Module 01

What it actually costs

US-market ranges for 2026. The low column assumes efficient, frequent training at a modest field; the high column assumes weather delays, a repeated checkride and metro-area rates. Most people land nearer the high column.

FAA Medical (Class 1)

$150 – $300

Get this FIRST. Before a single dollar of instruction — a disqualifying condition found later is the most expensive surprise in aviation.

Private Pilot Licence

$14,000 – $22,000

60–75 hrs

Minimum 40 hours by regulation; the national average is 60–75. Sim experience genuinely helps with instruments and radio work, not with landings.

Instrument Rating

$9,000 – $15,000

40–55 hrs

Where simulator pilots have the biggest head start. Approach plates, holds and scan discipline transfer almost directly.

Commercial Certificate

$22,000 – $35,000

250 hrs total

Requires 250 total hours. Most of the cost here is simply buying flight time, which is why hour-building strategy matters more than school choice.

CFI / CFII / MEI

$8,000 – $16,000

+25–40 hrs

The classic route: get paid to build hours instead of paying for them. Adds cost up front, then reverses your cash flow.

Multi-Engine Rating

$5,000 – $9,000

10–15 hrs

Short but expensive — twins burn $350–500/hr. Many pilots do this late, right before an airline application.

Written exams, checkride fees, headset, charts

$3,000 – $6,500

Examiner fees alone now run $800–$1,200 per checkride, and you may need more than one attempt.

Not included: relocation, loss of income while training full-time, loan interest, and the recurring $400–$900/yr for medicals, currency and insurance once you're flying.

Projected total

$82,475

Scenario · realistic

Already saved

Can put toward flying / month

Still to fund: $77,475
Months of saving: 65
Finish, at this rate: Jan 2032

If that date is more than four years out, you're likely flying too infrequently to retain skill. Either raise the monthly figure, or pause and save first and start training when you can fly twice a week.