How much did your PPL cost you?

[mkqq]

Hi there,

I was wondering if I can get some feedback on how much in total did you PPL cost? Done a bit of research online and it's quite varied.

Mainly interested in PPL's done in Australia. Just want to compare what I'm paying (and potentially will pay) to what's others have paid.

I've done 7 lessons now and spent about $2.5k.

Total projected cost at my school is around $22k for the PPL, including medical, exams, books, landing fees, security clearance. This includes total 50 hours flight time.

I'm also interested in on average how much you are paying (or paid) per lesson. For me it's been around $300 to $450 depending on duration with an instructor.

Any feedback would be much appreciated.

[robyeah]

300 an hr dual instruction of flight time. 270 plane only. 10% discount for buying 20hrs in advance

[Capt T]

I have just finished my PPL at Aeros in the UK. The total cost including medical, training and exams cost just over £8500+. The actual cost of each one hour lesson was £157.

No idea on what the GBP to AUD is but hopefully this gives you an idea.

[Martin_123]

I reckon I paid about 10k euros for my licence in Ireland, finished 2 years ago. The cost per lesson (hour) changed from 150 to 170 ish depending on aircraft type.

[Adamm.]

Mind me asking where you did that? Getting well in excess of €14-15k from any of the larger places here.

[MAN23R]

Liverpool, UK

Lomac Aviators
£105 p/h on a tommi
Total £5,000 in exams and fees

[Martin_123]

Originally Posted by Adamm.

Mind me asking where you did that? Getting well in excess of €14-15k from any of the larger places here.

EINC. They have gotten a tiny bit more expensive since, but still should be below 12k I reckon. Have a look at Trim Flying Club, Waterford, Birr and Limerick too, some of them are really cheap and good value as long as it's commuting distance for you..

[Ebbie 2003]

The biggest variable is how many hours to complete.

This seems to be proportionate to age - 18/19 you may get it done in 50hours - get over fifty and you could double that - personally I was fifty when I did mine - took a long while to get to solo - think that I was my instructors first ever student may have been a factor - real trouble landing until the CFI told me "when you land it should look like it does when you take off", then no problems - would have been good if I was told that thirty hours earlier!

I was up in Florida, and I must admit to having a taste for flying a couple of hours every morning before the school formally opened - I do like to bimble around even now.

It will also cost you for the travel to the school - I went to Flordia as there was no training here so flight up and back, hotels, car hire etc., etc. I would think mine cost me in the $20-25,000 range seven years ago - on yes, plus the visa fees - plus, plus, plus, plus, plus.

[gliderkev]

NPPL so not quite the same... 50 hours solo gliding plus silver c around £1000 max - I actually had rather more than that, plus nppl slmg course at Enstone in £1400 inc exams radio etc. plus conversion to ssea £400ish
All great fun!

[robin]

The cost of my PPL? My marriage..!

[sycamore]

£143.7s.6d.......in 1961....

[Sultan Ismail]

£88 in 1969 Cradock, South Africa

[flyingman-of-kent]

I didn't dare add it all up!

Whilst at first I thought i would total it all up and then have a figure at the end, and despite keeping every receipt and invoice, I didn't dare actually do the final calculation! It would have been far too scary, and probably taken something away from the pleasure of the learning and flying!

I have a figure in my mind, but have never really wanted to admit it!

[pulse1]

£60 in 1968 but, as a glider pilot, only had to do 20 hours.

Repeated it 30 years later and it cost about £1400 with the lovely Gordon Brown paying 40% of the cost.(NVQ)

[lederhosen]

400 pounds in 1979, the silver C glider pilot conversion was 8 hours. Still shows inflation was rampant when I compare with pulse1, but it included books and license issue, which I got at the counter in Kingsway 14 days after starting. Not everything was worse in the good old days!

[GBEBZ]

If you get into aviation by counting the pennies - then aviation is not for you.

[Stan0147]

Same as Man23R I learnt at Lomac's Liverpool.

£7450 all in for Everything including the £200 to the CAA for the license.

Stan

[Gertrude the Wombat]

Originally Posted by mkqq

I was wondering if I can get some feedback on how much in total did you PPL cost?

I didn't add it up. That way I could honestly answer "don't know" when my wife asked.


With the ongoing flying, I got myself an even more expensive hobby - I got elected as a councillor - so if I were asked what I was spending on flying I could say, again honestly, "lots less than it's costing me to serve the public as a councillor".

[Above The Clouds]

20 hours for the PPL I think having done about 30 hours in gliders at around £1.20 per hour for the glider, at the time £22 per hour for the PPL so £440 in 1983

[Glasgow_Flyer]

I did mine in the UK at £120 an hour (that was 13/14 years ago). I'm now in Melbourne and, from what I can see, $330 an hour for a PA-28 seems about the norm. All I'd be careful of is not to get stung too much by time on the ground etc.
What kinda aircraft are you learning in and where are you located?
What I will say is, post licence, here in Aus, I now have access to the most affordable flying I've ever had - less than half what I was paying duel 14 years ago!
It's definitely not mainly about the money though - but of course that comes into it. I don't think it's fair to say if counting pennies, aviation isn't for someone - personally I encourage anyone that dreams of flying to get involved - we have numerous club members that haven't flown themselves in a long time (if ever), but they are an important part of the club and get the opportunity to take to the skies when there are seats going regularly.
It's about getting the most value from your training - not being tied up for half of the lesson paying for time on the ground, not being rushed through briefings, being hands on with the aircraft from day one rather than rocking up and having everything done for you.
People (including me in retrospect!) cannot believe some of the stories from my own time learning to fly and my flight training school. I made the mistake of paying up-front. To be honest, I doubt I'd have changed schools anyway as I didn't really know any different, but some lowlights included:
- a total of only 15 mins ground briefing time for both pre and post flight briefings, and getting to and from and into the aircraft (in other words, the aircraft and instructor had 20 mins between flights to change over, de-brief and brief the next student);
- no time at all to check-out the aircraft on the ground/refuel/check oil etc. This was all done for students;
- if the weather was "at all" flyable, we were going - that meant I spent a very long time repeating lessons and kept my solo time very minimal;
- a total of three full hours (or maybe five, I can't remember) spent on "slow flight" before being circuit training (slow flight = low RPM = higher margin);
- no ability to meet with other students and share experiences (was a school rather than a club);
- high landing fees - in the circuit lessons my landings cost more than the lesson;
- I could go on all day... just don't be that guy (i.e. me!).
I really enjoyed my training despite these things - but could have had much more fun and got more out of it elsewhere!
But, in saying all that, I now live 5 mins from a c150 that costs $104 an hour duel - it all came good!!