How much does it cost to get a private pilot license at Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours?

Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours publishes $183 per hour for the Cessna 172 Skyhawk and $70 per hour for instruction on it, checked August 8, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $19,611, in a range of $16,900 to $22,400. 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 Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours.

How long does it take to get a private pilot license at Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours?

Flying twice a week, PilotBound estimates about 6 months at Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours 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 Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school?

Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours 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 Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours's aircraft rates include fuel?

Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours publishes $183 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 8, 2026.

What ratings can you train for at Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours?

Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours trains Private Pilot, Instrument Rating and Commercial Pilot. Instruction is $70 per hour across the ratings it teaches. PilotBound's estimator on this page prices any of these paths on Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours's own published rates.

PilotBoundEvery hour. Every dollar.

PilotBound estimate · Chatham, MA · Checked August 8, 2026

What flight training at Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours costs

Website chathamairport.com/stick-n-rudder-sightseeing-flight-school.html

Your plan

Estimate cost to reach

Flying

Which airplane?

Cessna 172 Skyhawk, $183/hr

Published as $168 to $183/hr; the top of the range is used here.

PilotBound estimate · Private

Examiner data

Cost of your Private at Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours

$19,611

range $16.9K – $22.4K · about 6 months at 2×/week

Priced on Stick'n Rudder's published rates: Cessna 172 Skyhawk at $183/hr + $70/hr instruction, checked August 8, 2026.

Against a minimums quote

at the FAA legal minimums$11,935

at the hours students actually take$19,611

+$7,676 on Stick'n Rudder's own rates. Quotes usually price the 40-hour minimum; almost nobody finishes there.

Where it goes

$16.9K – $22.4K

Aircraft rental$13,176

Instruction$4,060

One-time costs$2,375

Aircraft + instruction$17,236

72 hrs in Cessna 172 Skyhawk @ $183/hr + 58 dual @ $70/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 Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours's published rates. About $2,375 of this is one-time fees (written test, examiner/DPE checkride, medical, gear), typical national estimates, not Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours'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 Stick'n Rudder publishes

checked August 8, 2026

Cessna 172 SkyhawkPublished as $168 to $183/hr; the top of the range is used here.$183/hr fuel basis not stated

Instruction$70/hr

Stick'n Rudder publishes its Cessna 172 as a range, $168 to $183/hr; the estimate uses the top of the range. Rates exclude a fuel surcharge the school says fluctuates, so ask for the current all-in number. Dual instruction is published at $238 to $253/hr, the rental range plus exactly the $70 instruction rate.

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

See the published rates→

Step 2

Turn this into a plan.

Your $19,611 is the starting line. Turn it into a route to your checkride, every step in order with this cost built in.

Add to my plan

What to ask when you call

The marked ones are what Stick'n Rudder'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.
Does the instructor rate change for the Instrument, Commercial, or CFI, or is it flat across everything?
Plenty of schools charge more for advanced instruction. A flat rate quoted for the Private can climb later.
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 Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours's published Cessna 172 Skyhawk 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 Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours. 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 Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours

How much does it cost to get a private pilot license at Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours?: Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours publishes $183 per hour for the Cessna 172 Skyhawk and $70 per hour for instruction on it, checked August 8, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $19,611, in a range of $16,900 to $22,400. 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 Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours.
How long does it take to get a private pilot license at Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours?: Flying twice a week, PilotBound estimates about 6 months at Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours 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 Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school?: Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours 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 Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours's aircraft rates include fuel?: Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours publishes $183 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 8, 2026.
What ratings can you train for at Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours?: Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours trains Private Pilot, Instrument Rating and Commercial Pilot. Instruction is $70 per hour across the ratings it teaches. PilotBound's estimator on this page prices any of these paths on Stick'n Rudder Aero Tours's own published rates.

Other Massachusetts flight schools

AeroVenture · Mansfield
Alpha One Flight Services · Plymouth
Berkshire Aviation Enterprises · Great Barrington
Beverly Flight Center · Beverly
Colonial Air · New Bedford
Eagle East Aviation · North Andover
FCA Flight Center · Fitchburg
First Step Aviation · Pittsfield
Fly Lugu Flight Training · Westfield

All Massachusetts flight schools

Plan the money before you commit

A program price only makes sense next to what each rating costs on its own, what free money exists, and what borrowing actually looks like.

What each rating costs

Honest per-rating ranges, with the fees most quotes leave out.

Free money first

Verified flight training scholarships. Every scholarship dollar is a dollar you never finance.

If you borrow

Compare lenders and see the real monthly payment before you sign.