How much does it cost to get a private pilot license at Frost Aviation?

Frost Aviation publishes $155 per hour for the Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II and $55 per hour for instruction on it, checked August 8, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $16,725, in a range of $14,400 to $19,100. 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 Frost Aviation.

How long does it take to get a private pilot license at Frost Aviation?

Flying twice a week, PilotBound estimates about 6 months at Frost Aviation 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 Frost Aviation a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school?

Frost Aviation does not state on its own website whether it trains under Part 61 or Part 141, so we do not list one. It is worth asking directly before you enroll: Part 141 follows an FAA-approved syllabus and is generally what VA benefits require, while Part 61 is more flexible on scheduling.

Do Frost Aviation's aircraft rates include fuel?

Frost Aviation publishes $155 per hour for the Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II, 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 checked August 8, 2026.

What ratings can you train for at Frost Aviation?

Frost Aviation trains Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Multi-Engine (AMEL), Flight Instructor, Instrument Instructor and Multi-Engine Instructor. Instruction runs $55 to $90 per hour depending on the rating and the aircraft, since advanced and type-specific instruction is priced above the standard rate. PilotBound's estimator on this page prices any of these paths on Frost Aviation's own published rates.

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PilotBound estimate · Las Cruces, NM · Checked August 8, 2026

What flight training at Frost Aviation costs

Website frostaviation.com

Your plan

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Flying

Which airplane?

PilotBound estimate · Private

Examiner data

Cost of your Private at Frost Aviation

$16,725

range $14.4K – $19.1K · about 6 months at 2×/week

Priced on Frost Aviation's published rates: Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II at $155/hr + $55/hr instruction, checked August 8, 2026.

Against a minimums quote

at the FAA legal minimums$10,335

at the hours students actually take$16,725

+$6,390 on Frost Aviation's own rates. Quotes usually price the 40-hour minimum; almost nobody finishes there.

Where it goes

$14.4K – $19.1K

Aircraft rental$11,160

Instruction$3,190

One-time costs$2,375

Aircraft + instruction$14,350

72 hrs in Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II @ $155/hr + 58 dual @ $55/hr

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

Hours at a steady pace72 hrs

Examiner records (DPE dataset).

The hourly flying is priced on Frost Aviation's published rates. About $2,375 of this is one-time fees (written test, examiner/DPE checkride, medical, gear), typical national estimates, not Frost Aviation's prices, and several 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 →

What Frost Aviation publishes

checked August 8, 2026

Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II (N6235J)$155/hr wet

Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II (N8071Y)$155/hr wet

Piper PA-28-181 Archer II (N8172Q)$155/hr wet

Piper Pilot 100i (N9769F, glass/TAA)All-glass TAA.$155/hr wet

Piper PA-23-250 Aztec (twin)Multi-engine trainer; MEI instruction $90/hr. Instruction in this airplane $90/hr.$320/hr wet

Instructionstandard $55/hr · multi-engine instruction $90/hr$55 – $90/hr

Aircraft rates are wet, plus New Mexico tax. Flight instruction is $55/hr (the school's only posted single-engine instruction rate, listed as instrument/TAA), ground $55/hr, Aztec/multi instruction $90/hr.

Not published: the examiner's checkride fee. Listed as missing rather than guessed.

See the published rates→

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Your $16,725 is the starting line. Turn it into a route to your checkride, every step in order with this cost built in.

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What to ask when you call

The marked one is what Frost Aviation's site never answers. The rest are what turns an hourly rate into a real bill.

What gets billed on top of the hourly rates, and roughly how much per hour does it add?
The site notes extras beyond the hourly figures. Ask for the all-in number per hour, not the base rate.
Which instructor rate applies to each rating I plan to do, and does the higher tier start on day one of that rating?
This school prices some instruction above its primary rate. Knowing when the step-up starts keeps the later ratings from surprising you.
Do you train under Part 61 or Part 141?Missing from their site
It changes the minimum hours, and for some students it changes financing eligibility.
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.

Estimates use Frost Aviation's published Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II and instructor rates (checked August 8, 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 Frost Aviation. 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 Frost Aviation

How much does it cost to get a private pilot license at Frost Aviation?: Frost Aviation publishes $155 per hour for the Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II and $55 per hour for instruction on it, checked August 8, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $16,725, in a range of $14,400 to $19,100. 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 Frost Aviation.
How long does it take to get a private pilot license at Frost Aviation?: Flying twice a week, PilotBound estimates about 6 months at Frost Aviation 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 Frost Aviation a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school?: Frost Aviation does not state on its own website whether it trains under Part 61 or Part 141, so we do not list one. It is worth asking directly before you enroll: Part 141 follows an FAA-approved syllabus and is generally what VA benefits require, while Part 61 is more flexible on scheduling.
Do Frost Aviation's aircraft rates include fuel?: Frost Aviation publishes $155 per hour for the Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II, 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 checked August 8, 2026.
What ratings can you train for at Frost Aviation?: Frost Aviation trains Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Multi-Engine (AMEL), Flight Instructor, Instrument Instructor and Multi-Engine Instructor. Instruction runs $55 to $90 per hour depending on the rating and the aircraft, since advanced and type-specific instruction is priced above the standard rate. PilotBound's estimator on this page prices any of these paths on Frost Aviation's own published rates.

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