What should a PPL cost?

[AF1]

Is this a fair deal?

Aussie PPL, 42 hours flying in PA28/38, inlcludes all except theory lectures, landing fees, and accom.

AU$12,000.

Its the school I want to use and comes highly recommended, but to me seems quite pricey. the average prices I have seen elsewhere range from 7-9k for a PPL.

Is it too much, or worth paying for a good setup? :confused:

Thanks

[QNIM]

AF1 12 Grand is far too much should be around 9, and don't pay up front as you may turn up one day and find the doors shut. Cheers Q

[CurtissJenny]

42 hours to get a PPL !

One presumes that that means 20 hours to get the GFPT plus an hour for the test.
Then he goes on to do the PPL in 20 hours plus a 1 hour test.

And pigs may fly !

AF1 check your private mail.


CJ.

[Rich-Fine-Green]

CJ is right.

42 hours for a PPL is suspect.

Moreover, did the 12K quote include theory, medicals, fluffy dice etc.

A PPL 'quote' is like a piece of string. I'm sure the lower quotes you got did not include briefings & theory. Of course theory can be self study but good briefings (i.e. paid briefings) are vital.

Find out what it includes. Ask around for 'realistic' hours for a PPL as well. Then compare apples.

Be prepared to pay more for better condition aircraft/recommended schools etc.

[Islander Jock]

AF1,

QNIM's estimate is probably closer to the mark as far as cost goes and as RFG said "How long is a piece of string".

I have seen PPL students doing full time get through in minimum hours but they came fully prepared and had been studying the training manuals well before starting their flying. On the other hand, I know of one or two who have over 30hrs and still not gone solo.

12K is a bit high compared to what the going rate is at the moment but is probably what the rate SHOULD be. Just imagine what GA could do with a realistic price structure for flying training commensurate with the effort and hours worked. I'm thinking of things like new aircraft, better pay and conditions for instructors etc.

[Blue Hauler]

AF1

The above posters have alluded to the difficulty in assessing the final cost of obtaining a PPL. The factors involved in your ultimate arrival at the end of training with a PPL include:
 Your commitment throughout the course.
 Available time to undertake the course – weeks. If the course drags out so will the need to constantly revise.
 The commitment of your CFI and the instructor/s he/she assigns to your training.

Flying training is performance based and you could ask the school to provide flight hours or dollar values to key markers such as first solo, area solo, GFPT, solo NAV and ppl.

If you find that your training goals are not being achieved at each key marker, meet with the CFI and determine why. If his/her answer doesn’t ring true, go somewhere else. If you are the problem then expect to pay extra to achieve the skill.

Your commitment is usually the key to your success. Study hard throughout the course, stay one lesson ahead (theory) in the air exercises. Re-read each exercise before the lesson. Review your progress sheet. Know your checks and drills. It is very expensive to repeat a demonstration/practice or stumble through the checklist whilst the engine is running.

A good instructor will fully brief you on the air exercise and lesson plan. During the lesson he/she will demonstrate the exercise with just sufficient commentary for you to grasp the facts. You will then be given the opportunity to practice during which your instructor will offer advice. He/she will assess your standard and grade your progress sheet accordingly. After the exercise you should be fully debriefed. The instructor should be committed to your progress, not his/her hours in a logbook!

You are paying for a service therefore you have the right to demand performance and quality training.

[Gnd Power]

AF1

Got this from a fairly reputable Victorian Organisations website. Hopefully you can follow the cut and paste.

Two things stand out to me , one is that this reputable company comes in with a cost of $8106 for the flying component (around $4000 cheaper than the company you are looking at).

The other is the note at the bottom stating that this price is based on min legal hours (40 odd hours) and that up to 65 hours may be the norm.

Anyway, good luck whichever way you go.


MINIMUM LEGAL TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

General Flying Proficiency Test
(GFPT) and Private Pilot Licence
THEORY REQUIREMENTS

DESCRIPTION COST TOTAL COST
Basic Aeronautical Knowledge Exam Fee $80.00

Private Pilot Licence exam fee $176.00
$256.00AU
Student Pilot Kit $148.00

Private Pilot Licence Kit $192.00 $596.00AU

Alternatively attend lectures conducted by training Staff

Basic Aeronautical Knowledge $385.00

Private Pilot Licence $825.00 $1,715.00AU

Private Tuition per hour $ 42.00

Maps, Charts & Publications, equipment and Incidentals $275.00






MINIMUM LEGAL TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

General Flying Proficiency Test (GFPT) in C150 Aircraft

Dual Flight hrs.
14 hrs
@$175.00 per hr $2450.00

Solo Flight hrs.
5 hrs
@$102.00 per hr
$510.00

Simulator hrs.
1 hr
@$128.00 per hr
$128.00

Flight Test Fee $185.00

Flight Test A/c 1.5 hrs
@$99.00 per hr
$ 148.50
$3,471.00



P.P.L. Training / PA 28 Aircraft Costs in Australia dollars

Dual Flight hrs.
15 hrs
@ $207.00 per hr
$3,105.00

Solo Flight hrs. 5 hrs
@ $134.00 per hr $670.00

Simulator 1 hr
@ $128.00 per hr $128.00
$3,903.00



Flight Test Fee $330.00

Flight Test Aircraft 3.0
@ $134.00 per hr $402.00

Total Licence Cost $8106.00


Please Note: The average time taken to achieve the required standard at the private level is around 65 hours total training time (dual & solo). It is much more realistic to budget on the fact that your training will probably be somewhere around this time, rather than closer to the legal minimum time required of 40 hours. People learn to fly at quite differing rates of progress and this makes it very difficult to state training costs precisely. However, MINIMUM LEGAL TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

[prop man]

I did mine last year, flight test on Sept 11!!!!

All in cost was around 7K, I did however have a few hours from 20yrs ago, soloed after 4 hrs. I did it in 4 weeks full time & think the intensive routes works pretty well as long as you don't over load yourself. I was lucky as well in that the ex CFI was giving round school for beer money. This route also saves you money if you are paying for accomodation. The thing to also check is that there is availability with the aircraft / instructor that you need, we were continually juggling round to get the right aircraft at the right time.

[YPJT]

From a fairly reputable WA based organisation

COSTS

It is difficult to give an exact quote of how much it will cost you to learn to fly, but we can give an estimate based on the average number of hours taken to qualify.

Medical examination: $110.00

Text books:

To General Flying Progress Test stage $154.00

To Private and Commercial Licence $198.00

Documents and navigation equipment $275.00

Flying :
Costs of dual training will vary between $148.00 and $187.00 per hour depending on which aircraft you chose to train in.

To General Flying Progress Test:

Average 20 Hours dual @ $151.80 $3036.00

5 Hours Supervised Solo @ $132.00 $660.00

Landing fees $440.00

$4136.00

From GFPT to Private Pilot Licence:

15 hours dual @ $170.50 $2557.50

5 hours supervised solo @ $145.00 $725.00

Flight test, 2.5 hours @ $170.50 $426.25

PPL Examination fee $77.00

PPL Application Fee $27.50

Landing Fees $165.00

$3978.25

Commercial Pilot Licence:

The costs of obtaining a commercial Pilot licence vary widely depending on the level of experience of the student. Courses are individually tailored for the students by the Chief Flying Instructor. The AVERAGE cost of gaining the Commercial Licence from scratch is $35,000.00

These costs are based on the average number of hours required.