PilotBound

Rates partly published · Seattle, WA

Flight training at Alternate Air

No instructor rate. Alternate Air publishes rates for all 2 of its airplanes and nothing for instruction, so there is no total on this page.

Checked August 17, 2026 against AOPA flight school finder, Alternate Air at KBFI.

Based at
Boeing Field/King County International(BFI)
FAA part
Not stated on their site
Trains
PPL
Website
alternateair.net

Section 1What is published

Alternate Air's own figures

Checked August 17, 2026 · Source

Alternate Air published aircraft rates
AircraftPublished rateNotes
Cessna 150$95/hrSame rate at Boeing Field and at Auburn.
Cessna 172$140/hrSame rate at Boeing Field and at Auburn.

Wet, stated as "fuel included", plus tax. The school notes that differing fuel costs are what drive prices at its two airports, though both currently price the same.

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 Alternate Air's rates. The middle of what 20 Washington schools charge, to hold your phone quote against.

Trainer, medianWhat the airplane costsRange $114 to $225 per hour.
$160
Instruction, medianWhat the instructor costsAcross 20 schools with published rates.
$65

From the schools here that publish full rate cards, the same sample behind the Flight Training Cost Report. Alternate 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 for46 open to anyone, plus 2 in Washington. Top awards reach $22,200.
48
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
See scholarshipsCompare lenders

Section 4What to ask

What to ask when you call

The marked ones are what Alternate Air's site never answers. The rest are what turns an hourly rate into a real bill.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. Which instructors are available, and what does each charge per hour?Missing from their site

    The rate page prices the aeroplanes and then says only "Instructor Fees: please contact your instructor for payment options", so the CFI rate is set by the individual instructor rather than by the school.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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 Alternate Air gets a full listing with an estimate, marked as sourced by phone on the date you called.

Send what they told you

Section 5Nearby schools

One other school flies from Boeing Field/King County International.

It publishes at least one rate, so there is something to compare before you call. BFI is the identifier to give when you ask.

Every school in the state

20 Washington 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.

All Washington flight schools

Section 6Sources

That the school exists
AOPA flight school finder, Alternate Air at KBFIChecked August 17, 2026
The rates above
Alternate Air rates and payments pageChecked August 17, 2026

Are you Alternate Air? Send your rate card and this becomes a full listing with an estimate, free. Or have it removed.

PilotBound is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Alternate 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 Washington flight schools

All Washington flight schools

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.