How much does it cost to get a private pilot license at Northwest Flight Service?

Northwest Flight Service publishes $225 per hour for the Cessna 172N and $115 per hour for instruction on it, checked September 16, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $25,245, in a range of $21,700 to $28,800. 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 Northwest Flight Service.

How long does it take to get a private pilot license at Northwest Flight Service?

Flying twice a week, PilotBound estimates about 6 months at Northwest Flight Service 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 Northwest Flight Service a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school?

Northwest Flight Service 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 Northwest Flight Service's aircraft rates include fuel?

Northwest Flight Service publishes $225 per hour for the Cessna 172N, 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 September 16, 2026.

What ratings can you train for at Northwest Flight Service?

Northwest Flight Service trains Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Flight Instructor and Instrument Instructor. Instruction is $115 per hour across the ratings it teaches. PilotBound's estimator on this page prices any of these paths on Northwest Flight Service's own published rates.

PilotBoundEvery hour. Every dollar.

PilotBound estimate · Spokane, WA · Checked September 16, 2026

What flight training at Northwest Flight Service costs

Website nwflightservice.com

Phone (509) 458-2359

Section 1Cost estimate

Your plan

Estimate cost to reach

Flying

Which airplane?

1978. Club $195.

PilotBound estimate · Private

Examiner data

Cost of your Private at Northwest Flight Service

$25,245

range $21.7K – $28.8K · about 6 months at 2×/week

Priced on NW Flight Service's published rates: Cessna 172N at $225/hr + $115/hr instruction, checked September 16, 2026.

Against a minimums quote

at the FAA legal minimums$15,055

at the hours students actually take$25,245

+$10,190 on NW Flight Service's own rates. Quotes usually price the 40-hour minimum; almost nobody finishes there.

Where it goes

$21.7K – $28.8K

Aircraft rental$16,200

Instruction$6,670

One-time costs$2,375

Aircraft + instruction$22,870

72 hrs in Cessna 172N @ $225/hr + 58 dual @ $115/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 Northwest Flight Service's published rates. About $2,375 of this is one-time fees (written test, examiner/DPE checkride, medical, gear), typical national estimates, not Northwest Flight Service'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 →

Put this calculator on your site

Section 2The rate card

What NW Flight Service publishes

checked September 16, 2026

Cessna 172N1978. Club $195.$225/hr wet

Cirrus SR20 G62017. Glass, fixed gear. Club $350.$380/hr wet

Cirrus SR20 G72025. Club $395.$425/hr wet

Cirrus SR22T G52016, turbocharged. The school marks it "Limited Use". Club $545.$575/hr wet

Instruction$115/hr

This estimate uses Northwest Flight Service's published non-club wet rates from its June 17, 2026 rate sheet. Club members pay $30/hr less on aircraft and $20/hr less on instruction, for $100 to join plus $100/month or $1,000/year. Cirrus Standardized instruction is billed by the day ($1,200 non-club), not by the hour. A 3% fee applies to credit card payments.

The examiner's checkride fee is not on this card: the examiner sets it, not the school. The estimate above includes PilotBound's own figure for it. NW Flight Service does not state whether it trains under Part 61 or Part 141, so the estimate above is built on Part 61 hours.

See the published rates →Source 2 →

Section 3Discovery flight

$500

Checked September 16, 2026

A Cirrus intro flight, a 15-minute simulator session, a facility tour and an hour's consultation, for up to three people.

See it on their site Call (509) 458-2359

Discovery flight prices in Washington

Section 4Paying for it

Two ways to cover $25,245.

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. Museum of Flight Flight Training ScholarshipsUp to $14,000 · Check dates Youth Aviation Scholarship FundAmount varies · Check dates: 48
Money you pay backLenders that cover $25,245Five of the six lenders in our comparison lend this much. That is whether a loan this size is on offer, not whether you would be approved.: 5 of 6

See scholarships Compare lenders

Section 5Add to my plan

Turn this into a plan.

Your $25,245 is the starting line. Turn it into a route to your checkride, every step in order with this cost built in.

Add to my plan

Section 6What to ask

What to ask when you call

The marked one is what NW Flight Service'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.
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.

Section 7Questions

How much does it cost to get a private pilot license at Northwest Flight Service?: Northwest Flight Service publishes $225 per hour for the Cessna 172N and $115 per hour for instruction on it, checked September 16, 2026. Applied to those published rates, PilotBound estimates a private pilot certificate at about $25,245, in a range of $21,700 to $28,800. 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 Northwest Flight Service.
How long does it take to get a private pilot license at Northwest Flight Service?: Flying twice a week, PilotBound estimates about 6 months at Northwest Flight Service 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 Northwest Flight Service a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school?: Northwest Flight Service 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 Northwest Flight Service's aircraft rates include fuel?: Northwest Flight Service publishes $225 per hour for the Cessna 172N, 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 September 16, 2026.
What ratings can you train for at Northwest Flight Service?: Northwest Flight Service trains Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Flight Instructor and Instrument Instructor. Instruction is $115 per hour across the ratings it teaches. PilotBound's estimator on this page prices any of these paths on Northwest Flight Service's own published rates.

Section 8Sources

Estimates use Northwest Flight Service's published Cessna 172N and instructor rates (checked September 16, 2026), shown in USD for planning only. Real cost varies by student, weather, and pace. A range, not a quote.

PilotBound is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Northwest Flight Service. 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.

Are you NW Flight Service? Every figure here is yours, shown with its source and date.

Send your training part

One other school flies from Spokane International Airport.

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

No Limits AviationPublishes a $205/hr aircraft rate, no instructor rate
Spokane

Every school in the state

Other Washington flight schools

47 North Aviation · Wenatchee
Aero Maintenance Flight Center · Vancouver
All Sports Aviation · Deer Park
Alternate Air · Seattle
Arlington Flight Services · Arlington
Avian Flight Center · Bremerton
Bellingham Aviation Services · Bellingham
Bergstrom Aircraft · Pasco
Cascade Air · Kelso

All Washington flight schools All Spokane 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.

What flight training at Northwest Flight Service costs

Section 1 · Cost estimate

Section 2 · The rate card