PilotBound estimate · Long Beach, CA

What flight training at Pacific Air Flight School costs

Their published rates: $199/hr aircraft (wet) + $100/hr instructor·verified July 29, 2026 SourceSource 2

The school states all prices are wet and final, with no club fees. A military discount and block rate take $5/hr off each aircraft. The instructor rate is published inside the flight-instructor course page rather than a rate table.

Estimate cost to reach

Flying

Six-pack panel, dual nav/com. $194/hr military or block.

PilotBound estimate · Private

Cost of your Private at Pacific Air Flight School

$19.3K$25.6K

Most likely around $22,475, about 6 months at 2x/week. A range, not a promise.

Where it goes

Backed by examiner data$19.3K$25.6K
Aircraft rental$14,350
Instruction$5,750
One-time costs$2,375
Aircraft + instruction$20,100
72 hrs in Cessna 172P @ $199/hr + 58 dual @ $100/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

Typical national figures, not the school's prices. The FAA written test and examiner (DPE) fees are set by third parties.

Expected hours72 hrs

Examiner records (DPE dataset).

Your first certificate. Fly passengers, day or night, in good weather.

The hourly flying is priced on Pacific Air Flight School'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 Pacific Air Flight School'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 $22,475 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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Estimates use Pacific Air Flight School's published Cessna 172P 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 Pacific Air 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 Pacific Air Flight School

How much does it cost to get a private pilot license at Pacific Air Flight School?
Pacific Air Flight School publishes $199 per hour for the Cessna 172P 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 $22,475, in a range of $19,300 to $25,600. 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 Pacific Air Flight School.
How long does it take to get a private pilot license at Pacific Air Flight School?
Flying twice a week, PilotBound estimates about 6 months at Pacific Air 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 Pacific Air Flight School a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school?
Pacific Air Flight School does not state on its own website whether it trains under Part 61 or Part 141, so we do not list one. It is worth asking directly before you enroll: Part 141 follows an FAA-approved syllabus and is generally what VA benefits require, while Part 61 is more flexible on scheduling.
Do Pacific Air Flight School's aircraft rates include fuel?
Pacific Air Flight School publishes $199 per hour for the Cessna 172P, 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 Pacific Air Flight School?
Pacific Air Flight School trains Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot and Flight Instructor. Instruction is $100 per hour across the ratings it teaches. PilotBound's estimator on this page prices any of these paths on Pacific Air Flight School's own published rates.

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