Rates partly published · Missoula, MT
Flight training at Foster Aviation
No aircraft rate. Foster Aviation publishes a $200/hr aircraft rate and a $60/hr instructor rate and nothing for the airplanes, so there is no total on this page.
Checked October 12, 2026 against Foster Aviation site.
- Based at
- Missoula Montana Airport(MSO)
- FAA part
- Not stated on their site
- Trains
- PPL
- Phone
- 406-493-5986
- Website
- flyfosteraviation.com
Section 1What is published
Foster Aviation's own figures
Checked October 12, 2026 · Source
| Aircraft | Published rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| American Champion Citabria 7GCBC (1997) | $200/hr | Wet. Tailwheel, flown for tailwheel, spin, upset-recovery and backcountry training. |
Flight instruction: $60/hr
Instruction is $60/hr for ground and flight, including backcountry instruction. The school's one airplane is a 1997 Citabria at $200/hr wet, used for tailwheel, spin, upset-recovery and backcountry training rather than for the Private. Private pilot training is flown in Minuteman Aviation's rental aircraft at the same airport, which Minuteman prices, or in your own airplane.
Section 2Why there is no total
An estimate needs an aircraft rate.
A training total is hours multiplied by rates. With the airplanes unpriced there is nothing to multiply, and we will not fill the gap with a plausible number: every figure on this site carries a link that shows it today.
Aircraft rateMissing from their site
The airplane is the biggest line on a training bill.
What to compare their answer against
Not Foster Aviation's rates. The middle of what 8 Montana schools charge, to hold your phone quote against.
- Trainer, medianWhat the airplane costsRange $119 to $215 per hour.
- $165
- Instruction, medianWhat the instructor costsAcross 8 schools with published rates.
- $75
From the schools here that publish full rate cards, the same sample behind the Flight Training Cost Report. Foster Aviation is not in it.
Section 3Paying for it
Two ways to pay for it.
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.
- Money you keepScholarships you could apply for51 open to anyone, plus 1 in Montana. Top awards reach $22,200.
- Montana Aviation Scholarship Program$1,500 – $4,000 · Open · closes in 32 days
- 52
- Money you pay backLenders that fund flight trainingSix lenders, compared on the limits and rates they publish. That is what is on offer, not whether you would be approved.
- 6
Section 4What to ask
What to ask when you call
The marked ones are what Foster Aviation's site never answers. The rest are what turns an hourly rate into a real bill.
What is the hourly rate on your cheapest trainer, and which airplane is that?Missing from their site
This is the number that is missing from the site, and it is the largest line on your bill.
Is that rate wet or dry, meaning does it include fuel?Missing from their site
A dry rate and a wet rate are not comparable. Dry rates can run $40 to $60 an hour lower for the same airplane.
Which Minuteman Aviation airplane would I train in for the Private, and what does it rent for today?Missing from their site
Foster teaches the Private in another operator's rental aircraft, so the airplane half of your hour is set by Minuteman and not by this school.
Can the Citabria be used for primary training, and what does that change?
It is the one airplane the school owns, and the site presents it for tailwheel and backcountry work.
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.
Called them? Send us what they said.
Send the number over and Foster Aviation gets a full listing with an estimate, marked as sourced by phone on the date you called.
Send what they told youSection 5In the app
Track your training at Foster Aviation.
Foster Aviation is in the PilotBound app. Choose Foster Aviation when you set up and enter the rates it gives you; the app prices your training on them and tracks every flight you log against the projection.
Scan to download on your iPhone
Section 6Nearby schools
2 other schools fly from Missoula Montana Airport.
1 of them publishes at least one rate. MSO is the identifier to give when you ask.
- Northstar Jet Flight SchoolFull rate card, $165/hr aircraft and $65/hr instructionMissoula
- Minuteman AviationPublishes no ratesMissoula
8 Montana schools publish a full rate card.
Each one has an estimate built on its own published rates. Listed alphabetically, because ordering them by price would be a ranking this page is not making.
- Angle of Attack AEROnauticsAnaconda, MT · Checked September 5, 2026$135/hr$55/hr instruction
- Blue Goose AviationPolson, MT · Checked September 12, 2026$160/hr$60/hr instruction
- Butte AviationButte, MT · Checked October 12, 2026$150/hr$60/hr instruction
- Cloud Catcher AviationGreat Falls, MT · Checked September 12, 2026$175/hr$85/hr instruction
- Fly With VirgaLivingston, MT · Checked September 12, 2026$119/hr$75/hr instruction
- Northstar Jet Flight SchoolMissoula, MT · Checked September 16, 2026$165/hr$65/hr instruction
Section 7Sources
- That the school exists
- Foster Aviation siteChecked October 12, 2026
- The rates above
- Foster Aviation private pilot training pageChecked October 12, 2026
Are you Foster Aviation? Send your rate card and this becomes a full listing with an estimate, free. Or have it removed.
This page says one thing is not stated on your site. Send us where it is published and it shows here instead.
- What your aircraft rent for per hourSend it
PilotBound is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Foster Aviation. School names are used only to identify the school. Rates shown are the school's own published figures with the date we checked them. This page carries no PilotBound estimate, because the school does not publish enough for one. Disclaimer & removal policy.
Other Montana flight schools
- A-Tec Aircraft Maintenance Center · Hamilton
- Angle of Attack AEROnautics · Anaconda
- Backcountry Flying Experience · Bigfork
- Bitterroot Aviation · Stevensville
- Blue Goose Aviation · Polson
- Bridger Aviation Services · Three Forks
- Butte Aviation · Butte
- Cloud Catcher Aviation · Great Falls
- Dillon Flying Service · Dillon
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
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