How much does it cost to get a private pilot license at Colorado Flight Center?

Colorado Flight Center publishes $150 per hour for the Diamond DA20-C1 and $70 per hour for instruction on it, checked August 16, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $17,235, in a range of $14,800 to $19,600. 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 Colorado Flight Center.

How long does it take to get a private pilot license at Colorado Flight Center?

Flying twice a week, PilotBound estimates about 6 months at Colorado 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 Colorado Flight Center a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school?

Colorado 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 Colorado Flight Center's aircraft rates include fuel?

Colorado Flight Center publishes $150 per hour for the Diamond DA20-C1, a dry rate, so fuel is billed separately on top. Fuel typically adds roughly $30 to $60 per hour, so compare a dry rate against a wet one carefully. PilotBound's estimate uses the published dry rate exactly as listed and does not add a guessed fuel figure. Rates checked August 16, 2026.

What ratings can you train for at Colorado Flight Center?

Colorado Flight Center trains Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Multi-Engine (AMEL), Flight Instructor, Instrument Instructor and Multi-Engine Instructor. Instruction is $70 per hour across the ratings it teaches. PilotBound's estimator on this page prices any of these paths on Colorado Flight Center's own published rates.

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PilotBound estimate · Grand Junction, CO · Checked August 16, 2026

What flight training at Colorado Flight Center costs

Website coloradoflightcenter.com

Your plan

Estimate cost to reach

Flying

Which airplane?

Two-seat trainer.

Shown at Colorado Flight Center's published dry rate. Fuel is billed separately and is not included in this estimate.

PilotBound estimate · Private

Examiner data

Cost of your Private at Colorado Flight Center

$17,235

range $14.8K – $19.6K · about 6 months at 2×/week

Priced on Colorado Flight Center's published rates: Diamond DA20-C1 at $150/hr dry + $70/hr instruction, checked August 16, 2026.

Against a minimums quote

at the FAA legal minimums$10,615

at the hours students actually take$17,235

+$6,620 on Colorado Flight Center's own rates. Quotes usually price the 40-hour minimum; almost nobody finishes there.

Where it goes

$14.8K – $19.6K

Aircraft rental$10,800

Instruction$4,060

One-time costs$2,375

Aircraft + instruction$14,860

72 hrs in Diamond DA20-C1 @ $150/hr + 58 dual @ $70/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 Colorado Flight Center's published rates (dry; fuel billed separately). About $2,375 of this is one-time fees (written test, examiner/DPE checkride, medical, gear), typical national estimates, not Colorado Flight Center'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 Colorado Flight Center publishes

checked August 16, 2026

Diamond DA20-C1Two-seat trainer.$150/hr dry

Diamond DA40-180$190/hr dry

Cessna 182 SkylaneHigh-performance, for advanced hours.$170/hr dry

Piper Aztec (twin)Twin, for the multi-engine ratings.$300/hr dry

Instruction$70/hr

This estimate uses Colorado Flight Center's published dry rates plus their estimated fuel. Their insurance requires a CFC instructor on every rental flight.

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

See the published rates→

Step 2

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Your $17,235 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.

Your published rates are dry. Roughly what does fuel add per hour on the trainer?
The published figures leave fuel out, so they understate the real hourly cost until you add it.
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.
Does the instructor rate change for the Instrument, Commercial, or CFI, or is it flat across everything?
Plenty of schools charge more for advanced instruction. A flat rate quoted for the Private can climb later.
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 Colorado Flight Center's published Diamond DA20-C1 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 Colorado 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 Colorado Flight Center

How much does it cost to get a private pilot license at Colorado Flight Center?: Colorado Flight Center publishes $150 per hour for the Diamond DA20-C1 and $70 per hour for instruction on it, checked August 16, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $17,235, in a range of $14,800 to $19,600. 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 Colorado Flight Center.
How long does it take to get a private pilot license at Colorado Flight Center?: Flying twice a week, PilotBound estimates about 6 months at Colorado 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 Colorado Flight Center a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school?: Colorado 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 Colorado Flight Center's aircraft rates include fuel?: Colorado Flight Center publishes $150 per hour for the Diamond DA20-C1, a dry rate, so fuel is billed separately on top. Fuel typically adds roughly $30 to $60 per hour, so compare a dry rate against a wet one carefully. PilotBound's estimate uses the published dry rate exactly as listed and does not add a guessed fuel figure. Rates checked August 16, 2026.
What ratings can you train for at Colorado Flight Center?: Colorado Flight Center trains Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Multi-Engine (AMEL), Flight Instructor, Instrument Instructor and Multi-Engine Instructor. Instruction is $70 per hour across the ratings it teaches. PilotBound's estimator on this page prices any of these paths on Colorado Flight Center's own published rates.

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