How much does it cost to get a private pilot license at Highlands Aero Flight Center?

Highlands Aero Flight Center publishes $155 per hour for the Pipistrel Alpha Trainer and $60 per hour for instruction on it, checked August 13, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $17,015, in a range of $14,600 to $19,400. 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 Highlands Aero Flight Center.

How long does it take to get a private pilot license at Highlands Aero Flight Center?

Flying twice a week, PilotBound estimates about 6 months at Highlands Aero 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 Highlands Aero Flight Center a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school?

Highlands Aero 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 Highlands Aero Flight Center's aircraft rates include fuel?

Highlands Aero Flight Center publishes $155 per hour for the Pipistrel Alpha Trainer, 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 13, 2026.

What ratings can you train for at Highlands Aero Flight Center?

Highlands Aero Flight Center trains Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Flight Instructor and Instrument Instructor. Instruction runs $60 to $70 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 Highlands Aero Flight Center's own published rates.

PilotBoundEvery hour. Every dollar.

PilotBound estimate · Abingdon, VA · Checked August 13, 2026

What flight training at Highlands Aero Flight Center costs

Website highlandsaero.com

Your plan

Estimate cost to reach

Flying

Which airplane?

Pipistrel Alpha Trainer, $155/hr

Two-seat light-sport, wet.

PilotBound estimate · Private

Examiner data

Cost of your Private at Highlands Aero Flight Center

$17,015

range $14.6K – $19.4K · about 6 months at 2×/week

Priced on Highlands Aero's published rates: Pipistrel Alpha Trainer at $155/hr + $60/hr instruction, checked August 13, 2026.

Against a minimums quote

at the FAA legal minimums$10,495

at the hours students actually take$17,015

+$6,520 on Highlands Aero's own rates. Quotes usually price the 40-hour minimum; almost nobody finishes there.

Where it goes

$14.6K – $19.4K

Aircraft rental$11,160

Instruction$3,480

One-time costs$2,375

Aircraft + instruction$14,640

72 hrs in Pipistrel Alpha Trainer @ $155/hr + 58 dual @ $60/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 Highlands Aero 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 Highlands Aero 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 →

What Highlands Aero publishes

checked August 13, 2026

Pipistrel Alpha TrainerTwo-seat light-sport, wet.$155/hr wet

Instructionstandard $60/hr · instrument instruction $70/hr · commercial instruction $70/hr · CFI candidates $70/hr · CFII candidates $70/hr$60 – $70/hr

Highlands Aero's fleet page gives the Alpha Trainer as $155 to $165 per hour and its course pages quote $155; the lower, repeated figure is used here. The Alpha Trainer is a two-seat light-sport aeroplane and is the school's only aircraft, so the instrument and commercial training it advertises would not be flown in it. Block rates of $1,500 for 10 hours, $3,600 for 25 and $7,000 for 50 are published as an alternative.

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

See the published rates→

Step 2

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Your $17,015 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 Highlands Aero'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 Highlands Aero Flight Center's published Pipistrel Alpha Trainer and instructor rates (checked August 13, 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 Highlands Aero 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.

Common questions about Highlands Aero Flight Center

How much does it cost to get a private pilot license at Highlands Aero Flight Center?: Highlands Aero Flight Center publishes $155 per hour for the Pipistrel Alpha Trainer and $60 per hour for instruction on it, checked August 13, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $17,015, in a range of $14,600 to $19,400. 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 Highlands Aero Flight Center.
How long does it take to get a private pilot license at Highlands Aero Flight Center?: Flying twice a week, PilotBound estimates about 6 months at Highlands Aero 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 Highlands Aero Flight Center a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school?: Highlands Aero 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 Highlands Aero Flight Center's aircraft rates include fuel?: Highlands Aero Flight Center publishes $155 per hour for the Pipistrel Alpha Trainer, 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 13, 2026.
What ratings can you train for at Highlands Aero Flight Center?: Highlands Aero Flight Center trains Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Flight Instructor and Instrument Instructor. Instruction runs $60 to $70 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 Highlands Aero Flight Center's own published rates.

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