Rates partly published · Mitchell, SD
Flight training at Dakota Flight Center
No instructor rate. Dakota Flight publishes rates for all 5 of its airplanes and nothing for instruction, so there is no total on this page.
Checked September 13, 2026 against Dakota Flight Center private pilot page.
- Based at
- Mitchell Municipal Airport(MHE)
- FAA part
- Not stated on their site
- Phone
- (605)299-4359
- Website
- dakotaflight.com
Section 1What is published
Dakota Flight's own figures
Checked September 13, 2026 · Source
| Aircraft | Published rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Piper J-3 Cub | $120/hr | Light sport and tailwheel endorsement work. |
| American Legend Cub | $130/hr | Light sport and tailwheel endorsement work. |
| Piper Cherokee Warrior | $160/hr | Described as the primary beginner training aircraft. |
| Cessna 182 RG | $250/hr | Retractable and high performance, so this is the advanced trainer. |
| Grumman GA-7 Cougar | $350/hr | The twin, published as the advanced training aircraft for the multi-engine rating. |
The per-aircraft pages give a rental figure each, and each one says the rate includes fuel. A helicopter is published at $350/hr for rent by rated pilots, with training in it not currently offered. Dakota Flight also publishes a Private Pilot budget of $10,000 to $12,000, which is a planning figure rather than a rate.
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 Dakota Flight's rates. South Dakota has too few published rate cards for a state median, so this is all 535 schools we track, to hold your phone quote against.
- Trainer, medianWhat the airplane costsRange $52 to $430 per hour.
- $165
- Instruction, medianWhat the instructor costsAcross 535 schools with published rates.
- $66
From the schools here that publish full rate cards, the same sample behind the Flight Training Cost Report. Dakota Flight 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 Dakota-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 Dakota Flight'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.
What does an instructor cost per hour today?Missing from their site
The budget page implies $65/hr, but the rental figure in that same table works out at $125/hr against a published $160, so the table looks out of date and the instruction figure with it.
Is the Warrior still $160?
The aircraft page and the budget page disagree about it, which is the clearest sign one of the two has not been updated.
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 Dakota Flight Center gets a full listing with an estimate, marked as sourced by phone on the date you called.
Send what they told youSection 5Nearby schools
One South Dakota school publishes 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.
- Legacy AviationTea, SD · Checked September 16, 2026$192.77/hr$67.73 to $78.15/hr instruction
Section 6Sources
- That the school exists
- Dakota Flight Center private pilot pageChecked September 13, 2026
- The rates above
- Dakota Flight Center aircraft pagesChecked September 13, 2026
Are you Dakota Flight Center? 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 Dakota Flight Center. 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 Dakota flight schools
- Aberdeen Flying Service · Aberdeen
- ATY Aviation · Watertown
- Black Hills Aero · Spearfish
- Dakota Aviation · Canton
- Eagle Aviation · Spearfish
- Hangar 9 · Aberdeen
- Legacy Aviation · Tea
- Mustang Aviation · Pierre
- Plane Training · Rapid City
Plan the money before you commit
A program price only makes sense next to what each rating costs on its own, what free money exists, and what borrowing actually looks like.
What each rating costs
Honest per-rating ranges, with the fees most quotes leave out.
Free money first
Verified flight training scholarships. Every scholarship dollar is a dollar you never finance.
If you borrow
Compare lenders and see the real monthly payment before you sign.