Posted on May 22, 2017
How much will my flight training cost?
This is a question asked by every student pilot and is often one of the greatest concerns when choosing a flight school or training program. Deciding to become a Pilot is a high involvement decision and requires a lot of thought and consideration.
The total cost of your training will depend on what your aviation goals are. Some people want to become Airline Pilots and some people only want to fly for fun as Private Pilots. As you can see there is a clear difference between the two goals and therefore there will be a distinct difference in the cost of training.
Let’s talk about how we arrive at a figure for flight training; breaking up the different elements will help you have a greater understanding of what you’re paying for.
In order to earn a license or rating, you need to fulfill certain requirements, which are set forth by the country’s aviation authority. In our case, in Pakistan, the Civil Aviation Authority decides what the requirements are for each license or rating. As a Flight Training Organization it is our job to make sure that all of our students meet those requirements.
The Civil Aviation Authority requires all students to complete a ground course and a flight training course and this is the case in every country. We are required to teach students several subjects during the ground portion, which range from Air Law to Meteorology and Aircraft Performance. We charge a fee for ground school based on the course you’re taking. If you’re taking a Private Pilot Course the fee is less than if you’re taking an Integrated Commercial Pilot Course – simple.
Flight training is billed at an hourly rate and the hourly rate is a little different based on the make and model of aircraft you choose to fly or are required to fly during your training. A smaller aircraft, which burns less fuel per hour, is going to be cheaper than a larger aircraft, which burns more fuel per hour. The Civil Aviation Authority decides how many minimum hours of flight training are required for each license or rating, and you simply multiply the number of hours you are required to fly by the hourly rate of the aircraft. However those are the minimum number of hours required; some students may require more flight training hours to learn than others, every student is different.
If you choose to enroll in an integrated course you will be required to fly fewer hours than if you enroll in a modular course. An integrated course requires a firmer time commitment and also requires you to complete the course in a fixed period of time. A modular course is a little more flexible in regards to time but does require you fly more hours. For example, an integrated Private Pilot’s License Course needs to completed within eight months and requires a minimum of 40 hours of flight training, whereas a modular course can be completed in longer than eight months but requires a minimum of 50 hours of flight training.
Do I have to pay all of my training costs in one go?
The simple answer is, no you most certainly don’t. In order to begin flight training you only need to pay our club membership fee, security deposit and ground school fee, which is based on the course you have selected. The flight-training amount is paid hourly once you begin flying, which is usually after your ground school portion has been completed.
The estimated costs we quote are based on CAA minimums; some students may not complete the course in the minimum amount of flying hours or in the maximum timeframe allotted by the CAA. In those cases the cost will be slightly more and this varies from student to student.
At the time this article was written the estimated cost for the Professional Pilot Course (PPL+CPL+IR) is PKR 3,451,000, which includes ground school, books & material as well as 190 hours of flight training. This amount does not include CAA medical and examination fees or licensing fees. The current cost for our Integrated Private Pilot’s License Course is PKR 816,000, which also does not include CAA medical and licensing fees, but does include ground school and books.
For more information on course details please visit the course detail pages here:
We will always help and guide you as to which flight-training route is best for you based on your aviation goals and personal schedule.
