PilotBound estimate · Waterloo, IA
What flight training at Livingston Aviation costs
Your plan
Estimate cost to reach
Flying
IFR equipped, but a two-seater, so it is not the right default for the Commercial.
PilotBound estimate · Private
Examiner dataCost of your Private at Livingston Aviation
range $9.9K – $13.2K · about 6 months at 2×/week
Priced on Livingston's published rates: Cessna 152 at $91/hr + $45/hr instruction, checked August 6, 2026.
Against a minimums quote
+$4,000 on Livingston's own rates. Quotes usually price the 40-hour minimum; almost nobody finishes there.
Where it goes
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
Examiner records (DPE dataset).
The hourly flying is priced on Livingston Aviation's published rates. About $2,375 of this is one-time fees (written test, examiner/DPE checkride, medical, gear), typical national estimates, not Livingston 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 Livingston publishes
checked August 6, 2026Rates are wet: Livingston states "fuel is included". Flight and ground instruction are the same $45/hr. The Cessna 152 is IFR equipped, which is unusual for a 152 and is why Livingston offers it as the budget route to an instrument rating.
Not published: the examiner's checkride fee. Listed as missing rather than guessed.
Step 2
Turn this into a plan.
Your $11,537 is the starting line. Turn it into a route to your checkride, every step in order with this cost built in.
Add to my planEstimates use Livingston Aviation's published Cessna 152 and instructor rates (checked August 6, 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 Livingston 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 Livingston Aviation
- How much does it cost to get a private pilot license at Livingston Aviation?
- Livingston Aviation publishes $91 per hour for the Cessna 152 and $45 per hour for instruction on it, checked August 6, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $11,537, in a range of $9,900 to $13,200. 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 Livingston Aviation.
- How long does it take to get a private pilot license at Livingston Aviation?
- Flying twice a week, PilotBound estimates about 6 months at Livingston 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 Livingston Aviation a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school?
- Livingston 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 Livingston Aviation's aircraft rates include fuel?
- Livingston Aviation publishes $91 per hour for the Cessna 152, 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 6, 2026.
- What ratings can you train for at Livingston Aviation?
- Livingston Aviation trains Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Multi-Engine (AMEL), Flight Instructor and Instrument Instructor. Instruction is $45 per hour across the ratings it teaches. PilotBound's estimator on this page prices any of these paths on Livingston Aviation's own published rates.
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