The cost of lessons

[legallooptheloop]

Hi,

Just a couple of questions,

I've been quoted £165 per hour of instruction in a PA-28, not sure if this includes landing fees although I've a feeling it does if I purchase membership of the club (£88 for 12 months). Is this a good rate?

Also, for the sake of doing 20 hours, would it be worthwhile going to the US to finish off my ppl there? Whats the usual rate per hour of instruction state-side?

Cheers for any help anyone can provide.

[live2excel]

Personally I think £165 is a little on the steep side. Where I train we charge £145 ph for PA28/C172, £125 for Robin HR200 and I think £120 for C152. As for going to the states, don't forgoet the added costs of accomodation and flights to and from the USA, this itself could add up to thousands!

[legallooptheloop]

I've been offered a cheaper rate if I buy lessons in blocks but a wise man once told me that doing that was a risky business; if the flying school went belly up, I'd lose my money. Any opinions either way?

[legallooptheloop]

I was offered a cheaper rate if I bought lessons in blocks but a wise man once told me that this was a bad idea; if the flying school goes down the tubes, so does my money. Any opinions either way?

[Sam-MAN]

£165 is a bit expensive.

Flying Training with an Instructor Cessna 150 + 152 Dual Training £110.00 Per Hour Grob 115 Dual Training £110.00 Per Hour Cessna 172 Dual Training £127.00 Per Hour Piper PA28 Dual Training £127.00 Per Hour
There the prices for LACflyingschool at Barton Aerodrome and I think they are fairly reasonable considering the fuel prices now.

HTH

Sam

[znww5]

As for buying blocks, the general consensus is that you should use a credit card to protect your money - you'll invariably get nothing back using other payment methods if the school fails.

[Squeegee Longtail]

I have just paid 325 euro (£260) p/hr at Cannes Aviation for some PPL refresher training, which is their standard rate. Then I went for a 7 euro cup of coffee to get over it!!

[SOTV]

Roughly £135 for a 152 inclusive of VAT, landings and no charge for ground school is a fair price.

:ok:

[liam548]

sherburn is £131.50 i think for PA28, you need to join the club though as well

[On the Spot]

apart from the headline price there are other "costs" that you need to consider when you go anywhere US or UK.
For instance if you have a change of instructor you will have some time and cost in bringing your new instructor up to speed with your level of ability. That change may happen more than once depending upon where you and may even be a policy of the organisation not to send you with the same instructor.
How many aircraft and instructors do the organisation have - non availability of either for your lesson is going to mean a step backwards which will be greater in proportion to the time between lessons.
Does the headline rate include the necessary ground brief and debrief or is that charged seperately. Mostly in the UK I find it does but in the US it does not - and ask there if the instructor is actually paid for ground time - if not you may guess how much of a brief / debrief you might end up with. Of course if you are on a package deal it may be different.

Personally I prefer the intensive learning route and for that I went to to the US and flew solidly to do both PPL and IR. Makes the investment in your time and airfares more efficient - if it suits your style of learning.

[Them thar hills]

L L L
It sounds to me that you'd be better off doing your flying where they don't have landing fees.
Sherburn don't charge landing fees for home-based training aircraft although traipsing round 1000ft circuits is a something of a chore in a small aircraft. Usually hire costs are less at smaller grass airfields. You'd enjoy that sort of flying more, and not having to fit into a busy circuit is easier on the brain cells when you're learning.
I reckon my £4-25 an hour at Sherburn was money well spent - not to mention the benefit of learning on a tailwheel aircraft.
tth

[AIRWAY]

Hello,

Big difference in prices nowadays, I asked for the latest prices where I use to fly before ( I want to resume my flying training) and was quoted (for the PA28) £165 per hour (free landing charges), plus a fuel surcharged per minute (can't remember the exact figure now) but it is approx £12 on top of the £165! :sad:

[Pilotdom]

Sherburns AT-3's are £113.00 an hour Dual.

[TheOddOne]

In the London area, expect to pay around £210 an hour chock-to-chock for a decent AVGAS Warrior III, all inclusive of fuel surcharge, landing fees, instructor, including an hour's briefing/debriefing time. Still cheaper than some places!

You can pay less, but it's value for money that counts in the end.

TheOddOne

[englishal]

To be honest, I'd go to the states and do the whole lot there if you have the time (4 weeks). make the most of the cheap $....

You're looking at $150 per hour in a brand new DA40 equiv., or $110 in an old Cessna 172 or Warrior (dual prices), and no "additional" fees.

I'd just get the FAA PPL and use it over here which can be done with no formality.

Additional costs for going to the USA include £400 flight (rtn), $1200 hotel - so £1000. But over 50 hours this is £2750+£1000 as opposed to £8250 + extras. Plus you get to see and do a lot....

