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

American Made Aviation publishes $150 per hour for the Van's RV-12iS light sport, Garmin glass and $65 per hour for instruction on it, checked September 5, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $16,945, in a range of $14,600 to $19,300. 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 American Made Aviation.

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

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

American Made 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 American Made Aviation's aircraft rates include fuel?

American Made Aviation publishes $150 per hour for the Van's RV-12iS light sport, Garmin glass, 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 September 5, 2026.

What ratings can you train for at American Made Aviation?

American Made Aviation trains Private Pilot. Instruction runs $65 to $75 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 American Made Aviation's own published rates.

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PilotBound estimate · Mountain Home, ID · Checked September 5, 2026

What flight training at American Made Aviation costs

Website americanmadeaviation.com

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Flying

Which airplane?

Van's RV-12iS light sport, Garmin glass, $150/hr

The only airplane. A special light-sport aircraft, so the advanced ratings are flown in the student's own aeroplane rather than this one. Fuel basis not stated.

PilotBound estimate · Private

Examiner data

Cost of your Private at American Made Aviation

$16,945

range $14.6K – $19.3K · about 6 months at 2×/week

Priced on American Made's published rates: Van's RV-12iS light sport, Garmin glass at $150/hr + $65/hr instruction, checked September 5, 2026.

Against a minimums quote

at the FAA legal minimums$10,455

at the hours students actually take$16,945

+$6,490 on American Made's own rates. Quotes usually price the 40-hour minimum; almost nobody finishes there.

Where it goes

$14.6K – $19.3K

Aircraft rental$10,800

Instruction$3,770

One-time costs$2,375

Aircraft + instruction$14,570

72 hrs in Van's RV-12iS light sport, Garmin glass @ $150/hr + 58 dual @ $65/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 American Made Aviation's published rates. About $2,375 of this is one-time fees (written test, examiner/DPE checkride, medical, gear), typical national estimates, not American Made 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 American Made publishes

checked September 5, 2026

Van's RV-12iS light sport, Garmin glassThe only airplane. A special light-sport aircraft, so the advanced ratings are flown in the student's own aeroplane rather than this one. Fuel basis not stated.$150/hr fuel basis not stated

Instructionstandard $65/hr · instrument instruction $75/hr · commercial instruction $75/hr · CFI candidates $75/hr · CFII candidates $75/hr$65 – $75/hr

One Van's RV-12iS light sport airplane at $150/hr for instructional or personal use, with a $1,350 ten-hour pre-pay; the rates page does not say whether fuel is included. Instruction is $65/hr for Sport, Recreational and Private work and $75/hr for instrument, commercial, instructor and ATP work. Those advanced ratings are taught in a student's own aeroplane, because a special light-sport aircraft cannot be used for an instrument rating, so only the Private is listed as taught here.

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

See the published rates→

Paying for it

Two ways to cover $16,945.

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Scholarships you could apply forTop awards reach $22,200. Every dollar won is a dollar you never finance.: 68
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What to ask when you call

The marked one is what American Made'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.
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.
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 American Made Aviation's published Van's RV-12iS light sport, Garmin glass and instructor rates (checked September 5, 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 American Made 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 American Made Aviation

How much does it cost to get a private pilot license at American Made Aviation?: American Made Aviation publishes $150 per hour for the Van's RV-12iS light sport, Garmin glass and $65 per hour for instruction on it, checked September 5, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $16,945, in a range of $14,600 to $19,300. 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 American Made Aviation.
How long does it take to get a private pilot license at American Made Aviation?: Flying twice a week, PilotBound estimates about 6 months at American Made 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 American Made Aviation a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school?: American Made 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 American Made Aviation's aircraft rates include fuel?: American Made Aviation publishes $150 per hour for the Van's RV-12iS light sport, Garmin glass, 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 September 5, 2026.
What ratings can you train for at American Made Aviation?: American Made Aviation trains Private Pilot. Instruction runs $65 to $75 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 American Made Aviation's own published rates.

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