Cost of JAA PPL in the UK
 

I completed my PPL yesterday and after suffering a terrible hangover all day I decided to count up how much the PPL has cost me :)

Well I think I have included everything, I started at Highland Flying School in Inverness before it went bust, then continued with Leading Edge at Cumbernauld. This is the reason I have two different costs. I came to these totals by counting up all my receipts. All costs are UK sterling.

Hours : 16 @ Inverness = 1760
38 @ Cumbernauld = 5245

Landing Fees = 580
TOTAL = £7585


Exam Fees = 140
Skills Test Examiner = 150
RT Practical = 80
Medical = 310
Books, charts, logbook, crp etc = 200 (approx)
Headset = 170
TOTAL = £1050


GRAND TOTAL = £8635.00

I think thats everything, if I think of any extras I will add it on, I hope some people on here will find this information useful if you are considering starting PPL training. :ok:


Forgot I still have to pay the CAA for the issue of my licence so thats another £168 (?)

I spent exactly the same total in 2000/01.

But you could not count the headset, unless you give up flying immediately after getting the PPL (as many actually do) :)

The books etc can go on Ebay.

I assume that is a Class 1 medical? You could have saved some cash going for a class 2.

He could have but actually a Class 1 medical is a good move, because once you get through the initial, you have locked the option of Demonstrated Ability in, for the rest of your life.

So long as you renew the C1 within the maximum time, which (depending on how you read the JAA regs) is 1 year or 4.99 years. If you leave it longer, they can strip off that privilege and make you do a fresh initial C1.

I would recommend every pilot to get a C1 and keep renewing it, just often enough.

Well, perhaps.

On the other hand it might maybe just be possible that you haven't completely memorised everything in them or, even if you have, it's just about conceivable that you might start forgetting some of this stuff one day. In either case you might want the books handy to look stuff up in.

class one
 

good point. depends also on whether age 40 or not. class one carries class 2 priviledges etc.. blood tests and audiogram costs also come into the equation.

As an AME and FE i admit to having a foot in both camps!

Old time prices
 

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the replies, I'm fully aware I could have shaved some pounds off the total I spent. However It was not my intention to do it on a budget, and I have posted this information with the sole intention of giving newbies some solid up to date information.

Cheers :ok:

Thanks, a good summary to anyone considering going for their PPL. In fact, I am getting bored of people talking about a ppl in regards to an atpl, something along the lines of "yeah, so £5000 for the ppl, then hour build......"

Mine is going to come to £9000 ish based on taking the test at the 50 hour mark (pa-28).

:}:}:}:}:}

Those cost in the original post are about what I've been told to expect today to get through the course by the 3 schools I went to see, 1 hour done now so lots more to do to see if the estimates are close!

I occasionally work ground ops at Leading Edge (the Cumbernauld club mentioned above). Well done Virgin350!

We have always had a policy of erring on the side of caution when speaking to potential new students. A couple of years ago before the fuel jumped up in price we were estimating about 7-8k dependant on how the course panned out. But anyone who walks in now is told straight up that it's going to be around the 9-10k mark.

There is no point in stringing people along with the notion of a 6k PPL, it just leads to unhappy customers who are likely drift away when they inevitably do a running check of their costs. This might get a few more hours on a clubs bottom line, but I'd like to hope that most outfits see this isn't a good thing for the industry long term. We need to get new pilots coming through, getting their PPL and staying flying after they pass maybe even going further in aviation.

One thing I'd like to see, possibly from the CAA or maybe a self regulated body? Would be a charter mark sort of deal for flight training with standards regularly monitored (customer service and training standards). Alot of people starting out on their training jump in blindly with the first organisation they encounter. Everyone here in hindsight knows all the potential gotchas like not paying up front. But even those who do research the topic before taking the plunge might not get the full picture, even google isn't infallible. I realise this could never be a perfect solution but how hard could it be to have a website which has all the faq's and guidance and rough costs explained. A one stop shop for anyone looking to learn to go and find the right training provider to suit them.

Sorry for the longer than planned post!

Paul.

Info on funding?
 

Hi everyone

I'm new to joining but been actively searching on the web about getting ppl and if help funding at all. I'm 26years old and ever since young I've wanted to be a fighter pilot in the RAF. Some home events took place that affected me the opportunity to go to uni to join as an officer. This year had been my 1st. Chance to apply for the RAF to find out I missed the entry by 6months. I've been finding it hard to accept and want to be a pilot so bad. Commercial pilot one day. The problem I'm having is funding even the beginning of training for ppl to then get the opportunity to be a full commercial license. The RAF would have funded my training. I work full time to survive and pay bills and want a better life.

Everyone on here is giving advice on the process but can I ask how you all funded your training please. I don't come from a comfortable background enough to allow me to just. Change what I'm doing and front all the money to become a pilot. Is there any way I can get the opportunity and what age do most you guys start or doesn't it matter?