Sorry to be negative about UK flight training, but if cost is an issue there is no way that the UK can compete. Wish it could......

[nickyjsmith]

Englishal, i'd agree with that. Been trying to get my ppl finished for about 18 months. Instructors are scarce, planes are getting more expensive to run so you can see schools putting them out of service and don't forget the weather.

My honest opinion, in hind sight i would have gone to the states, you get your licence and a night rating, do a few extra hours and you can convert it back in blighty (100hrs). Then do a few hours with an instructor in the uk to get used to uk airspace. Basic flying training is the same every where.Then there is the weather, that can be expensive as well.

I am no better a pilot than when i had 55 hrs, now i have 80. Thats mainly been keeping current post QXC, waiting for weather, no lessons available or no examiner. £11k so far, you need to be some where you can keep current or it soon costs a fortune.

It really is a shame but it is so expensive to do all your training in the uk unless you can book a plane, instructor, examiner and the weather for 4- 6 weeks.

Don't forget after your uk ppl you will probably have to pay for a night rating (£800ish), in the states's in the licence.

I have had load's of free time over the last 2 years and still could not get all of the above together.Now my exam's are near to expiring as well.

If you can get currency in the uk then great, it's the key to a low hour licence but there are places you can get a much better chance for your money. Reckon my ppl will cost me £12-13k (all in uk), what could i have achieved for that abroard ? PPl,night, hours and mep....

[legallooptheloop]

I just thought I'd have a hunt for this thread and see what was said. I still havn't got round to starting up again which made me wonder what effect the current price of oil as well as the wider economic situation is having on flight training.

Are costs likely to have fallen due to the price of oil or risen slightly due to possibly deminished overall demand?

Cheers.

[eugegall]

At Fairoaks in my warrior i charge £100 wet inc landing fees for my PA 28. instructor is normaly an extra £15/ £20 or so.

[TheGorrilla]

Why not do what the very rich and very stupid people do, buy yourself a plane and teach yourself to fly it!!! :}

[legallooptheloop]

Why not do what the very rich and very stupid people do, buy yourself a plane and teach yourself to fly it!!! http://static.pprune.org/images/smilies/badteeth.gif

Sadly I'm not very rich... I'm a mere half of what that would take.

So is £100/hr wet much cheaper than when oil was high?

[triton140]

Ahh, the joys of Oz ...

I'm paying £88 per hour flying time wet with an instructor, no extra charge for landing fees or briefing/debriefing which are all included - for a Warrior. Plus it's a quiet field, so no waiting for takeoff. And the training area is right by the field, so you get right into it.

Solo, same deal, is £49 per hour wet.

And the sun is shining to boot .........

[gyrotyro]

Squeegy..

"I have just paid 325 euro (£260) p/hr at Cannes Aviation for some PPL refresher training, which is their standard rate. Then I went for a 7 euro cup of coffee to get over it!!"

That's the price of life on the Cote.

Here in the Mayenne you can hire a Robin 4 seater including an instructor for 126 euros to do a 2 year test or any other instruction.

Also a class II medical here is only 30 euros including an ECG. They are now valid in the UK.

[gyrotyro]

Gorrila ...

"Why not do what the very rich and very stupid people do, buy yourself a plane and teach yourself to fly it!!! "

I did that to get my helicopter rating and saved myself about £7000. I did an intensive course in the UK, flew four hours a day and got my license in under three weeks.

Stupid Moi ! Et tu Gorilla ?

[scooter boy]

Gyrotyro, I did the same as you for the PPL(H) - it saved a lot of money, hassle and time.
It allowed me to train for the PPL(H) and continue to work hard at the same time so I could pay the bills (v. important).
With a helicopter this approach is so much more convenient since you can keep it at home (if the garden is big enough).

If you can afford it buy a machine and get an instructor to teach you to fly it.

SB

[007helicopter]

To be honest, I'd go to the states and do the whole lot there if you have the time (4 weeks). make the most of the cheap $....


Englishall - what cheap dollar is that? in the last couple of months the GBP has crashed from £1.00 = $2.06 to £1.00 = $1.48 today, all of a sudden not only the lessons increase but food & board etc


PS How do you make the blue box when quoting or copy & paste some previous text

[jxk]

PS How do you make the blue box when quoting or copy & paste some previous text

Copy & paste the phrase into your reply box THEN highlight it and hit the rightmost icon on the tool-bar.

[Mickey Kaye]

With the present exchange rate isn't south africa about the cheapest place to go.

Sherburns AT-3 are a cracking price 90 quid solo 113 dual. And that for an aircraft less than a year old.