PilotBound estimate · Smithfield, RI · Checked September 10, 2026
What flight training at North Central Flight Center costs
Website ripilot.us
Phone 401-425-7780
Section 1Cost estimate
Your plan
Estimate cost to reach
Flying
Wet.
PilotBound estimate · Private
Examiner dataCost of your Private at North Central Flight Center
range $17.4K – $23K · about 6 months at 2×/week
Priced on North Central's published rates: Piper Warrior at $175/hr + $90/hr instruction, checked September 10, 2026.
Against a minimums quote
+$7,940 on North Central's own rates. Quotes usually price the 40-hour minimum; almost nobody finishes there.
Where it goes
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
Examiner records (DPE dataset).
The hourly flying is priced on North Central Flight Center's published rates. About $2,375 of this is one-time fees (written test, examiner/DPE checkride, medical, gear), typical national estimates, not North Central Flight 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 →
Put this calculator on your siteSection 2The rate card
What North Central publishes
checked September 10, 2026Estimate uses North Central's standard rates. 10-hour block purchases lower the Warrior to $170/hr and instruction to $85/hr per their site.
The examiner's checkride fee is not on this card: the examiner sets it, not the school. The estimate above includes PilotBound's own figure for it. North Central does not state whether it trains under Part 61 or Part 141, so the estimate above is built on Part 61 hours.
Section 3Discovery flight
$200
Checked September 14, 2026
One hour with an instructor.
Section 4Paying for it
Two ways to cover $20,195.
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 Rhode Island. Top awards reach $22,200.
- Aero Club of New England Flight Training Scholarships$1,000 – $10,000 · Check dates
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- Money you pay backLenders that cover $20,195Five of the six lenders in our comparison lend this much. That is whether a loan this size is on offer, not whether you would be approved.
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Section 5Add to my plan
Turn this into a plan.
Your $20,195 is the starting line. Turn it into a route to your checkride, every step in order with this cost built in.
Add to my planSection 6What to ask
What to ask when you call
The marked one is what North Central'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.
Does the instructor rate change for the Instrument, Commercial, or CFI, or is it flat across everything?
Plenty of schools charge more for advanced instruction. A flat rate quoted for the Private can climb later.
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.
Section 7Questions
- How much does it cost to get a private pilot license at North Central Flight Center?
- North Central Flight Center publishes $175 per hour for the Piper Warrior and $90 per hour for instruction on it, checked September 10, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $20,195, in a range of $17,400 to $23,000. 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 North Central Flight Center.
- How long does it take to get a private pilot license at North Central Flight Center?
- Flying twice a week, PilotBound estimates about 6 months at North Central Flight 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 North Central Flight Center a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school?
- North Central Flight 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 North Central Flight Center's aircraft rates include fuel?
- North Central Flight Center publishes $175 per hour for the Piper Warrior, 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 September 10, 2026.
- What ratings can you train for at North Central Flight Center?
- North Central Flight Center trains Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Flight Instructor and Instrument Instructor. Instruction is $90 per hour across the ratings it teaches. PilotBound's estimator on this page prices any of these paths on North Central Flight Center's own published rates.
Section 8Sources
Estimates use North Central Flight Center's published Piper Warrior and instructor rates (checked September 10, 2026), shown in USD for planning only. Real cost varies by student, weather, and pace. A range, not a quote.
PilotBound is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by North Central Flight 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.
Are you North Central? Every figure here is yours, shown with its source and date.
One other school flies from North Central State Airport.
It publishes at least one rate, so there is something to compare before you call. SFZ is the identifier to give when you ask.
- Air Ventures Flying SchoolPublishes a $90/hr instructor rate, no aircraft rateSmithfield
Other Rhode Island flight schools
- Air Ventures Flying School · Smithfield
- Horizon Aviation · Warwick
- Newport Aviation · Middletown
- Simmons Aviation Services · Westerly
- Westerly Aviation · Westerly
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Honest per-rating ranges, with the fees most quotes leave out.
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