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

Spirit Aviation publishes $217 per hour for the Cessna 172 Skyhawk and $73 per hour for instruction on it, checked August 16, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $22,204, in a range of $19,100 to $25,300. 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 Spirit Aviation.

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

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

Spirit Aviation 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 Spirit Aviation's aircraft rates include fuel?

Spirit Aviation publishes $217 per hour for the Cessna 172 Skyhawk, a rate that does not say whether fuel is included. Ask before you budget: if the rate turns out to be dry, fuel adds roughly $30 to $60 per hour on top. PilotBound's estimate uses the rate exactly as published. Rates checked August 16, 2026.

What ratings can you train for at Spirit Aviation?

Spirit Aviation trains Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot and Multi-Engine (AMEL). Instruction runs $73 to $78 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 Spirit Aviation's own published rates.

PilotBoundEvery hour. Every dollar.

PilotBound estimate · Thomson, GA · Checked August 16, 2026

What flight training at Spirit Aviation costs

Website spirit-aviation.com

Conveniently located near

Greensboro (KCPP)

Your plan

Estimate cost to reach

Flying

Which airplane?

PilotBound estimate · Private

Examiner data

Cost of your Private at Spirit Aviation

$22,204

range $19.1K – $25.3K · about 6 months at 2×/week

Priced on Spirit Aviation's published rates: Cessna 172 Skyhawk at $217/hr + $73/hr instruction, checked August 16, 2026.

Against a minimums quote

at the FAA legal minimums$13,375

at the hours students actually take$22,204

+$8,829 on Spirit Aviation's own rates. Quotes usually price the 40-hour minimum; almost nobody finishes there.

Where it goes

$19.1K – $25.3K

Aircraft rental$15,624

Instruction$4,205

One-time costs$2,375

Aircraft + instruction$19,829

72 hrs in Cessna 172 Skyhawk @ $217/hr + 58 dual @ $72.50/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 Spirit Aviation's published rates. About $2,375 of this is one-time fees (written test, examiner/DPE checkride, medical, gear), typical national estimates, not Spirit 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 Spirit Aviation publishes

checked August 16, 2026

Cessna 162 SkyCatcherLight-sport (LSA).$157/hr fuel basis not stated

Cessna 172 Skyhawk (N223CK/N9XF)$217/hr fuel basis not stated

Cessna 172 Skyhawk (N823CK/N943TH)$250/hr fuel basis not stated

Piper PA-44 Seminole (twin)$430/hr fuel basis not stated

Instructionstandard $73/hr · multi-engine instruction $78/hr$73 – $78/hr

Spirit Aviation does not say whether its published rates include fuel. This estimate uses the rate exactly as published, so ask before you budget: a dry rate adds roughly $30 to $60 per hour once fuel is on top.

Not published: the examiner's checkride fee, whether rates include fuel. Listed as missing rather than guessed.

See the published rates→

Step 2

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Your $22,204 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

The marked ones are what Spirit Aviation's site never answers. The rest are what turns an hourly rate into a real bill.

Do the published aircraft rates include fuel, or is fuel billed separately?Missing from their site
The site does not say, and it is the difference between two rates that look identical and are not.
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 train under Part 61 or Part 141?Missing from their site
It changes the minimum hours, and for some students it changes financing eligibility.
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 Spirit Aviation's published Cessna 172 Skyhawk 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 Spirit 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 Spirit Aviation

How much does it cost to get a private pilot license at Spirit Aviation?: Spirit Aviation publishes $217 per hour for the Cessna 172 Skyhawk and $73 per hour for instruction on it, checked August 16, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $22,204, in a range of $19,100 to $25,300. 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 Spirit Aviation.
How long does it take to get a private pilot license at Spirit Aviation?: Flying twice a week, PilotBound estimates about 6 months at Spirit 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 Spirit Aviation a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school?: Spirit Aviation 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 Spirit Aviation's aircraft rates include fuel?: Spirit Aviation publishes $217 per hour for the Cessna 172 Skyhawk, a rate that does not say whether fuel is included. Ask before you budget: if the rate turns out to be dry, fuel adds roughly $30 to $60 per hour on top. PilotBound's estimate uses the rate exactly as published. Rates checked August 16, 2026.
What ratings can you train for at Spirit Aviation?: Spirit Aviation trains Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot and Multi-Engine (AMEL). Instruction runs $73 to $78 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 Spirit Aviation's own published rates.

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