How much does it cost to get a private pilot license at RVA Flyers?

RVA Flyers publishes $139 per hour for the Diamond DA20 and $95 per hour for instruction on it, checked August 13, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $17,893, in a range of $15,400 to $20,400. 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 RVA Flyers.

How long does it take to get a private pilot license at RVA Flyers?

Flying twice a week, PilotBound estimates about 6 months at RVA Flyers 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 RVA Flyers a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school?

RVA Flyers 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 RVA Flyers's aircraft rates include fuel?

RVA Flyers publishes $139 per hour for the Diamond DA20, a rate that does not say whether fuel is included. Ask before you budget: if the rate turns out to be dry, fuel adds roughly $30 to $60 per hour on top. PilotBound's estimate uses the rate exactly as published. Rates checked August 13, 2026.

What ratings can you train for at RVA Flyers?

RVA Flyers trains Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot and Multi-Engine (AMEL). Instruction is $95 per hour across the ratings it teaches. PilotBound's estimator on this page prices any of these paths on RVA Flyers's own published rates.

PilotBoundEvery hour. Every dollar.

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

What flight training at RVA Flyers costs

Website rvaflyers.com

Your plan

Estimate cost to reach

Flying

Which airplane?

Two-seat trainer; G430, NGT 9000.

PilotBound estimate · Private

Examiner data

Cost of your Private at RVA Flyers

$17,893

range $15.4K – $20.4K · about 6 months at 2×/week

Priced on RVA Flyers's published rates: Diamond DA20 at $139/hr + $95/hr instruction, checked August 13, 2026.

Against a minimums quote

at the FAA legal minimums$10,975

at the hours students actually take$17,893

+$6,918 on RVA Flyers's own rates. Quotes usually price the 40-hour minimum; almost nobody finishes there.

Where it goes

$15.4K – $20.4K

Aircraft rental$10,008

Instruction$5,510

One-time costs$2,375

Aircraft + instruction$15,518

72 hrs in Diamond DA20 @ $139/hr + 58 dual @ $95/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 RVA Flyers's published rates. About $2,375 of this is one-time fees (written test, examiner/DPE checkride, medical, gear), typical national estimates, not RVA Flyers'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 RVA Flyers publishes

checked August 13, 2026

Diamond DA20Two-seat trainer; G430, NGT 9000.$139/hr fuel basis not stated

Diamond DA40G1000, KAP 140 autopilot.$189/hr fuel basis not stated

Diamond DA42Multi-engine trainer; G1000, GFC700 autopilot.$339/hr fuel basis not stated

Instruction$95/hr

RVA Flyers does not say whether its published rates include fuel. This estimate uses the rate exactly as published, so ask before you budget: a dry rate adds roughly $30 to $60 per hour once fuel is on top.

Not published: the examiner's checkride fee, whether rates include fuel. Listed as missing rather than guessed.

See the published rates→

Step 2

Turn this into a plan.

Your $17,893 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 ones are what RVA Flyers's site never answers. The rest are what turns an hourly rate into a real bill.

Do the published aircraft rates include fuel, or is fuel billed separately?Missing from their site
The site does not say, and it is the difference between two rates that look identical and are not.
Does the instructor rate change for the Instrument, Commercial, or CFI, or is it flat across everything?
Plenty of schools charge more for advanced instruction. A flat rate quoted for the Private can climb later.
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 RVA Flyers's published Diamond DA20 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 RVA Flyers. 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 RVA Flyers

How much does it cost to get a private pilot license at RVA Flyers?: RVA Flyers publishes $139 per hour for the Diamond DA20 and $95 per hour for instruction on it, checked August 13, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $17,893, in a range of $15,400 to $20,400. 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 RVA Flyers.
How long does it take to get a private pilot license at RVA Flyers?: Flying twice a week, PilotBound estimates about 6 months at RVA Flyers 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 RVA Flyers a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school?: RVA Flyers 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 RVA Flyers's aircraft rates include fuel?: RVA Flyers publishes $139 per hour for the Diamond DA20, a rate that does not say whether fuel is included. Ask before you budget: if the rate turns out to be dry, fuel adds roughly $30 to $60 per hour on top. PilotBound's estimate uses the rate exactly as published. Rates checked August 13, 2026.
What ratings can you train for at RVA Flyers?: RVA Flyers trains Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot and Multi-Engine (AMEL). Instruction is $95 per hour across the ratings it teaches. PilotBound's estimator on this page prices any of these paths on RVA Flyers's own published rates.

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