How would a CPL have cost in 1988?
 

I started learning to fly out of Bankstown Airport in 1987 and obtained a single engine VFR CPL in 1988.
I flew Cessna 152, Cessna 172, and Piper Warrior at the Illawarra Flying School, and Socata Tobago TB10, and Trinidad TB20 over at AFTS.
Looking at my logbook, in the end when I got my CPL I had: 83 hours Command, 33 hours ICUS, 77 hours Dual.

Can anyone who was an instructor (or student) in those days care to estimate how much it would have cost?
Thank you so much.

I think it was about $85 solo and $110 dual back then.

Probably about $30-35k all up.

I was an instructor at Moorabbin at the time.

I started out in '83 with JBA at BK. I was paying $48/hr dual for a Tomahawk for the RPPL. I then went over to AFTS to do my UPPL/NVMC/CPL because I really liked the looks of then new Tobagos and Trinidads which IIRC were around $75hr dual for the Tobago and $95 for the Trinny. A Duchess was about 150/hrl I think the damage up to CPL and IR was about 22.5K.

Kika

I went to the Civil Air Training Academy in 1989/1990. The cost of the course was $30k. This got you a CPL with multi-engine.

For comparison I ran that through the RBA inflation calculator for 2020 and it came up with $65000

That is worth $73 896 in 2020 dollars

In 1960 a 15 minute TIF was 15 shillings ($1.50) and an hour dual was £4/10/- ($9) in a Chipmunk. At the time as a 16 or 17 year old I was earning £8/10/- per week.

In 1988/89 I owned a number of aircraft, don't remember all the training and charter rates but the Cessna 172 training rate was $110 solo and $125 dual.

It was $25/hr when I started in 1974. That was in a C150, same for dual and solo.

As an aside, I believe the general standard of training and testing was better back then than it is now.

Yep about 30k I reckon, my first flight was 55/hr from memory around that mid to late 80s era

My recollection is that the full “Approved Course” (UK CAA) was around £25,000 at the time, with the “self-improver” route costing half. GBP-AUD was around 1:3…

In the US, I was paying $25-40/hour, with one offer of $12 dry rate. A US Commercial was believed to cost about half the UK rate.

UK typical quote for a PPL was £2,000, whereas it went as low as $1500 in US. Now I’m seeing $10,000 mentioned.

In 1985 the TKFS Seneca 1 was $140/hr. That included TK himself. :D

And the packet of durries which he kept on the fuel selectors!:E

$25k CPL & MECIR
 

G’day All,

I started ASBK in ‘89, $91 dual, $81 solo in the Pa28.

Did my Unrestricted PPL + NVFR, then a 30 hour trip getting lost in the outback. Back the the flying school and straight onto the Instrument Rating on the Pa28, then the Mighty Duchess, Be76, to finish off.

I had about 155 hours at the end of the MECIR, so only needed to do a few Nav’s to be ready for the CPL test.

Then out looking for a job with all the others at the back end of the pilots dispute.

Much of the cost increase in flying training is regulatory cost and airways charges. Prior to 1987 there were no airways or airport charges, flying for free.

And the regulatory burden and cost since the early 1990s (from CAA to CASA) has grown very significantly, in inverse proportion to its usefulness and safety benefit. I haven't costed the regulatory and airways cost over the past 50 years (since the days of DCA), but in sum I suspect regulatory and airways costs amount to at least 40% of CPL training cost.

In 1957 the dh 82 was 3 pounds an hr and dual add 10 shillings. At the end of the PPL course the aero cub got a subsidy payout from the govt. Wage at the time was 5 pds 5 and 5 pence.
Took a while... but worth every penny.!

Tailwheel and others
Air navigation charges were introduced in July 1947.Among other charges, An airport charge for Commercial operation of DH82 was 9 pounds 15 shillings per annum and in1983 a new proposal was presented by the Minister to introduce cost recovery.

In 1975 dual in a C150 at Port Hedland was $32/hr

Further to the above, to get some perspective.

Bar Work $8-$10/hr

Coffee was about $2

$5 Jugs of beer

$5 to get into see a band

Taking into account post #5 the "cost increase" seems inflationary.

Ditto, a tradesman at the time earnt £21 for a 40 hour week.

In the mid 70’s, I paid $7000 for my CPL. I was employed very soon after on a salary of $8500 per year.

What is the cost now, $80k - $120k? For a salary of? If you can get a job!

Circa 1967/68 N. Zedland Victa 100
$8.40 solo $10.20 dual