Flight Training

Earn a Private Pilot Certificate

Many people dream of flying. You can be one of those who do it!

If you are interested in flying for fun or for transportation, the first step is to earn a Private Pilot Certificate. This allows you to fly a single engine general aviation airplane. From there the sky is no longer your limit. You can add a multi-engine rating, fly sea planes, learn to fly through the clouds,… or whatever you are interested in learning next! You may even decide that you love to fly so much (like us!), that you want to do this for a living. If so, you will earn your Instrument Rating, and then after 250 hours of flight time, your Commercial Rating. 

Total cost for any rating is hard to determine, as every individual learns at a different rate. For the Private Certificate, the minimum FAA requirement is 40 hours of flight time. The national average is higher, but the majority of our students are seeing success with less flight time than the national average. To maximize efficiency, and minimize your cost, we recommend that you undergo flight training and ground training at the same time. Although we understand that most people would rather fly than study, the time spent on the ground will increase your learning in the sky, and the skills you learn in the air will help make what you study on the ground more relevant.

How fast one acquires these skills is different for each person. A great deal depends on how often you can fly, and how much time you can devote to studying. Learning to fly is like learning a new language. The closer together the lessons are - the more is retained and fewer number of total hours it takes. The harder you work on this knowledge component the faster you will succeed. We "teach to proficiency" – we have to assure that you have mastered the required skills to keep you (and your passengers) safe.

That being said: It usually costs approximately $7,000-12,000 for a Private Pilot Certificate. In the end you have a Private Pilot Certificate for life.  The cost of each lesson will vary, because various skills require different time in the air to acquire. The beginning lessons will be shorter, while the cross country flights will be the longest. The majority of the lessons will be approximately 1-1.5 hour(s) of flying time each. 

We use Cessna 172 at the beginning of a student’s training. I find that they are more stable and less prone to being tossed about, and thus easier for beginning students. I charge $149/hr. for the aircraft. That price includes fuel and the insurance. The instructor is $45 for private certificate training. We can move to the 150 once you are controlling the aircraft and have a better understanding of how to manage changes in the air, if you are small enough to be comfortable in the aircraft. Our 150 cost $109/hr.

To earn your Private Certificate, the student needs to pass a written knowledge exam, an oral knowledge exam and a flight exam. We hold ground school sessions of 12 weeks / 2 hour classes each week, to assure that students acquire the knowledge to be safe and pass the knowledge components. We are continuously running sessions. Ask about the current schedule. Even if we are in the middle of a session, feel free to jump in. A full 12 week program costs only $200.

We accept payment of any form, and payments can be made after each lesson, or in advance to gain a discount.

We fly whenever the weather permits, 7 days a week. We are very flexible, in order to accommodate our students' schedules. We operate out of the Lenawee County Airport (KADG), a fantastic airport to practice. This airport has a 5,000 ft. paved runway and a lovely grass runway as well.

Give us a call to take an introductory lesson for only $80! This is a low cost way to find out if flying is for you. After your flight, we will spend as much time with you as you would like to talk about the process of earning your wings.