Cost of Flying Lessons
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2006
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From: 23, Railway Cuttings, East Cheam
Cost of Flying Lessons
No, not what they are now, we've done that to death. How much did you pay when you first started? I've just been reminiscing and my first flight was in a Rollason Condor from Cranwell Flying Club in 1976. Cost including instruction was £9 per hour....and it had just gone up from £7. Cost of a PPL was around £400.
Joined: Jul 2007
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From: 51.50N 1W (ish)
J3 Cub (3 Counties at Blackbushe), 1969. As far as I recall £4 10s solo and £5 10s instructional. My conversion gliding Silver C to PPL(A) licence cost me £37 5s in flying fees, as soon as my brown licence arrived from the friendly CAA I was flying an RF4 at around £4 per hour.
On the other hand, my annual salary was about half my monthly one now.
On the other hand, my annual salary was about half my monthly one now.
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,113
Likes: 2
From: 23, Railway Cuttings, East Cheam
On the other hand, my annual salary was about half my monthly one now.
Fleet Manager



Joined: Aug 2006
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
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From: Ontario, Canada
I started flight training in 1976. The Cessna 150 was $18 per hour, and the instructor $22. A 172 or PA 28 was $25. I rapidly saw the wisdom in paying the then thought silly expensive rate of $52 for the Cessna Cardinal RG. A hundred hours in that, so early in my flying career was the best thing I ever did!
Joined: Aug 2000
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From: S Warwickshire
£12/hour brakes off to brakes on in 1980 for a Cessna 150 including instructor. But it was a non-profit works' club run with lots of volunteer effort (and a free lease on the company's airfield).
The commercial rate was nearer £30
The commercial rate was nearer £30
Joined: Jan 2008
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From: UK
You will note the jump in prices between the early seventies and the late seventies.
That is because it spans the 1973 Arab-Israeli conflict, the formation of OPEC, and the resulting surge in fuel costs. I worked in a petrol garage in 1972 and 4 star was 33 pence per gallon and had changed little in the previous decade. Eighteen months later it had tripled in price and it has been climbing ever since.
That is because it spans the 1973 Arab-Israeli conflict, the formation of OPEC, and the resulting surge in fuel costs. I worked in a petrol garage in 1972 and 4 star was 33 pence per gallon and had changed little in the previous decade. Eighteen months later it had tripled in price and it has been climbing ever since.

Joined: Feb 2007
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From: GLASGOW
That's interesting because I was sure my first flight was £15.00 quid an hour, Beagle Pup, late Seventies, with an instructor called Jim Beaton. Great guy.
I was thrown slightly by some posts suggesting 6 quid mid Seventies. Was going to complain tomorrow in case I had been done
I was thrown slightly by some posts suggesting 6 quid mid Seventies. Was going to complain tomorrow in case I had been done

Joined: Feb 2007
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From: GLASGOW
Those were the halcyon days. Pre welfare state????
When the welfare state burden increased, and logically the tax burden on the diminishing rest of us who had to fund it increased, then something had to give I suppose.

Something about stifling enterprise, or did I read that somewhere?
When the welfare state burden increased, and logically the tax burden on the diminishing rest of us who had to fund it increased, then something had to give I suppose.


Something about stifling enterprise, or did I read that somewhere?





