How much does it cost to get a private pilot license at Lavion Aero?

Lavion Aero publishes $125 per hour for the Cessna 150L and $55 per hour for instruction on it, checked August 12, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $14,565, in a range of $12,500 to $16,600. 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 Lavion Aero.

How long does it take to get a private pilot license at Lavion Aero?

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

Lavion Aero 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 Lavion Aero's aircraft rates include fuel?

Lavion Aero publishes $125 per hour for the Cessna 150L, 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 12, 2026.

What ratings can you train for at Lavion Aero?

Lavion Aero trains Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Multi-Engine (AMEL) and Flight Instructor. Instruction runs $55 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 Lavion Aero's own published rates.

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PilotBound estimate · Zeeland, MI · Checked August 12, 2026

What flight training at Lavion Aero costs

Website lavion.aero

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Flying

Which airplane?

Two-seat, the lowest-cost line.

PilotBound estimate · Private

Examiner data

Cost of your Private at Lavion Aero

$14,565

range $12.5K – $16.6K · about 6 months at 2×/week

Priced on Lavion Aero's published rates: Cessna 150L at $125/hr + $55/hr instruction, checked August 12, 2026.

Against a minimums quote

at the FAA legal minimums$9,135

at the hours students actually take$14,565

+$5,430 on Lavion Aero's own rates. Quotes usually price the 40-hour minimum; almost nobody finishes there.

Where it goes

$12.5K – $16.6K

Aircraft rental$9,000

Instruction$3,190

One-time costs$2,375

Aircraft + instruction$12,190

72 hrs in Cessna 150L @ $125/hr + 58 dual @ $55/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 Lavion Aero's published rates. About $2,375 of this is one-time fees (written test, examiner/DPE checkride, medical, gear), typical national estimates, not Lavion Aero'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 Lavion Aero publishes

checked August 12, 2026

Cessna 172N (N378TG)The primary trainer; the only tail the site numbers.$160/hr wet

Piper Cherokee 140Lowest-cost 4-seat trainer.$140/hr wet

Grumman Cheetah AA-5A$150/hr wet

Liberty XL-2Two-seat.$140/hr wet

Cessna 150LTwo-seat, the lowest-cost line.$125/hr wet

Piper PA-30 Twin ComancheTwin, for the multi-engine rating. Instruction $75/hr.$299/hr wet

Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser (seaplane)Seaplane/tailwheel.$200/hr wet

Instructionstandard $55/hr · instrument instruction $65/hr · CFI candidates $65/hr · multi-engine instruction $75/hr$55 – $75/hr

Rates are wet (fuel and oil included), billed in 0.1-hour increments. Instruction is $55/hr for the Private and Commercial, $65/hr for the Instrument and CFI, and $75/hr for multi-engine.

Not published: the examiner's checkride fee. Listed as missing rather than guessed.

See the published rates→

Paying for it

Two ways to cover $14,565.

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.

Scholarships you could apply forTop awards reach $22,200. Every dollar won is a dollar you never finance.: 68
Lenders that cover $14,565All six lenders in our comparison lend this much. That is whether a loan this size is on offer, not whether you would be approved.: 6 of 6

See what you could win →or compare the six lenders →

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Your $14,565 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 one is what Lavion Aero's site never answers. The rest are what turns an hourly rate into a real bill.

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 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 Lavion Aero's published Cessna 150L and instructor rates (checked August 12, 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 Lavion Aero. 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 Lavion Aero

How much does it cost to get a private pilot license at Lavion Aero?: Lavion Aero publishes $125 per hour for the Cessna 150L and $55 per hour for instruction on it, checked August 12, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $14,565, in a range of $12,500 to $16,600. 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 Lavion Aero.
How long does it take to get a private pilot license at Lavion Aero?: Flying twice a week, PilotBound estimates about 6 months at Lavion Aero 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 Lavion Aero a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school?: Lavion Aero 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 Lavion Aero's aircraft rates include fuel?: Lavion Aero publishes $125 per hour for the Cessna 150L, 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 12, 2026.
What ratings can you train for at Lavion Aero?: Lavion Aero trains Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Multi-Engine (AMEL) and Flight Instructor. Instruction runs $55 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 Lavion Aero's own published rates.

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