Van Bavel Aviation
Flight training from Private Pilot through Flight Instructor at Soldotna Airport.
Checked September 20, 2026 by Samip Shah, CFI, CFII, AGI
Basics
| Certificates | Private Pilot, Commercial Pilot, Flight Instructor |
|---|---|
| Website | akcfi.com |
Rates
Van Bavel publishes no rates, for the airplane or for instruction.
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 the airport's own weather station, 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.
What is the hourly rate on your cheapest trainer, and which airplane is that?
It's the biggest line on your bill.
Is that rate wet or dry, meaning does it include fuel?
A dry rate can run $40 to $60 an hour lower for the same airplane.
What does the Cessna 150 rent for, and what does instruction cost?
The school names its aircraft and prices neither it nor the instructor.
Also ask
Does instructing in my own aircraft cost a different rate?
Van Bavel offers to instruct in a customer's aircraft, which is usually priced differently, and neither figure is published.
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 numbers over and Van Bavel Aviation 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 Van Bavel.
Van Bavel Aviation is in the PilotBound app. Choose Van Bavel 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 Van Bavel's rate card and this page gets an estimate. Or have it removed.
Sources
- That the school exists
- Van Bavel Aviation websiteChecked September 20, 2026
PilotBound is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Van Bavel Aviation. 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.