View Full Version : How much did your PPL cost you?
Pilot16
28th Jun 2002, 11:07
Hi,
I was wondering how much your PPL cost you alltogether. Please include all the extra costs like the CAA license fees, club membership fees, gound school exam fees, skill Test fees, landing fees etc.
I was calculating the total cost at stapleford, it goes beyond £6000, £6300 to be exact :eek:
I thought it would cost around £5000
or is this only the flying cost of the training :(
sennadog
28th Jun 2002, 11:20
You also have to include the following:
Landing fees,
Trevor Thom books and Confuser,
Charts, Computer etc,
Headsets if you buy one,
Exam fees - £30 per ground exam plus £150 for the GFT,
Ground school at £20 per hour if you take it,
Plus, very few people manage to do it bang on 45 hours so you will have to add a few hundred quid there.
Pilot16
28th Jun 2002, 11:40
btw, all traiing is in a C152
circa £7k...but that included a whole lot of tat from mailorder companies.
I guess we could start another thread..."Most useless thing you've ever bought from the Pilot Shop."
For me, the Into IMC video. Bless him, but the FI is soooo tedious and the production must have cost all of 3/ 6d.:rolleyes:
Aussie Andy
28th Jun 2002, 12:18
I wonder why we focus on the cost of training so much? After all, the costs don't stop once you get your license! In fact, if you go use it a lot, they keep on coming ;)
I've budgeted for 55 hours in a PA-28, so I reckon about £7.5k. That's including all of the essentials, excluding luxuries like my headset.
One thing you've missed out is the Class-2 medical. The cost of that varies a lot (around £100 up to £300), so shop around. You need it before you can go solo.
Andy's right though - the money will keep flowing out after you get the licence. Next year I'm looking at 40 hours plus an IMC, so another £6k or so....
Southern Cross
28th Jun 2002, 12:36
About $5000 NZ I think...which is about £1650 ish, depending on exchange rate movements... in 1993 and 56 hours (legal minimum is 50 in NZ).
Think about it - it would probably be cheaper to fly to NZ and stay there for say 6 weeks to complete PPL from ab initio than to do it in the UK provided you picked your venue and accomodation with some care...
And the terrain around which you would learn would almost certainly be more interesting than say the south of England.
And you could do it during the European winter ie NZ summer, thereby also slipping out of those 3.45pm sunsets...
Aussie Andy
28th Jun 2002, 12:55
... and then convert it when you get back, and then be unaccustomed to UK environment (wx and airspace). But still a good idea - NZ is a beautiful place on the ground... would LOVE to fly around in a PA28 someday!
englishal
28th Jun 2002, 13:11
$5000 US (£3000) for JAA PPL, and a total of 63 hrs in a C172....
EA
ETOPS773
28th Jun 2002, 14:48
£4500 dead on in florida(inc flights,accom,upkeep,and getting signed off in UK at club...)
I`ll do my multi in the UK with the £1500 i saved :)
notice
28th Jun 2002, 18:51
As always, a lot of people are paying more than is necessary.
On the cost of a JAA PPL, I have copied my recent posting below-listing the best offers from July's 'Pilot' magazine. You must check and confirm prices for yourself (see advice below) and these figures are unlikely to include food and getting there. Apart from that and, wherever you train, the licence application fee, it seems possible to obtain a JAA PPL for under £3000, but check for 'extras'.
BTW, I am not recommending anywhere, as individual preferences are different and, if you have plenty of cash and time, you may prefer your local place, rather than a short course.
Also, be warned that any adverts./prices which quote 'per hour' or for a 'course' or 'inclusive' may still require you to spend a lot more money on what they say are essential, or other, extras, in order to obtain a valid licence application. Therefore, make sure you get a WRITTEN quote of the cost, of everything involved, direct from ANYWHERE you're considering.
£4050 (CLACTON) 01255 424671
£3995 (PRESTWICK) 01292 476523
$4495 (EFT) 001 561 466 4757
£2695* (OBA) 0800 892133
$3995 (BFC) 001 863 291 0992
£2995 (OFT) 001 407 518 7766
* price 'including night qualification and radio telephony'
28thJuly2001
28th Jun 2002, 19:02
aarrrrrrrrrggggghhhhhhh
Here we go again......
Walt,,
bandicoot
28th Jun 2002, 19:27
At the end of the day training comes down to cost.
Training in UK might not be the cheapest but I get to stay in the country I like and drink proper beer and enjoy the rain!!
Having extra income helps - I've been running a side line that I found at **Link removed......** thats helping to suppliment the costs...
works for me :)
J
paulo
28th Jun 2002, 21:50
About £6k odd, plus £11.99 for the 'bars'. :D
stiknruda
28th Jun 2002, 23:59
Two divorces, bankruptcy and a life membership(hic) of AA :D
Seriously, rather than venture to the Seychelles for a well earned break from a war-zone paid for by my then employer, Mrs Stik and I settled into a Rondavel in deepest Swazi.
I learned to fly, she refined her polo - and the change bought me my C182 conversion.
In truth - the majority of my first 250 hrs were subsidised! However I have now payed full cost plus for the other 450 hrs.
The Pitts works out at about £90/hr wet over 40hrs/yr, the Aeronca somewhere between £30/40wet over a similar amount. Both aeroplanes are in pristine condition and we daren't even speak about the acquisition/refurb costs.
