How much should I budget for my PPL?

[flightranger]

Hi Guy's,

How much should I be budgeting to complete my PPL? If you could please give me an idea of all the hidden or expected cost I should be planning for? :suspect:

Thanks,
FlightRanger

[Papa Mike Mike]

The key in consistency which is often driven by weather in the Uk, typical courses are around 6k but if u can keep regular lessons and would budget a further 20% to be sure. Most schools often allow you to pay installment ie 1k every few lessons etc. Florida is always a good option but ensure you keep practice up on return

[Gertrude the Wombat]

What do you want a PPL for?

If it's to tick the box, say to yourself "done that", then move on to the next thing on your list, mountain climbing, extreme knitting, whatever, then you've asked a sensible question to which the answer is around £8k, give or take all the caveats and variations that others are going to add.

If it's for any other reason, like you want to keep on flying after getting your PPL, then it's the wrong question. Anybody can, at today's interest rates, add £8k to their mortgage and not notice the difference - it's not the initial capital cost of getting the licence that's likely to be the limiting factor, it's can you afford £2k/year (or whatever) each and every year thereafter to keep flying.

[RTN11]

Very true wombat.

I see too many students at our school finally pass their PPL after 2 years of training, and then disappear off the books only to let their rating expire 2 years later for the lack of 12 hours flying.

[Yorkphil]

I passed my PPL in February and saved every receipt during my training and then added them all up at the end.

Including cost of medical, license fee, books, exam fees, lessons, landing-fees, a headset, charts, whizwheel etc. it cost me a few pounds short of £9K.

That was for 55 hours inlcuding my night qual (which may have added to the license cost). I was surprised it was that much! :hmm:

It breaks down as:

Lessons 7264.08
Kit 66
Landing Fees 142.35
Membership 296
Medical 180
Exams 636.58
License 260

[whitingiom]

Hi

I started a PPL several years back but due to a shoulder operation which suspended my medical and then work deciding to fly me round Europe every week, I stopped after 11 hours (pre solo).

My 13 year old has now announced that he is aiming to be a pilot and would like to know if he can start lessons.....

Reading this thread, the £8k sounds manageable, also the £2k per annum to keep current....after all my Mrs spends more than that on new cars etc. every year!

Is there anywhere that specialises in training youngsters? I have read stories about 1st solo on 17th birthday etc., and wondered if there is an outfit offering flying hols etc.?

Perhaps we could both go....

Cheers

[BEagle]

Exams 636.58

Why on earth were the exams so expensive?

[codemonkey]

a lot of schools quote ~ £6k for the minimum 45 hours but, realistically, I'd say £10k.

assuming someone who can only fly on weekends then once you factor in lessons cancelled or compromised due to weather, scheduling issues between yourself and instructor, expect 60+ hours of flying to complete the course.

then add any fuel surcharges, landing fees, and this lot has to come it at about £9k.

budget another £1k for a problem free medical, headset and other accessories, books, exam fees and the cost of taking the flying test as well as licence issuance. anything iffy in the medical such as needing an exercise ECG could cost a few hundred more on the basis that it would take too long to have something investigated on the charity of the NHS.

[Gertrude the Wombat]

take too long to have something investigated on the charity of the NHS
Not my experience. Taken instantly into hospital on Easter Saturday, seen by a consultant on Easter Sunday morning, back for various tests quite quickly. NHS verdict, as quickly as one could have expected: "there's nothing wrong with you".

But this opinion wasn't good enough for the CAA who took two years and a grand or so and several more consultants saying the same thing before they gave me my medical back.

[kui2324]

GtW - pleased to hear you were ok, sorry to hear about the fight with the CAA afterwards.

Unfortunately not everyone is seen as an emergency - if the CAA medical ECG finds an 'anomaly' it might not mean whisking off to hospital but will warrant further investigation.

Some of the CAA approved Cardiology Consultants won't see people on the NHS in these circumstances invoking great expense to the prospective pilot.

[Gertrude the Wombat]

Bizarrely enough BUPA paid for most of it, even after the NHS cardiologist had said there was nothing wrong.

[Halfbaked_Boy]

Exams 636.58

Good God...

edited to say - actually, not so ridiculous if this includes flight tests/theory exams etc. Funny how we assume... :)

[Yorkphil]

Exams 636.58 Good God...

edited to say - actually, not so ridiculous if this includes flight tests/theory exams etc. Funny how we assume... http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/smile.gifYes, this included flight tests and all theory exams.

[The500man]

I think your total cost will very much depend on timescale. If you save your money first or take a loan and aim to get the PPL done in 3 to 6 weeks, it would likely cost you alot less than having a lesson a week for two years.

I would say £10k up to maybe as much as £15k for busy small commercial airports like Biggin or Southend depending on lesson frequency, and upto £10k at busy airfields like Stappleford. Probably a few grand less at small, quiet airfields.

You need to think about what you will do next because a cheap PPL isn't necessarily best but why spend money if you don't need to.

Most PPL packages will include the theory exams and also a number of circuits and landings (not as many as you will need). Also membership for a year.

Things to think about that will cost money-

Transport to the airfield.
Circuit/ landing fees (home airfield mostly, but also visited airfields).
Fuel surcharges.
Time spent waiting at the hold for traffic.
Class 1/2 medical plus transport to Gatwick/ Ame.
Books, whizz wheel, ruler/ plotter/ protractor, chart pens, flight board.
map/s.
Headset. (good investment)
Exam resits (not free).
Membership if over 1 year or 6 months or 3 months?
Flight test aircraft hire. (quite expensive)
Examiner fee. (very expensive)
Licence application fee. (ridiculuosly expensive)

Ultimately even simple mistakes can lead to you paying out alot more. For example redoing the qualifying cross country beacuse you got lost or had a rough landingb or made a dodgy join, might easily add £500. A partial/ failed flight test could be even more costly.

[stevelup]

My costs were:-

45 hr package £7400
11 hrs extra £1705
Medical £175
Headset £300
Books £120
Other bits + pieces £100 (approx)
Licence application £180
More medical crap (long story) £400

Total £10380

Exams, RT Practical and Skills test were included in the package.

Damn, I wish I hadn't just added that up... Until just a minute ago, I had been deluding myself that it had cost me 'around 8K'

[stevelup]

Where I was learning, there would be at least a half-hour briefing before most flights. My club runs two hour slots, with one hour of that intended to be airborne, the rest for briefing / planning / debriefing. There was no charge made for this.