Sacramento flight school

Peterson Aviation: Aviation ground and flight training in Sacramento

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What are the considerations I need to keep in mind as I embark on my flying journey

How do I get started?

The best way to begin is by booking a discovery flight! From there, we will help you apply for your student pilot certificate and medical certificate (required before first solo). To book a discovery flight click here

How long does it take?

The FAA requires a minimum of 40 flight hours, but the national average is closer to 60-70 hours. Depending on your how often you fly and your aptitude for learning new things, this typically takes 6 to 12 months. It is highly recommended to try and fly 2-3 days per week to continue keeping training momentum

Total License Cost?

While costs vary based on hours needed, most students budget between $12,000 and $16,000. This covers aircraft rental, instructor time, books, and testing fees.

Lesson Costs?

A typical lesson is about 1 1/2 hours with 30 minutes of ground and preflight and 45 minutes to an hour of flying. Instructor rate is $80/hr and the wet aircraft rental rate is $195/hr. Most students initially spend approximately $250-$275 per training session. It is important to keep in mind though that as training progresses, training flights get longer to accomodate cross country flights and advanced training.

Peterson Aviation generally uses the ASA Private Pilot Syllabus for lessons.

Estimated costs for obtaining the private pilot rating, using this syllabus are shown below.

NOTE: THIS INFORMATION IS PURELY INFORMATIONAL! Costs are entirely dependent on each students ability and the ability of each student being able to meet the completion standards of each lesson. It is rare for a student to perfectly execute each lesson and learning plateaus are common. For these reasons, students should expect that costs could vary as much as 30% or more.

Not included in the costs below are Designated Pilot Examiner Fees (typically $1,200 to $1,800) and instructor/aircraft time spent with studends preparing them for the written knowledge exam and the actual checkride, often referred to as "mock oral exam" and "mock checkride" (estimate for these are roughly $700).

Private Pilot License Cost