Rates partly published · Chattanooga, TN
Flight training at Crystal Air
No aircraft rate. Crystal Air publishes rates for all 3 of its airplanes and a $70/hr instructor rate and nothing for the airplanes, so there is no total on this page.
Checked August 17, 2026 against AOPA flight school finder, Crystal Air at KCHA.
- Based at
- Lovell Field(CHA)
- FAA part
- Part 61
- Trains
- PPL
- Phone
- 423-236-5100
- Website
- flycrystalair.com
Section 1What is published
Crystal Air's own figures
Checked September 13, 2026 · Source
| Aircraft | Published rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cessna 162 Skycatcher | $140/hr | Two-seat, light sport. |
| Cessna 182 | $335/hr | High performance. |
| Tecnam P2006T | $345/hr | Twin. |
Flight instruction: $70/hr
Only three of Crystal Air's aircraft carry a single figure. Its two TRAINERS are priced as ranges: the Cessna 172 at $190 to $275/hr on one page and $190 to $245/hr on another, and the Vans RV-12 at $140 to $160/hr. A range is not a rate, and the two pages do not agree about the top of the 172's.
Section 2Why there is no total
An estimate needs an aircraft rate.
A training total is hours multiplied by rates. With the airplanes 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.
Aircraft rateMissing from their site
The airplane is the biggest line on a training bill.
What to compare their answer against
Not Crystal Air's rates. The middle of what 11 Tennessee schools charge, to hold your phone quote against.
- Trainer, medianWhat the airplane costsRange $135 to $205 per hour.
- $160
- Instruction, medianWhat the instructor costsAcross 11 schools with published rates.
- $63
From the schools here that publish full rate cards, the same sample behind the Flight Training Cost Report. Crystal Air 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 for51 open to anyone. Top awards reach $22,200.No Tennessee-only awards in the directory yet.
- 51
- 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 Crystal Air's site never answers. The rest are what turns an hourly rate into a real bill.
What is the hourly rate on your cheapest trainer, and which airplane is that?Missing from their site
This is the number that is missing from the site, and it is the largest line on your bill.
Is that rate wet or dry, meaning does it include fuel?Missing from their site
A dry rate and a wet rate are not comparable. Dry rates can run $40 to $60 an hour lower for the same airplane.
What does the Cessna 172 actually cost per hour, and what puts it at the bottom or the top of the range?Missing from their site
The 172 is the trainer and it is the one aircraft with no single price: $190 to $275/hr on the flight instruction page and $190 to $245/hr on the about page.
Which aircraft would I fly for a Private, and at which end of its range?
The RV-12 is also a range, so both of the aircraft a beginner would use are quoted as bands rather than prices.
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 Crystal Air gets a full listing with an estimate, marked as sourced by phone on the date you called.
Send what they told youSection 5In the app
Track your training at Crystal Air.
Crystal Air is in the PilotBound app. Choose Crystal Air when you set up and enter the rates it gives you; the app prices your training on them and tracks every flight you log against the projection.
Scan to download on your iPhone
Section 6Nearby schools
One other school flies from Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (Lovell Field).
It publishes a full rate card, so you can compare before you call. CHA is the identifier to give when you ask.
- Hixson Aviation Flying ClubFull rate card, Cessna 152 at $135/hr and $55/hr instructionChattanooga
11 Tennessee 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.
- Fast Track Flight TrainingKnoxville, TN · Checked September 16, 2026$180/hr$75/hr instruction
- Flying High AgainSmyrna, TN · Checked September 16, 2026$205/hr$60 to $85/hr instruction
- Hixson Aviation Flying ClubChattanooga, TN · Checked September 16, 2026$135/hr$55/hr instruction
- Knoxville Flight Training AcademyKnoxville, TN · Checked September 16, 2026$185/hr$65/hr instruction
- Morristown Flying ServiceMorristown, TN · Checked September 16, 2026$145/hr$50/hr instruction
- Murfreesboro AviationMurfreesboro, TN · Checked September 10, 2026$160/hr$63/hr instruction
Section 7Sources
- That the school exists
- AOPA flight school finder, Crystal Air at KCHAChecked August 17, 2026
- The rates above
- Crystal Air flight instruction pageChecked September 13, 2026
Are you Crystal Air? 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 your aircraft rent for per hourSend it
PilotBound is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Crystal Air. 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 Tennessee flight schools
- Aileron Aviation · Sparta
- Aviation Specialists · Apison
- AVZ Aviation · Alcoa
- Azure Flight Support · Crossville
- Blue Skies Flight Academy · Sparta
- Buzz Air Flight Academy · Clarksville
- Elizabethton Flight Training Center · Elizabethton
- Fast Track Flight Training · Knoxville
- Flying High Again · Smyrna
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