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

Springs Aviation publishes $183 per hour for the Cessna 172P and $60 per hour for instruction on it, checked August 8, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $19,031, in a range of $16,400 to $21,700. 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 Springs Aviation.

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

Flying twice a week, PilotBound estimates about 6 months at Springs 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 Springs Aviation a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school?

Springs Aviation 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 Springs Aviation's aircraft rates include fuel?

Springs Aviation publishes $183 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 checked August 8, 2026.

What ratings can you train for at Springs Aviation?

Springs Aviation trains Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot and Flight Instructor. Instruction runs $60 to $65 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 Springs Aviation's own published rates.

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PilotBound estimate · Colorado Springs, CO · Checked August 8, 2026

What flight training at Springs Aviation costs

Website springsaviation.com

Your plan

Estimate cost to reach

Flying

Which airplane?

PilotBound estimate · Private

Examiner data

Cost of your Private at Springs Aviation

$19,031

range $16.4K – $21.7K · about 6 months at 2×/week

Priced on Springs Aviation's published rates: Cessna 172P at $183/hr + $60/hr instruction, checked August 8, 2026.

Against a minimums quote

at the FAA legal minimums$11,615

at the hours students actually take$19,031

+$7,416 on Springs Aviation's own rates. Quotes usually price the 40-hour minimum; almost nobody finishes there.

Where it goes

$16.4K – $21.7K

Aircraft rental$13,176

Instruction$3,480

One-time costs$2,375

Aircraft + instruction$16,656

72 hrs in Cessna 172P @ $183/hr + 58 dual @ $60/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 Springs Aviation's published rates. About $2,375 of this is one-time fees (written test, examiner/DPE checkride, medical, gear), typical national estimates, not Springs 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 Springs Aviation publishes

checked August 8, 2026

Cessna 172P (N99243)$183/hr wet

Cessna 172L (N7548G)$183/hr wet

Cessna 172L (N2830Q)$183/hr wet

Cessna 172N (N5155K)$198/hr wet

Cessna 172R (N9550G)$198/hr wet

Cessna 172R (N9895F)$198/hr wet

Cessna 172XP (N1025V)Higher-performance, for the commercial's advanced hours.$210/hr wet

Cessna 182P (N95FC)High-performance step-up.$250/hr wet

Instructionstandard $60/hr · instrument instruction $65/hr · CFI candidates $65/hr · CFII candidates $65/hr$60 – $65/hr

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

See the published rates→Source 2→

Step 2

Turn this into a plan.

Your $19,031 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.

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 Springs Aviation's published Cessna 172P and instructor rates (checked August 8, 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 Springs 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 Springs Aviation

How much does it cost to get a private pilot license at Springs Aviation?: Springs Aviation publishes $183 per hour for the Cessna 172P and $60 per hour for instruction on it, checked August 8, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $19,031, in a range of $16,400 to $21,700. 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 Springs Aviation.
How long does it take to get a private pilot license at Springs Aviation?: Flying twice a week, PilotBound estimates about 6 months at Springs 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 Springs Aviation a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school?: Springs Aviation 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 Springs Aviation's aircraft rates include fuel?: Springs Aviation publishes $183 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 checked August 8, 2026.
What ratings can you train for at Springs Aviation?: Springs Aviation trains Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot and Flight Instructor. Instruction runs $60 to $65 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 Springs Aviation's own published rates.

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