My aerplane buddies and I have a system when discussing prices in front of our spouses. Ten per cent.
So that new MT prop only cost £180 (1800)
yeah and 4 exhaust valves for the IO-360 were a snip at £58 (580).
You only live once though!!
Stik
englishal
29th Jun 2002, 09:24
I think its important for prospective PPLers to know that training costs vary around the world, and for them to make the choice whether to go to SA, USA, UK etc. themselves by listening to others experiences and to make an informed choice.
The fact is though, if you can't spare a month to go abroad, do your licence in the UK (or your home country). If you can, then go abroad and have a great time....
Cheers
EA:)
Julian
30th Jun 2002, 17:04
About £3500 for the PPL for 62.5 hours and about £1000 for flight, accomodation, food and beer for a months stay in California.
englishal
30th Jun 2002, 17:32
I think you mean.....
£1000 for beer for a months stay in California
:D
notice
30th Jun 2002, 23:08
Dear Evo and other *****.
As I made clear, the list (as below) is from ads. in July's 'Pilot' magazine and is, simply and only, the cheapest JAA PPL courses. The others cover-up the cost of their courses or quote higher prices.
The order is as in 'Pilot' and there is no plugging or recommendation of any location.
It was assumed that 'Clacton' and 'Prestwick' courses are conducted in UK but, as was pointed out, there are many more schools, if you have plenty of time and money.
£4050 (CLACTON) 01255 424671
£3995 (PRESTWICK) 01292 476523
$4495 (EFT) 001 561 466 4757
£2695* (OBA) 0800 892133
$3995 (BFC) 001 863 291 0992
£2995 (OFT) 001 407 518 7766
* price 'including night qualification and radio telephony'
Wee Weasley Welshman
1st Jul 2002, 01:19
You all missed your chance - in 1999/2000 you could have been my student at Welshpool and paid a mere £2,500 for your JAA PPL.
Sadly no longer trading at Welshpool.
:(
I suspect training in the US got a little more worthwhile lately as the dollar slides in value.
WWW
flyboy6876
1st Jul 2002, 03:58
Well, I'm at AU$10750 and still climbing. Mind you, because of working away a lot of the time, my training can be a little intermittent (to say the least:D ) so I tend to go back and cover old ground at times.
As has already been said though, it is all worth it. To me it's not about the money, it's doing something that I've always wanted to do:) .
FlyingForFun
1st Jul 2002, 08:55
If I worked out how much I'd spent on flying, I'd scream so loud that my bank manager would hear, and close my account immediately!
Seriously, though, one poster said that the costs don't stop after your PPL, and that's a very good point. They might go down a bit - you won't be paying for the instructor, and you can afford to fly slightly less frequently (but only slightly!) So a far more useful figure for your own personal accounting, I'd suggest, is how much you spend per month on flying. If you're spending an amount which you can't sustain, you might have to change something...
FFF
-----------
QNH 1013
1st Jul 2002, 10:14
WWW,
(Ex) Welshpool Instructors seem to still be running residential courses at Tatenhill EGBM. A number of PA38s have appeared there. Sorry I don't know any other details except that I heard they had no difficulty getting local B&B accomodation for their students.
I trained in Florida as I considered that it would be cheaper and I would get a sun tan!! I had 4 weeks over there (2 an a half training, 1 and a half on holiday) and spent less than I budgeted for to be honest. This is a basic breakdown:
Course = £2900 (PPL and Night)
Flights = £265
Food = £200
CAA = £205
RT Exam = £100
Books (TT) = £180
CAA Medical = £50
Fun = Priceless!! There are some things that money can't buy etc etc.....!! :-)
If I worked out how much I'd spent on flying, I'd scream so loud that my bank manager would hear, and close my account immediately!
Sod the bank manager ... it's my wife I'm worried about.... ;) :D
Who has control?
1st Jul 2002, 11:15
Its not the cost of gaining the license you have to worry about, after all, you have mentally prepared yourself to spend shed-loads of money and a huge chunk of time & effort.
Its the cost of maintaining the license afterwards that you have to think seriously about.
bouncylandings
2nd Jul 2002, 18:37
"at the end of the day training comes down to cost"
well yes and no.
the *quality* of your instruction, even if it be expensive
instruction, may find you taking less lessons,
costing you less in the long run.
a good instructor will twist and turn
the subject until its put in a way you understand,
and you can benefit from.
practice: you are an individual, no ?
you may be a person that can understand the theory, but needs
more than average practice to get the hang of it (generally
applies to older people), in which case,
try to find a school whose air time is not the most expensive,
generally those that fly cessna152's.
before jumping into any flight school, study them carefully,
talk to their current and ex.students, and do as much
thinking as possible about the type of learning you want to do,
i.e. all at once, one lesson a week, as and when you can afford it, etc. some schools offer discount if you pay large sums up-front. be careful. if you chose a school that subsequently goes bust, you lose your money.
only when you have a list of requirements in front of you can you reallysit down and think "where can my requirements be met at the best price?"
all the best, al
SpinSpinSugar
2nd Jul 2002, 19:09
The equivalent of about £2,600 in 1998, whilst on a gap year in Canada. Can't beat glorious mountain scenery in a C-172 for about £35ph wet!
Of course, as WWW pointed out somewhere above a strong pound/dollar ratio always helps. This autumn should be a good time to take advantage of exchange rates, I intend to :D