Flight training at Aviation of Mesquite

1. 1

   What do you charge per hour for flight instruction, and is ground instruction billed at the same rate?Missing from their site

   This is the number that is missing from the site. Ground is often billed separately and at a different rate.

2. 2

   Does the instructor rate change for the Instrument, Commercial, or CFI, or is it flat across everything?Missing from their site

   Plenty of schools charge more for advanced instruction. A flat rate quoted for the Private can climb later.

3. 3

   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.

4. 4

   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.

5. 5

   What do you charge per hour for the airplane and for instruction?Missing from their site

   There is no website at all, so nothing about the cost can be checked in advance.

6. 6

   Which aircraft do you train in, and is tailwheel instruction in the same airplane?Missing from their site

   AOPA's record lists tailwheel among their training, which is unusual for a school this small and may mean the trainer is a taildragger.

7. 7

   Are you based at Mesquite full time, and what are your hours?

   AOPA lists them as by appointment only, and the listed phone is an Idaho area code, so confirm someone is on the field when you plan to fly.

8. 8

   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.

9. 9

   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.

10. 10

    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.

What to compare their answer against

Not Aviation of Mesquite's rates. The middle of what 11 Nevada schools charge, to hold your phone quote against.

From the schools here that publish full rate cards, the same sample behind the Flight Training Cost Report. Aviation of Mesquite is not in it.

What we checked

No website in AOPA's record and none found elsewhere, so nothing about this school's pricing can be checked before calling. It is real: AOPA carries a business-confirmed record at Mesquite Airport tagging it Part 61 and listing private pilot, commercial, instrument, tailwheel and flight reviews, by appointment. The listed phone number carries an Idaho area code, and Mesquite is a small city-owned field on the Arizona line, so confirm availability before travelling.