PilotBound estimate · St. Charles, MO
What flight training at St. Charles Flying Service costs
Their published rates: $168.2/hr aircraft (wet) + $75/hr instructor·verified July 22, 2026 SourceSource 2
Dual instruction at $75/hr includes ground school and pre- and post-flight briefings. Buying 10 flight hours at a time earns a free 11th hour.
Estimate cost to reach
Flying
Two-seat trainer.
PilotBound estimate · Private
Cost of your Private at St. Charles Flying Service
Most likely around $18,775, about 6 months at 2x/week. A range, not a promise.
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
Typical national figures, not the school's prices. The FAA written test and examiner (DPE) fees are set by third parties.
Examiner records (DPE dataset).
Your first certificate. Fly passengers, day or night, in good weather.
The hourly flying is priced on St. Charles Flying Service's published rates. Each rating also folds in its one-time fees (written test, examiner/DPE checkride, medical, gear), about $3,550 across the path. Those are typical national estimates, not St. Charles Flying Service's prices, and several (the FAA written test and examiner fees) 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 →
Step 2 · Plan
Your $18,775 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 St. Charles Flying Service's published Cessna 152 and instructor rates (verified July 22, 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 St. Charles Flying Service. 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 St. Charles Flying Service
- How much does it cost to get a private pilot license at St. Charles Flying Service?
- St. Charles Flying Service publishes $168 per hour for the Cessna 152 and $75 per hour for instruction on it, verified July 22, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $18,775, in a range of $16,100 to $21,400. 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 St. Charles Flying Service.
- How long does it take to get a private pilot license at St. Charles Flying Service?
- Flying twice a week, PilotBound estimates about 6 months at St. Charles Flying Service 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 St. Charles Flying Service a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school?
- St. Charles Flying Service trains under both Part 61 and Part 141, so you can pick the structured FAA-approved course or the flexible path. Part 141 is the one that matters for VA benefits and for the lower paper minimum on the private certificate; Part 61 is the one that bends around a full-time job.
- Do St. Charles Flying Service's aircraft rates include fuel?
- St. Charles Flying Service publishes $168 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 verified July 22, 2026.
- What ratings can you train for at St. Charles Flying Service?
- St. Charles Flying Service trains Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Multi-Engine (AMEL), Flight Instructor and Instrument Instructor. Instruction is $75 per hour across the ratings it teaches. PilotBound's estimator on this page prices any of these paths on St. Charles Flying Service's own published rates.
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