PilotBound
PilotBound

PilotBound estimate · Murrieta, CA · Checked August 16, 2026

What flight training at EFI Flight School costs

Website flyefi.com

Your plan

Estimate cost to reach

Flying

Two-seat, the lowest-cost line.

PilotBound estimate · Private

Examiner data

Cost of your Private at EFI Flight School

$13,925

range $12K – $15.9K · about 6 months at 2×/week

Priced on EFI's published rates: Cessna 150 at $100/hr + $75/hr instruction, checked August 16, 2026.

Against a minimums quote

at the FAA legal minimums$8,775
at the hours students actually take$13,925

+$5,150 on EFI's own rates. Quotes usually price the 40-hour minimum; almost nobody finishes there.

Where it goes

$12K – $15.9K
Aircraft rental$7,200
Instruction$4,350
One-time costs$2,375
Aircraft + instruction$11,550
72 hrs in Cessna 150 @ $100/hr + 58 dual @ $75/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 EFI Flight School's published rates. About $2,375 of this is one-time fees (written test, examiner/DPE checkride, medical, gear), typical national estimates, not EFI Flight School'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 EFI publishes

checked August 16, 2026
Cessna 150Two-seat, the lowest-cost line.$100/hr wet
Cessna 172KThe primary trainer.$150/hr wet
Cessna 172M$160/hr wet
Cessna 172N$160/hr wet
Cessna 172SPFuel-injected 180hp Skyhawk.$170/hr wet
Piper ArcherLow-wing trainer alternative.$160/hr wet
Beechcraft Duchess BE76 (twin)Twin, for the multi-engine ratings.$315/hr wet
Instructionstandard $75/hr · CFI candidates $80/hr$75 – $80/hr

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

See the published rates→

Step 2

Turn this into a plan.

Your $13,925 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.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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 EFI Flight School'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 EFI Flight School. 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 EFI Flight School

How much does it cost to get a private pilot license at EFI Flight School?
EFI Flight School publishes $100 per hour for the Cessna 150 and $75 per hour for instruction on it, checked August 16, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $13,925, in a range of $12,000 to $15,900. 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 EFI Flight School.
How long does it take to get a private pilot license at EFI Flight School?
Flying twice a week, PilotBound estimates about 6 months at EFI Flight School 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 EFI Flight School a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school?
EFI Flight School 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 EFI Flight School's aircraft rates include fuel?
EFI Flight School publishes $100 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 EFI Flight School?
EFI Flight School trains Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Multi-Engine (AMEL), Flight Instructor, Instrument Instructor and Multi-Engine Instructor. Instruction runs $75 to $80 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 EFI Flight School's own published rates.

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