KIndiana: 28 schools, from $12.2KKansas: 19 schools, from $7KKentucky: 20 schools, from $14.3KLouisiana: 19 schools, from $12.6KMassachusetts: 13 schools, from $13.3KMaryland: 3 schools, from $13.6KMaine: 10 schools, from $14.7KMichigan: 34 schools, from $12.2KMinnesota: 36 schools, from $11.5KMissouri: 31 schools, from $9.6KMississippi: 16 schools, from $12.7KMontana: 17 schools, from $13.2KNorth Carolina: 53 schools, from $12.2KNorth Dakota: 9 schools, from $16.4KNebraska: 10 schools, from $15.8KNew Hampshire: 13 schools, from $14.6KNew Jersey: 3 schools, from $13.8KNew Mexico: 15 schools, from $14.4KNevada: 16 schools, from $14.4KNew York: 41 schools, from $10.4KOhio: 16 schools, from $13.4KOklahoma: 21 schools, from $12.5KOregon: 34 schools, from $12.5KPennsylvania: 54 schools, from $13.7KRhode Island: 5 schools, from $13.6KSouth Carolina: 28 schools, from $12.8KSouth Dakota: 11 schools, from $17.4KTennessee: 27 schools, from $13.1KTexas: 136 schools, from $8.3KUtah: 14 schools, from $13.1KVirginia: 36 schools, from $10.1KVermont: 5 schools, from $9.8KWashington: 32 schools, from $12.1KWisconsin: 41 schools, from $10.1KWest Virginia: 5 schools, from $10.4KWyoming: 8 schools, from $15.1K
Listed now Coming soon

50 states listed so far, or tap a state on the map. We add states as we verify them.

How this directory works

We list each school's own published aircraft and instructor rates, with a link to the source and the date we verified them, then apply one consistent model to all of them: PilotBound's own completion-hours model (examiner-completion data where it exists, FAA minimums where it does not) times each school's rates. So the figure is our estimate, not the school's quote, and it will differ from a school's own numbers. Estimates are a range, the schools do not set or endorse them, and every listing has a correct-this-listing link.

Want a figure tied to your own pace and aircraft? Run the estimator or read the methodology.

PilotBound is not affiliated with the schools listed. A school can correct or remove its listing anytime. Disclaimer & removal policy.

Common questions about flight school costs

How much does flight school cost?
Across the 458 US flight schools in this directory that publish full rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate between $8,149 and $40,585, with a median of $18,025. The spread is mostly the school's own rates: trainer rentals run $50 to $430 per hour and instruction $25 to $300. Every estimate is built on rates the school itself publishes, linked and dated on its listing.
How does PilotBound estimate what a school costs?
One consistent method for every school: PilotBound's completion-hours model, using examiner-completion data where it exists and FAA minimums where it does not, multiplied by the school's published aircraft and instructor rates, plus the one-time fees most quotes leave out (written test, examiner fee, medical, study materials). Holding the hours model constant means the only thing that changes school to school is the school's actual published rates. The result is a PilotBound estimate, never the school's quote.
How current are these flight school rates?
Each school's listing shows the date its rates were last read, and the directory's newest check is August 20, 2026. Rates are re-checked on a monthly cycle. 711 of the 1169 schools listed publish only part of a rate card, so they are listed without an estimate rather than with a guessed one. A school can correct or remove its listing anytime.