PilotBound

Rates partly published · Helena, MT

Flight training at Hendrickson Aviation

No list of ratings taught. Hendrickson publishes a $175/hr aircraft rate and a $75/hr instructor rate and nothing for which ratings it trains, so there is no total on this page.

Checked September 13, 2026 against Hendrickson Aviation home page.

Based at
Helena Regional Airport(HLN)
FAA part
Not stated on their site
Website
hendricksonaviation.com

Section 1What is published

Hendrickson's own figures

Checked September 13, 2026 · Source

Aircraft: $175/hr

Flight instruction: $75/hr

Published as 'Rate for this award winning Citabria $175.00 per hour' and 'Rate for this Instructor $75.00 per hour both on the ground and in the air'. Renters insurance is preferred. The site never says whether fuel is included.

Section 2Why there is no total

An estimate needs a list of ratings taught.

A training total is hours multiplied by rates. With which ratings it trains 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.

  • List of ratings taughtMissing from their site

    Which ratings a school trains decides how far it can take you.

What to compare their answer against

Not Hendrickson's rates. The middle of what 7 Montana schools charge, to hold your phone quote against.

Trainer, medianWhat the airplane costsRange $119 to $184 per hour.
$160
Instruction, medianWhat the instructor costsAcross 7 schools with published rates.
$65

From the schools here that publish full rate cards, the same sample behind the Flight Training Cost Report. Hendrickson 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 for46 open to anyone, plus 1 in Montana. Top awards reach $22,200.
47
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
See scholarshipsCompare lenders

Section 4What to ask

What to ask when you call

The marked ones are what Hendrickson's site never answers. The rest are what turns an hourly rate into a real bill.

  1. Do the published aircraft rates include fuel, or is fuel billed separately?

    The site does not say, and it is the difference between two rates that look identical and are not.

  2. Which certificates and ratings do you train all the way through, and where would I have to go elsewhere?Missing from their site

    This is the difference between one school for your whole path and switching partway.

  3. Can I train for a Private Pilot certificate with you, or do you teach endorsements and aerobatics only?Missing from their site

    The site names tailwheel, spin and aerobatic modules and no certificate course, so what it can take you all the way to is unclear.

  4. Does the $175 include fuel?

    Neither figure on the page says wet or dry.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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 Hendrickson Aviation gets a full listing with an estimate, marked as sourced by phone on the date you called.

Send what they told you

Section 5Nearby schools

One other school flies from Helena Regional Airport.

It does not publish a rate either, so that one is a phone call too. HLN is the identifier to give when you ask.

Every school in the state

7 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.

All Montana flight schools

Section 6Sources

That the school exists
Hendrickson Aviation home pageChecked September 13, 2026
The rates above
Hendrickson Aviation home pageChecked September 13, 2026

Are you Hendrickson 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.

  • Which certificates and ratings you trainSend it

PilotBound is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Hendrickson 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

All Montana 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.