FLY8MA Pilot Lodge
Flight training from Private Pilot through Flight Instructor at Big Lake Airport.
Checked October 21, 2026 by Samip Shah, CFI, CFII, AGI
At a glance
- 6 aircraft types.
Basics
| Certificates | Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Flight Instructor |
|---|---|
| Website | fly8ma.com |
| Phone | (907) 268-3100 |
Aircraft and rates
6 types
Piper J-3 Cub
Two-seat tailwheel, so not the default Private trainer. Part of the bush and tailwheel work the lodge is built around.
- Rate (fuel basis not stated)
- $200/hr
| Instruction | Not published |
|---|
These rates are for extra time added to one of the lodge's training packages. It doesn't offer hourly flight instruction. Instruction added to a package is $150/hr in the lodge's airplanes and $200/hr in your own. The website doesn't say whether aircraft rates include fuel, and packages carry a 12% fuel surcharge.
Checked October 21, 2026 · FLY8MA flight training page, aircraft rates
Airport
Weather
What counts as a flyable day
Clouds no lower than 3,000 feet and visibility of 5 miles or more (VFR weather) for at least half the hours between 9 am and 5 pm. Hourly observations from Wasilla New Arpt (PAWS), 8 nm away, 2016 to 2025. Source: Iowa Environmental Mesonet ASOS archive, Iowa State University.
Paying for it
Two ways to pay for it.
Win what you can first, then borrow only what is left.
- Money you keepScholarships you could apply for43 open to anyone, plus 1 in Alaska. Top awards reach $22,200.
- Joe Stancil Jr. Flight Training Scholarship$3,000 · Check dates
- 44
- Money you pay backLenders that fund flight trainingSix lenders, compared on the limits and rates they publish. That is what is on offer, not whether you would be approved.
- 6
What to ask when you call
Not on their website
What do you charge per hour for flight instruction, and is ground instruction billed at the same rate?
Ground instruction is often billed at a different rate.
Do the published aircraft rates include fuel, or is fuel billed separately?
Two rates that look the same can differ by the cost of fuel.
What does Private pilot training at the lodge cost?
The lodge says it trains for the Private, Instrument, Commercial and CFI, and prices none of it. Its hourly rates are for time added to its tailwheel and bush packages, and it says it does not sell flight instruction by the hour.
Also ask
Is the lodge a certificate course or a flying holiday?
It sells overnight stays in a converted DC-6 alongside training on a 115-acre property with two private runways, and the balance between the two decides whether this is a school for your purposes.
Do you offer block rates or prepay discounts, and what is the refund policy if I stop partway?
Block discounts are rarely published, and the refund terms matter more than the discount.
What do you charge for the written test, the checkride, and the examiner's fee?
The examiner's fee alone runs $800 to $1,200 in most of the country.
How many trainers and how many full-time instructors do you have right now?
Availability sets your pace, and pace drives your total more than the hourly rate.
Called them? Send us what they said.
Send the number over and FLY8MA Pilot Lodge gets a full listing with an estimate, marked as sourced by phone on the date you called.
Send what they told youIn the app
Track your training at FLY8MA.
FLY8MA Pilot Lodge is in the PilotBound app. Choose FLY8MA when you set up and enter the rates it gives you; the app prices your training on them and tracks every flight you log against the projection.
Scan to download on your iPhone
Is this your school?
Send FLY8MA's rate card and this page gets an estimate. Or have it removed.
Sources
- That the school exists
- FLY8MA flight training pageChecked October 21, 2026
- Rates
- FLY8MA flight training page, aircraft ratesChecked October 21, 2026
PilotBound is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by FLY8MA Pilot Lodge. School names are used only to identify the school. Rates shown are the school's own published figures with the date they were checked. This page carries no PilotBound estimate, because the school does not publish enough for one. Disclaimer & removal policy.
Plan the money before you commit.
A program price only makes sense next to what each rating costs on its own, what scholarships exist, and what borrowing actually looks like.
What each rating costs
Per-rating ranges, with the fees most quotes leave out.
Scholarships first
Verified flight training scholarships. Every scholarship dollar is a dollar you never finance.
If you borrow
Compare lenders and see the real monthly payment before you sign.