Hope someone can help

Thanks

I'll stick my neck out and say its perfectly possible to do a 45 hour PPL in an Cessna 150 for 6 grand all in - FACT

And I'm thinking about at an organisation that insists that all lesson are two hours long and include one hour of pre and post flight briefings as well as one hour airbourne time.

They also refuse upfront payments.

Just make sure you do your homework.

So does that "6 Grand all in" include landing fees (away as well as home), exam fees (incl flight test), medical, cost of license, books and charts? Club membership?

Amazing value if so.

YorkPhil

PM sent

Basically yes

So is this uk based and where abouts?

And if you don't mind me asking how did you fund yours, loan, savings, well paid job?

GLP I kept a cost of mine too, everything including fuel to and from the airfield. I started on March 12th last year and including the night and IMC rating spent £9320. I'm not including a spare headset that I bought in there or the GPS as they aren't strictly neccessary (I can use a club headset as a spare). The PPL itself cost just over £5800.

If you include the 10 hours that technically you need P1 before you can do the IMC then add on another £1000.

Paul I was 55 before I took the plunge into powered. I'm a glider pilot, have been for decades and was quite happy with that. I could afford but could never justify the amount of money needed to fund not only the PPL but to continue flying afterwards. I'm not a career pilot, it'sjust a hobby. No it's not, it's a way of life but you get my meaning.
Then you get to the point where the kids have fled the nest, no mortgage, the odd pension fund kicking in here and there and from having enough money you go to having more than enough so that's basically how I funded it. It's just what would otherwise be beer chits.

I would suggest if you're constrained financially that you look into gliding, or live in a bedsit and live on beans. If the desire is strong enough you'll find a way.

I've not seen this thread before so I'm glad P4UL B has reawakened it.

My biggest mistake was costing out the PPL and thinking I needed that amount of cash saved up before I could start the training. I had that belief because I thought I'd get the whole thing done in a couple of months. How wrong I was! When I discovered I was averaging about an hour a week I realised I could have started training much earlier and paid for it on a pay-as-you-go basis from earnings rather than from savings. Also, the cost of flying is only going to get more expensive so the sooner you start, the better.

On a practical level, find somewhere you can train that is cost effective for you and make sure you consider all the hidden costs like travel to and from the airfield, landing fees etc. Buy the training materials (books, whizzwheel etc) second hand from other people at your flying club or ebay. If you go out socialising and drinking then STOP! It's amazing how much you can save by staying in :) Consider getting a second job if money is really tight. Lastly, consider different forms of flying as others have mentioned - microlights, gliders etc.

Good luck and let us know how you get on!

I did it in Floridashire in Americaland last Jan, as I can't commit to regular weekly lessons. My finances came out like this;

Training $9007 £5,552
Visa Phone Call !! £9.24
Visa $140 £89.91
Servis $200 £123.30
Deposit $500 £325.67
Medical £130.00
US Medical $60 £36.99
TSA $130 £80.40
Flights £471.30
Insurance £47.25
Licence £180.50
Exams 7 x 35 £245.00
Books £350.00
Living USA $1649 £1,016.00

TOTAL £8,658

Thanks for the info and tips, i guess with the current climate and the prices of food and petrol etc it all effects opportunities available to certain people.

for me im in the south east of england and the nearest airports for me would be shoreham aiport and biggin hill which is roughly an hour away.

they seem to have academys where you fly 5 days a week, 9-5 so intense which maybe would be better for me as im a quick learner and intense may keep me very focused but seems alot of payments up front.

my aim would ideally be pilot as a career, hobbie also sounds nice as i get older but still expensive,

so action plan i guess would be to build up the finances for ppl and once i achieve that what would be the next step? is it commercial licence and whats the chance of airlines funding you to do this as so expensive and then in return you fly for them i guess.

or do i need to be from a "certain background/pedigree" so to speak ;) i hope not.i done well at school and went to college and im 26! i dont go out and spend money socialising already.

fattony:
you mentioned a second job, but when you get time to do your flying? did you sign up with an airport for the ppl and just took the lessons etc when you could like learning to drive until youve done enough, or was there a certain time frame?

thing:
theres a gliding club about 20-25mins from where i live, i see them glide on good weather days and looks fun, and obviously helped you when you decided to go for your ppl, but would it be better value wise to go from the beginning in powered planes long term because i would then need to upgrade sometime to powered planes?

if any one can continue some more helpful advice and positive comments would be much appreciated.

as i say f i spent £8000-£10000 on ppl which for me is quite alot, i would have to some how make a career out of it one day to progress further and continue flying unless i get a high paid job, im just a sports massage therapist still trying to build up my client base.

First of all, powered flying is not an 'upgrade' from gliding, some would say it's the other way around! The only upgrade is price. It certainly helped me when I did my PPL, you already (should) have airmanship, know the controls and effects thereof, know how to navigate with a map and compass and every landing is a power off one...so you get used to getting it right first time and every time because there's no second go. You're also just used to flying and what stuff looks like from above

Pesonally and I've said this before, I think everyone going into flying should at least solo on a glider first, much as I think everyone learning to drive should first do so on a motorbyke. I don't think you would regret giving it a go, and obviously as your funds become more disposable then you can think about doing powered as well.

