How much does it cost to get a private pilot license at Above All Aviation?

Above All Aviation publishes $154 per hour for the Cessna 150 and $104 per hour for instruction on it, checked August 16, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $19,495, in a range of $16,800 to $22,200. That covers roughly 72 hours of flying and instruction plus the one-time fees most quotes leave out, including the written test, the examiner's checkride fee, a medical, and study materials. It is a PilotBound estimate built on the school's published rates, not a quote from Above All Aviation.

How long does it take to get a private pilot license at Above All Aviation?

Flying twice a week, PilotBound estimates about 6 months at Above All Aviation to reach the private pilot checkride, at roughly 72 hours. Pace is the single biggest variable: flying once a week typically stretches the timeline and raises the total, because time between lessons gets spent re-learning. Weather, aircraft availability, and instructor turnover all push the same direction.

Is Above All Aviation a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school?

Above All Aviation trains under both Part 61 and Part 141, so you can pick the structured FAA-approved course or the flexible path. Part 141 is the one that matters for VA benefits and for the lower paper minimum on the private certificate; Part 61 is the one that bends around a full-time job.

Do Above All Aviation's aircraft rates include fuel?

Above All Aviation publishes $154 per hour for the Cessna 150, a wet rate, so fuel is included in the hourly figure. A wet rate is the easier one to compare, because the number you see is the number you fly on. Rates checked August 16, 2026.

What ratings can you train for at Above All Aviation?

Above All Aviation trains Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Multi-Engine (AMEL) and Flight Instructor. Instruction runs $104 to $124 per hour depending on the rating and the aircraft, since advanced and type-specific instruction is priced above the standard rate. PilotBound's estimator on this page prices any of these paths on Above All Aviation's own published rates.

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PilotBound estimate · Santa Barbara, CA · Checked August 16, 2026

What flight training at Above All Aviation costs

Website aboveallsba.com

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Which airplane?

Two-seat.

PilotBound estimate · Private

Examiner data

Cost of your Private at Above All Aviation

$19,495

range $16.8K – $22.2K · about 6 months at 2×/week

Priced on Above All's published rates: Cessna 150 at $154/hr + $104/hr instruction, checked August 16, 2026.

Against a minimums quote

at the FAA legal minimums$11,863

at the hours students actually take$19,495

+$7,632 on Above All's own rates. Quotes usually price the 40-hour minimum; almost nobody finishes there.

Where it goes

$16.8K – $22.2K

Aircraft rental$11,088

Instruction$6,032

One-time costs$2,375

Aircraft + instruction$17,120

72 hrs in Cessna 150 @ $154/hr + 58 dual @ $104/hr

One-time fees ($2,375)

Knowledge (written) test$175
Checkride / DPE fee$800
Medical certificate$150
Headset$700
Ground school / test prep$300
Books, charts & supplies$250

Hours at a steady pace72 hrs

Examiner records (DPE dataset).

The hourly flying is priced on Above All Aviation's published rates. About $2,375 of this is one-time fees (written test, examiner/DPE checkride, medical, gear), typical national estimates, not Above All Aviation's prices, and several are set by third parties.

Estimates use PilotBound's own completion-hours model, examiner-completion data where it exists and FAA minimums where it does not, applied to each school's published rates. They are PilotBound estimates, not the school's quote, and will differ from a school's own figures. Full methodology and sources →

What Above All publishes

checked August 16, 2026

Cessna 150Two-seat.$154/hr wet

Cessna 152Two-seat.$156/hr wet

Cessna 172M/BThe primary trainer.$202/hr wet

Cessna 172N$210/hr wet

Beechcraft SierraComplex/retractable single.$244/hr wet

Piper Cherokee$276/hr wet

Piper SenecaMulti-engine trainer. Instruction in this airplane $124/hr.$451/hr wet

Instructionstandard $104/hr · instrument instruction $114/hr · CFI candidates $114/hr · CFII candidates $114/hr · multi-engine instruction $124/hr$104 – $124/hr

Rates are wet. Instruction is $104/hr private/commercial, $114/hr instrument/HP/complex/CFI, and $124/hr multi (effective January 2026); senior instructors add up to $28/hr.

Not published: the examiner's checkride fee. Listed as missing rather than guessed.

See the published rates→Source 2→

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Your $19,495 is the starting line. Turn it into a route to your checkride, every step in order with this cost built in.

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What to ask when you call

What turns an hourly rate into a real bill.

What gets billed on top of the hourly rates, and roughly how much per hour does it add?
The site notes extras beyond the hourly figures. Ask for the all-in number per hour, not the base rate.
Which instructor rate applies to each rating I plan to do, and does the higher tier start on day one of that rating?
This school prices some instruction above its primary rate. Knowing when the step-up starts keeps the later ratings from surprising you.
Do you offer block rates or prepay discounts, and what is the refund policy if I stop partway?
Block discounts are common and rarely published. The refund terms matter more than the discount.
What do you charge for the written test, the checkride, and the examiner's fee?
The DPE fee alone runs $800 to $1,200 in most of the country and is almost never in a quoted hourly rate.
How many trainers and how many full-time instructors do you have right now?
Availability decides your pace, and pace decides your total more than the hourly rate does.

Estimates use Above All Aviation's published Cessna 150 and instructor rates (checked August 16, 2026), shown in USD for planning only. Real cost varies by student, weather, and pace. An honest range, not a quote.

PilotBound is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Above All Aviation. School names are used only to identify the school. Estimates use PilotBound's own completion-hours model, examiner-completion data where it exists and FAA minimums where it does not, applied to each school's published rates. They are PilotBound estimates, not the school's quote, and will differ from a school's own figures. Disclaimer & removal policy.

Common questions about Above All Aviation

How much does it cost to get a private pilot license at Above All Aviation?: Above All Aviation publishes $154 per hour for the Cessna 150 and $104 per hour for instruction on it, checked August 16, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $19,495, in a range of $16,800 to $22,200. That covers roughly 72 hours of flying and instruction plus the one-time fees most quotes leave out, including the written test, the examiner's checkride fee, a medical, and study materials. It is a PilotBound estimate built on the school's published rates, not a quote from Above All Aviation.
How long does it take to get a private pilot license at Above All Aviation?: Flying twice a week, PilotBound estimates about 6 months at Above All Aviation to reach the private pilot checkride, at roughly 72 hours. Pace is the single biggest variable: flying once a week typically stretches the timeline and raises the total, because time between lessons gets spent re-learning. Weather, aircraft availability, and instructor turnover all push the same direction.
Is Above All Aviation a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school?: Above All Aviation trains under both Part 61 and Part 141, so you can pick the structured FAA-approved course or the flexible path. Part 141 is the one that matters for VA benefits and for the lower paper minimum on the private certificate; Part 61 is the one that bends around a full-time job.
Do Above All Aviation's aircraft rates include fuel?: Above All Aviation publishes $154 per hour for the Cessna 150, a wet rate, so fuel is included in the hourly figure. A wet rate is the easier one to compare, because the number you see is the number you fly on. Rates checked August 16, 2026.
What ratings can you train for at Above All Aviation?: Above All Aviation trains Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Multi-Engine (AMEL) and Flight Instructor. Instruction runs $104 to $124 per hour depending on the rating and the aircraft, since advanced and type-specific instruction is priced above the standard rate. PilotBound's estimator on this page prices any of these paths on Above All Aviation's own published rates.

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