PilotBound estimate · Cameron Park, CA
What flight training at Foothill Flight Center costs
Their published rates: $160/hr aircraft (wet) + $100/hr instructor·verified July 29, 2026 SourceSource 2
Rates are wet. The instruction rate is stamped effective July 2024. An older fleet page on the same site shows a $225/hr aircraft; the current fleet page is authoritative. Two of the three aircraft are aerobatic tailwheel types used for tailwheel, spin, and upset training rather than primary instruction.
Estimate cost to reach
Flying
Two-seat tricycle-gear trainer. The site lists it for Sport, Private, and Instrument training.
PilotBound estimate · Private
Cost of your Private at Foothill Flight Center
Most likely around $19,625, about 6 months at 2x/week. A range, not a promise.
Where it goes
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
Typical national figures, not the school's prices. The FAA written test and examiner (DPE) fees are set by third parties.
Examiner records (DPE dataset).
Your first certificate. Fly passengers, day or night, in good weather.
The hourly flying is priced on Foothill Flight Center's published rates. Each rating also folds in its one-time fees (written test, examiner/DPE checkride, medical, gear), about $3,550 across the path. Those are typical national estimates, not Foothill Flight Center's prices, and several (the FAA written test and examiner fees) 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 →
Step 2 · Plan
Your $19,625 is the starting line. Turn it into a route to your checkride, every step in order with this cost built in.
Add to my planEstimates use Foothill Flight Center's published Cessna 150M Commuter and instructor rates (verified July 29, 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 Foothill Flight Center. 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 Foothill Flight Center
- How much does it cost to get a private pilot license at Foothill Flight Center?
- Foothill Flight Center publishes $160 per hour for the Cessna 150M Commuter and $100 per hour for instruction on it, verified July 29, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $19,625, in a range of $16,900 to $22,400. 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 Foothill Flight Center.
- How long does it take to get a private pilot license at Foothill Flight Center?
- Flying twice a week, PilotBound estimates about 6 months at Foothill Flight Center 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 Foothill Flight Center a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school?
- Foothill Flight Center trains under Part 61, the flexible path. There is no FAA-approved syllabus to follow, so lessons can be scheduled around your life and adapted to your pace. The tradeoff is a slightly higher paper minimum for the private certificate (40 hours versus 35) and, for most students, no VA benefit eligibility.
- Do Foothill Flight Center's aircraft rates include fuel?
- Foothill Flight Center publishes $160 per hour for the Cessna 150M Commuter, 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 verified July 29, 2026.
- What ratings can you train for at Foothill Flight Center?
- Foothill Flight Center trains Private Pilot and Instrument Rating. Instruction is $100 per hour across the ratings it teaches. PilotBound's estimator on this page prices any of these paths on Foothill Flight Center's own published rates.
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