Rates partly published · North Charleston, SC
Flight training at Charleston Flight School
No instructor rate. Charleston publishes rates for all 21 of its airplanes and nothing for instruction, so there is no total on this page.
Checked September 13, 2026 against Charleston Flight School FAQ.
- FAA part
- Not stated on their site
- Trains
- PPL · IR · CPL · Multi · CFI · CFII
- Website
- chsflightschool.com
Section 1What is published
Charleston's own figures
Checked September 13, 2026 · Source
| Aircraft | Published rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cessna 172 (N9395H)1975 | $170/hr | Lowest-cost 172 in the fleet. |
| Cessna 172P (N53794)1981 | $185/hr | |
| Cessna 172K (N84342)1969 | $185/hr | |
| Cessna 172XP (N8939V)1977 | $185/hr | 210 HP Hawk XP; needs a high-performance endorsement. |
| Piper Warrior PA-28 (N84054)1981 | $189/hr | |
| Cessna 172P (N522SK)1980 | $195/hr | |
| Cessna 172M (N9881V)1974 | $195/hr | |
| Cessna 172P (N65003)1982 | $195/hr | |
| Cessna 172N (N633MT)1976 | $195/hr | |
| Cessna 172N (N5605J) | $195/hr | |
| Cessna 172P (N53077)1981 | $195/hr | |
| Cessna 172N (N4859F)1979 | $195/hr | |
| Cessna 172R (N480ER)1998 | $195/hr | |
| Beech C23 Sundowner (N686PS) | $195/hr | |
| Beechcraft Sundowner (N6723C)1982 | $195/hr | |
| Cessna 172N (N737RP)1977 | $199/hr | |
| Cessna 172N (N7338F)1979 | $200/hr | |
| Beech Sierra (N953ER)1978 | $245/hr | Retractable/complex. |
| Cirrus SR20 G6 (N179MR)2019 | $345/hr | Glass + parachute, TAA. |
| Piper PA-39 Twin Comanche (N8869Y)1970 | $375/hr | Twin. |
| Piper Seneca PA-34-200 (N1042U)1971 | $400/hr | Multi-engine trainer. |
Airframes built 1969 to 2019. Years of manufacture from the FAA aircraft registry, read September 16, 2026.
Charleston publishes these as Aviation Club Membership Rates; its site also advertises pay as you go with no recurring monthly fees. Confirm any membership terms with the school.
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 Charleston's rates. The middle of what 6 South Carolina schools charge, to hold your phone quote against.
- Trainer, medianWhat the airplane costsRange $109.95 to $255 per hour.
- $169
- Instruction, medianWhat the instructor costsAcross 6 schools with published rates.
- $55
From the schools here that publish full rate cards, the same sample behind the Flight Training Cost Report. Charleston 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 for46 open to anyone. Top awards reach $22,200.No South Carolina-only awards in the directory yet.
- 46
- 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 Charleston'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.
Do the published aircraft rates include fuel, or is fuel billed separately?
The site does not say, and it is the difference between two rates that look identical and are not.
Your FAQ puts a Private at roughly $14,000 to $16,000 at minimum hours. What instructor rate is that built on?Missing from their site
The school has done the arithmetic to publish a total, so the hourly figure behind it exists.
Are the published rates member rates, and is membership required?
The rate page calls them Aviation Club Membership Rates while the site elsewhere advertises no recurring fees. Those cannot both describe the same deal.
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 Charleston Flight School gets a full listing with an estimate, marked as sourced by phone on the date you called.
Send what they told youSection 5Nearby schools
6 South Carolina 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.
- ACES Flight SchoolRock Hill & Pelion (plus Monroe, NC), SC · Checked September 8, 2026$169/hr$50 to $65/hr instruction
- Aeronautical Services of GreenwoodGreenwood, SC · Checked September 9, 2026$109.95/hr$40/hr instruction
- CRAFT Flight Training & SimulationNorth Charleston, SC · Checked September 9, 2026$255/hr$65 to $75/hr instruction
- Greenville AviationGreenville, SC · Checked September 12, 2026$155/hr$60/hr instruction
- Pivotal AviationSpartanburg, SC · Checked September 5, 2026$135/hr$49/hr instruction
- Upstate Flight SchoolSeneca, SC · Checked September 5, 2026$175/hr$55/hr instruction
Section 6Sources
- That the school exists
- Charleston Flight School FAQChecked September 13, 2026
- The rates above
- Charleston Flight School plane rentalsChecked September 13, 2026
Are you Charleston Flight School? 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 Charleston Flight School. 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 South Carolina flight schools
- Ace Basin Aviation · Walterboro
- ACES Flight School · Rock Hill & Pelion (plus Monroe, NC)
- Aero II · Spartanburg
- Aeronautical Services of Greenwood · Greenwood
- Aiken Pilot Training · Aiken
- Aloft Aviation Services · Spartanburg
- ASG Flight Training Academy · Greenville
- CAVU Flight School · Greenville
- CRAFT Flight Training & Simulation · North Charleston
All South Carolina flight schoolsAll North Charleston flight schools
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