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PilotBound

PilotBound estimate · Minot, ND

What flight training at Minot Aero Center costs

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Flying

Two of them. One is the better equipped for instrument work.

PilotBound estimate · Private

Examiner data

Cost of your Private at Minot Aero Center

$19,035

range $16.4K – $21.7K · about 6 months at 2×/week

Priced on Minot Aero's published rates: Cessna 172L at $175/hr + $70/hr instruction, checked August 6, 2026.

Against a minimums quote

at the FAA legal minimums$11,615
at the hours students actually take$19,035

+$7,500 on Minot Aero's own rates. Quotes usually price the 40-hour minimum; almost nobody finishes there.

Where it goes

$16.4K – $21.7K
Aircraft rental$12,600
Instruction$4,060
One-time costs$2,375
Aircraft + instruction$16,660
72 hrs in Cessna 172L @ $175/hr + 58 dual @ $70/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 Minot Aero Center's published rates. About $2,375 of this is one-time fees (written test, examiner/DPE checkride, medical, gear), typical national estimates, not Minot Aero Center'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 Minot Aero publishes

checked August 6, 2026
Cessna 172LTwo of them. One is the better equipped for instrument work.$175/hr wet
Piper PA-28-151 WarriorTwo of them, the low-wing alternative to the 172 at the same price.$175/hr wet
Bellanca 7GCBC CitabriaTailwheel two-seater. Dearer than the four-seat trainers, so it is for the endorsement rather than the cheap route to a Private.$200/hr wet
Mooney 201 M20JRetractable, so this is the complex trainer.$265/hr wet
Piper PA-34-200 SenecaThe twin.$395/hr wet
Instruction$70/hr

Every rate includes fuel, stated on each aircraft. Ground instruction is charged at the same $70/hr as flight instruction. A 30-minute introductory flight starts at $99. The $70/hr rate is published inside the multi-engine package, and nothing on the site suggests a different rate for the singles, but it is worth confirming.

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

See the published rates→Source 2→

Step 2

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Your $19,035 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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Estimates use Minot Aero Center's published Cessna 172L and instructor rates (checked August 6, 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 Minot Aero Center. 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 Minot Aero Center

How much does it cost to get a private pilot license at Minot Aero Center?
Minot Aero Center publishes $175 per hour for the Cessna 172L and $70 per hour for instruction on it, checked August 6, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $19,035, in a range of $16,400 to $21,700. 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 Minot Aero Center.
How long does it take to get a private pilot license at Minot Aero Center?
Flying twice a week, PilotBound estimates about 6 months at Minot Aero Center 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 Minot Aero Center a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school?
Minot Aero Center 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 Minot Aero Center's aircraft rates include fuel?
Minot Aero Center publishes $175 per hour for the Cessna 172L, 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 6, 2026.
What ratings can you train for at Minot Aero Center?
Minot Aero Center trains Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Multi-Engine (AMEL), Flight Instructor, Instrument Instructor and Multi-Engine Instructor. Instruction is $70 per hour across the ratings it teaches. PilotBound's estimator on this page prices any of these paths on Minot Aero Center's own published rates.

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