Rates partly published · Carson City, NV
Flight training at High Sierra Pilots
No instructor rate. High Sierra Pilots publishes rates for all 15 of its airplanes and nothing for instruction, so there is no total on this page.
Checked August 12, 2026 against AOPA flight school finder, High Sierra Pilots.
- Based at
- Carson City Airport(CXP)
- FAA part
- Not stated on their site
- Phone
- 775-782-9595
- Website
- highsierrapilots.club
Section 1What is published
High Sierra Pilots's own figures
Checked August 20, 2026 · Source
| Aircraft | Published rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cessna 150/150 (N5213Q)1971 | $59.5/hrdry | Two-seat, 150hp conversion. The cheapest aircraft in the club. |
| Piper PA-28-140 (N4566R)1965 | $86.7/hrdry | |
| Piper J-3 Cub (N21881)1938 | $94.35/hrdry | Tailwheel, 85hp. Needs a tailwheel endorsement. |
| Piper Archer II 181 (N9086K)1977 | $99.45/hrdry | |
| Piper Turbo Arrow III (N47740)1977 | $104.55/hrdry | Retractable and turbocharged. The club's complex single. |
| Cessna 172M (N9666V)1974 | $107.95/hrdry | |
| Cessna 172N Superhawk (N1968F)1979 | $116.45/hrdry | 180hp, Dynon SkyView HDX, Garmin 530W. |
| Cessna 172S Skyhawk (N5132R)2001 | $116.45/hrdry | |
| Cessna 172 TAA (N5197R) | $124.95/hrdry | Garmin G3X Touch. The club's technically advanced trainer. |
| Super Decathlon (N404JE)1993 | $129.2/hrdry | Aerobatic tailwheel. |
| Cessna 182P (N8488M)1976 | $129.2/hrdry | High performance, 230hp. |
| Cessna 182N (N92291)1969 | $129.2/hrdry | High performance, 230hp. |
| Cessna 182M (N91508)1969 | $150.45/hrdry | High performance, Garmin GTN 355. |
| Piper Aztec (N98PP)1965 | $164.9/hrdry | Six-seat twin. |
| Cessna T210 (N121JR)1977 | $228.65/hrdry | Retractable, turbocharged, six seats. |
Airframes built 1938 to 2001. Years of manufacture from the FAA aircraft registry, read October 4, 2026.
Every rate is published as "as low as", is DRY (the club states that fuel is not included and that you pay for what you burn), and requires a membership: $95 a month casual, $275 a month core, or $18,000 a year premium. Only the core and premium tiers get discounted flight time, so the published figure is a floor rather than the rate a casual member pays. These are the aircraft based at Carson City that still publish a rate; the club has a second base at Bend, Oregon with five more. One Carson tail that used to be priced here, a PA-28-180 (N7444W), answers with a page carrying navigation and nothing else, so it is not listed. Its neighbours on the same site returned full pages in the same minute, so that is that page and not a block on us.
Section 2Why there is no total
An estimate needs an instructor rate.
A training total is hours multiplied by rates. With instruction 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.
Instructor rateMissing from their site
Instruction is the second biggest line on a training bill, after the airplane.
What to compare their answer against
Not High Sierra Pilots's rates. The middle of what 10 Nevada schools charge, to hold your phone quote against.
- Trainer, medianWhat the airplane costsRange $160 to $235 per hour.
- $175
- Instruction, medianWhat the instructor costsAcross 10 schools with published rates.
- $70
From the schools here that publish full rate cards, the same sample behind the Flight Training Cost Report. High Sierra Pilots 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. Top awards reach $22,200.No Nevada-only awards in the directory yet.
- 51
- 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 High Sierra Pilots's site never answers. The rest are what turns an hourly rate into a real bill.
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.
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.
Your published rates are dry. Roughly what does fuel add per hour on the trainer?
The published figures leave fuel out, so they understate the real hourly cost until you add it.
Which instructor would I be assigned, and what does that instructor charge per hour?Missing from their site
The club does not set an instruction rate. Its How It Works page says only that club CFIs are available and that some offer rates as low as $50/hr with most around $75 or more, which is a description of what independent instructors charge, not a club price.
At my membership tier, what does this specific airplane actually cost per hour, and what should I budget for fuel on top?Missing from their site
Every published figure is an "as low as" number at a discounted tier, and all of them are dry, so two separate adjustments sit between the published rate and your invoice.
Is the monthly membership required for the whole of my training, and does it pause?
A private certificate takes most students the better part of a year, so the membership is a real line in the total and the tiers differ by $180 a month.
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 High Sierra Pilots 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 High Sierra Pilots.
High Sierra Pilots is in the PilotBound app. Choose High Sierra Pilots 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
One other school flies from Carson City Airport.
It publishes a full rate card, so you can compare before you call. CXP is the identifier to give when you ask.
- Sport Aviation CenterFull rate card, Sling 2 LSA at $190/hr and $85/hr instructionCarson City
10 Nevada 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.
- 702 AviationNorth Las Vegas, NV · Checked September 5, 2026$170/hr$55/hr instruction
- All In AviationHenderson and Las Vegas, NV · Checked September 5, 2026$235/hr$110/hr instruction
- Biggest Little Flight SchoolReno, NV · Checked September 10, 2026$169/hr$70 to $80/hr instruction
- ChrisAir AviationNorth Las Vegas, NV · Checked September 10, 2026$160/hr$80 to $100/hr instruction
- El Aero ServicesElko, NV · Checked September 10, 2026$165/hr$50/hr instruction
- Great Basin AviationReno, NV · Checked September 10, 2026$185/hr$80 to $90/hr instruction
Section 7Sources
- That the school exists
- AOPA flight school finder, High Sierra PilotsChecked August 12, 2026
- The rates above
- High Sierra Pilots aircraft pages, one per tailChecked August 20, 2026
Are you High Sierra Pilots? 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 instruction costs per hourSend it
PilotBound is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by High Sierra Pilots. 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 Nevada flight schools
- 702 Aviation · North Las Vegas
- All In Aviation · Henderson and Las Vegas
- AtheneAir Aviation Services · Boulder City
- Aviation of Mesquite · Mesquite
- Biggest Little Flight School · Reno
- Cactus Aviation · Henderson
- Chennault Flying Service · North Las Vegas
- ChrisAir Aviation · North Las Vegas
- Desert Dogs Aviation · North Las Vegas
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