How much does it cost to get a private pilot license at Pilots Choice Aviation?

Pilots Choice Aviation publishes $139 per hour for the Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk and $55 per hour for instruction on it, checked August 12, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $15,573, in a range of $13,400 to $17,800. 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 Pilots Choice Aviation.

How long does it take to get a private pilot license at Pilots Choice Aviation?

Flying twice a week, PilotBound estimates about 6 months at Pilots Choice Aviation 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 Pilots Choice Aviation a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school?

Pilots Choice Aviation 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 Pilots Choice Aviation's aircraft rates include fuel?

Pilots Choice Aviation publishes $139 per hour for the Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk, 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 12, 2026.

What ratings can you train for at Pilots Choice Aviation?

Pilots Choice Aviation trains Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Multi-Engine (AMEL), Flight Instructor, Instrument Instructor and Multi-Engine Instructor. Instruction runs $55 to $65 per hour depending on the rating and the aircraft, since advanced and type-specific instruction is priced above the standard rate. PilotBound's estimator on this page prices any of these paths on Pilots Choice Aviation's own published rates.

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PilotBound estimate · Georgetown, TX · Checked August 12, 2026

What flight training at Pilots Choice Aviation costs

Website pilotschoice.com

Your plan

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Flying

Which airplane?

Six of them. The school's stated primary trainer, two seats.

PilotBound estimate · Private

Examiner data

Cost of your Private at Pilots Choice Aviation

$15,573

range $13.4K – $17.8K · about 6 months at 2×/week

Priced on Pilots Choice's published rates: Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk at $139/hr + $55/hr instruction, checked August 12, 2026.

Against a minimums quote

at the FAA legal minimums$9,695

at the hours students actually take$15,573

+$5,878 on Pilots Choice's own rates. Quotes usually price the 40-hour minimum; almost nobody finishes there.

Where it goes

$13.4K – $17.8K

Aircraft rental$10,008

Instruction$3,190

One-time costs$2,375

Aircraft + instruction$13,198

72 hrs in Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk @ $139/hr + 58 dual @ $55/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 Pilots Choice Aviation's published rates. About $2,375 of this is one-time fees (written test, examiner/DPE checkride, medical, gear), typical national estimates, not Pilots Choice Aviation'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 Pilots Choice publishes

checked August 12, 2026

Piper PA-38-112 TomahawkSix of them. The school's stated primary trainer, two seats.$139/hr wet

Piper PA-28-161 WarriorGarmin 430W/GTN650.$185/hr wet

Piper PA-28-181 ArcherGarmin G600 glass.$190/hr wet

Beechcraft BE-76 Duchess (twin)Two of them, Garmin 430W. The multi-engine trainer.$325/hr wet

Instructionstandard $55/hr · instrument instruction $60/hr · commercial instruction $60/hr · CFI candidates $65/hr · CFII candidates $65/hr · multi-engine instruction $65/hr$55 – $65/hr

Rates are published as wet. Pilots Choice takes $2/hr off the aircraft rate for cash or check. It also lists a $75/hr instruction tier that applies only to your own aircraft or ATP training, which this estimate does not use.

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

See the published rates→

Step 2

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Your $15,573 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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What to ask when you call

The marked one is what Pilots Choice'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.
Which instructor rate applies to each rating I plan to do, and does the higher tier start on day one of that rating?
This school prices some instruction above its primary rate. Knowing when the step-up starts keeps the later ratings from surprising you.
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.

Estimates use Pilots Choice Aviation's published Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk and instructor rates (checked August 12, 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 Pilots Choice Aviation. 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 Pilots Choice Aviation

How much does it cost to get a private pilot license at Pilots Choice Aviation?: Pilots Choice Aviation publishes $139 per hour for the Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk and $55 per hour for instruction on it, checked August 12, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $15,573, in a range of $13,400 to $17,800. 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 Pilots Choice Aviation.
How long does it take to get a private pilot license at Pilots Choice Aviation?: Flying twice a week, PilotBound estimates about 6 months at Pilots Choice Aviation 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 Pilots Choice Aviation a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school?: Pilots Choice Aviation 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 Pilots Choice Aviation's aircraft rates include fuel?: Pilots Choice Aviation publishes $139 per hour for the Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk, 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 12, 2026.
What ratings can you train for at Pilots Choice Aviation?: Pilots Choice Aviation trains Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Multi-Engine (AMEL), Flight Instructor, Instrument Instructor and Multi-Engine Instructor. Instruction runs $55 to $65 per hour depending on the rating and the aircraft, since advanced and type-specific instruction is priced above the standard rate. PilotBound's estimator on this page prices any of these paths on Pilots Choice Aviation's own published rates.

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