Flight training at Mauna Loa Aero
Kailua-Kona and Honolulu, HI · Rates partly published
No instructor rate. Mauna Loa Aero publishes rates for all 3 of its airplanes and nothing for instruction, so there is no total on this page.
Checked September 13, 2026 against Mauna Loa Aero contact page (Kona and Honolulu addresses).
- Based at
- Kona International Airport, with a second base at Honolulu (PHNL)(PHKO)
- FAA part
- Not stated on their site
- Trains
- PPL · IR · CPL · Multi · CFI · CFII · MEI
- Phone
- 808-334-0234
- Website
- maunaloaaero.com
What is published
Mauna Loa Aero's own figures
Checked September 13, 2026 · Source
| Aircraft | Published rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cessna 172N (Aspen Pro HSI, Garmin 430) | $245/hr | 180 hp. Wet or dry not stated. |
| Piper PA-28R-200 Arrow II (GTN 750, GI 275) | $255/hr | Retractable, the complex trainer. Wet or dry not stated. |
| Piper PA-34-200T Seneca II | $480/hr | Twin. Published as $480 an hour plus fuel surcharge and tax, on the accelerated multi-engine course page rather than the instrument one cited below. |
The 172N and Arrow II rates come from the accelerated instrument course page and the Seneca II from the multi-engine page, where it is $480/hr plus a fuel surcharge and tax. Ground instruction is $58/hr on one page and $53/hr on another. The instrument budget prices "dual instruction" at $255/hr, which equals the Arrow's rate, so it may be the airplane with an instructor or the airplane alone; a flight instructor rate is never stated on its own. Typical course totals are published for the Private ($9,200), the single-engine CFI ($7,745) and the CFII ($4,170).
Why there is no total
An estimate needs an instructor rate.
A training total is hours multiplied by rates. With instruction unpriced there is nothing to multiply, and we will not fill the gap with a plausible number: every figure on this site carries a link that shows it today.
Instructor rateMissing from their site
Instruction is the second biggest line on a training bill, after the airplane.
What to compare their answer against
Not Mauna Loa Aero's rates. The middle of what 3 Hawaii schools charge, to hold your phone quote against.
- Trainer, medianWhat the airplane costsRange $205 to $235 per hour.
- $220
- Instruction, medianWhat the instructor costsAcross 3 schools with published rates.
- $55
From the schools here that publish full rate cards, the same sample behind the Flight Training Cost Report. Mauna Loa Aero is not in it.
Paying for it
Two ways to pay for it.
Win what you can first, then borrow only what is left. Neither figure assumes anything about you: one is what our scholarship directory holds, the other is what the lenders publish.
- Money you keepScholarships you could apply for50 open to anyone, plus 1 in Hawaii. Top awards reach $22,200.
- Aviation Pathways GrantUp to $10,000 · Check dates
- 51
- Money you pay backLenders that fund flight trainingSix lenders, compared on the limits and rates they publish. That is what is on offer, not whether you would be approved.
- 6
What to ask
What to ask when you call
The marked ones are what Mauna Loa Aero's site never answers. The rest are what turns an hourly rate into a real bill.
What do you charge per hour for flight instruction, and is ground instruction billed at the same rate?Missing from their site
This is the number that is missing from the site. Ground is often billed separately and at a different rate.
Does the instructor rate change for the Instrument, Commercial, or CFI, or is it flat across everything?Missing from their site
Plenty of schools charge more for advanced instruction. A flat rate quoted for the Private can climb later.
Do the published aircraft rates include fuel, or is fuel billed separately?
The site does not say, and it is the difference between two rates that look identical and are not.
What is the flight instructor's hourly rate on its own, and is the $255 "dual instruction" figure the airplane plus the instructor?Missing from their site
The only dual figure equals the Arrow's rental rate, so the instructor's share is unknown.
Are the 172 and Arrow rates wet or dry?
The Seneca is published plus a fuel surcharge and the two singles say nothing either way.
Which airplanes are based at Kona and which at Honolulu?
The company has both bases and the fleet page assigns nothing to either.
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.
Called them? Send us what they said.
Send the number over and Mauna Loa Aero gets a full listing with an estimate, marked as sourced by phone on the date you called.
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Track your training at Mauna Loa Aero.
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Nearby schools
3 Hawaii schools publish a full rate card.
Each one has an estimate built on its own published rates. Listed alphabetically, because ordering them by price would be a ranking this page is not making.
- Lani Lea Flight SchoolHonolulu, HI · Checked October 16, 2026$205/hr$55/hr instruction
- Pacific Flight AcademyHonolulu, HI · Checked September 16, 2026$220/hr$55 to $60/hr instruction
- Tropicbird Flight ServiceKailua-Kona, HI · Checked October 12, 2026$235/hr$105 to $135/hr instruction
Sources
- That the school exists
- Mauna Loa Aero contact page (Kona and Honolulu addresses)Checked September 13, 2026
- The rates above
- Mauna Loa Aero accelerated instrument course pageChecked September 13, 2026
Are you Mauna Loa Aero? Send your rate card and this becomes a full listing with an estimate, free. Or have it removed.
This page says one thing is not stated on your site. Send us where it is published and it shows here instead.
- What instruction costs per hourSend it
PilotBound is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Mauna Loa Aero. School names are used only to identify the school. Rates shown are the school's own published figures with the date we checked them. This page carries no PilotBound estimate, because the school does not publish enough for one. Disclaimer & removal policy.
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