I made the suggestion about a second job because, from your first post, it sounded like you were finding it difficult to get the money together for the PPL. Personally, I just have the one job. I'm fortunate enough to be able to work flexibly so I can fly during the week. It sounds like you may be able to fly during the week too by fitting it in around your sports therapy work. You could then get an evening job as few people fly in the evening anyway.

I'm flying with a not-for-profit club rather than a commercial flying school. You could do the 9-5 intensive course, probably with a flying school, but you'd probably need to have the money saved in advance as you'd burn through it pretty quickly. I started about nine months ago and, as I'm averaging an hour a week, I've yet to get my licence.

I'm not sure exactly what you meant but just to say that many people would caution against making any payments up front. You may get a better price that way but flying schools seems to have a habit of going under, taking your money with them.

It's quite a lot of money for most people, me included!

Can I just endorse 100% what 'Thing' said above, as I come from a gliding background (As-Cat Instructor, 22 years gliding) and have just started an NPPL SSEA with a view to hopefully ending up with an EASA LAPL (A), (S) & TMG in a few years time.

I always wanted to fly power but after a few flights with friends etc, I found it a bit expensive and to be honest boring, and after having tried gliding, I found it gave me much more. I now want to end up with the best of both worlds, so have taken the plunge.

I honestly do think that gliding is a great foundation for further pilot training and when recently we've had a few would be ATPL's from a nearby Oxfordshire training establishment pop in for a go, we've made sure that they get to experience flight in all parts of the envelope especially stalling and spinning. Personally I find it terrifying these days that someone can end up in the LHS of an airliner without ever actually having experienced a spin....!! As recent well publicised events have shown, the core handling skills you learn in a year or so spent gliding serve you well later!

Just my tuppence worth...

I did some gliding as a kid and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I also fancied doing a little more around my instructing job and I guess I might spend a dozen days a year in total.

However the cost of membership was ridiculous

£261.00 (+ £30.00 joining fee)

So I didn't bother

Its only 55 quid membership at my fixed wing base and that gives your reciprocal landings at about 10 other fields.

Is that the right calculation? Surely the relevant figure would be the cost of flying+membership+driving+time for a year.

If you are only interested in a few flights per year, many clubs offer a much cheaper "associate membership".

I'd also recommend the gliding route - and as value for money too!

Many gliding clubs do intensive courses to get you solo. The cost of such training is great value for money! A PPL isn't simply a set number of hours; The 45 hours or whatever it is now, is just the minimum. Most people need more, so the experience gained from gliding will probably shave time off the amount of power flying needed to satisfy the standard.

My gliding experience halved the time I needed to qualify and I'd go as far as to say it onced saved my life (or at the very least, a smashed aeroplane)!

SS

The 'other' cost you need to consider is the ongoing cost of flying post licence. Many don't, and you tend to see a high % of lapsed licences/ratings in the first couple of years. Even a cheap £6K course will look like money down the toilet at that point.

Thanks for all your advice.

So the gliding route sounds a great start, i looked on my local gliding club and there so many fees, most i dont understand yet as im new.

whats recommended? get a one off trial lesson? what sort of price is reasonable for that? is it me going for a ride or instruction on the basics etc?

and what oldspool: mentioned about post licence is my exact concern. what would be my next route and possibility of moving on to a job as a pilot and help funding because the commercial route i looked up is around the £60,000 mark. There is not a hope in hell me personally ever being able to afford that or is what i read incorrect.

I would love to do a bit of gliding again - say a dozen days a year. But the membership fees for the 3 closest clubs to me are

1. £200 plus BGA membership
2. £261.00 + £30.00 joining fee
3. £295

And I am simply not prepared to pay that amount especially when its only 55 quid at one of the local fixed wing school and that gives you free reciprocal landings at about 10 airfields.

No-one seems to have mentioned the additional costs to make a career out of flying.
With just a PPL you can't be paid to fly, you need a commercial licence for that.
And if you want to fly 'big stuff' you need an ATPL. And an IR, a multi-engine rating, night rating and a load of other stuff i've forgotten.

Someone will be able to confirm the overall costs but my understanding is the total from start to finish is in the region of £60-100k - with no guarentee of a job at the end :eek:.

The context of gliding value for money in this context was in relation to the OP's question on the cost of gaining a PPL.

Gliding club value for money if you only intend to do a bit every now and then is obviously a different matter. The high club membership is a reflection of the costs involved in running a gliding club compared to a flying school. Most gliding clubs own or rent their own whole airfield (expensive compared to a flying school) and do not charge landing fees ect. Flying schools usually recoupe costs from flying charges, whereas gliding clubs spread most of their fixed costs umungst the membership, hence the higher membership fees.

So not really a fair comparison.

SS

"With just a PPL you can't be paid to fly"

But come this april you will be able to.

You're talking about a small exception case (PPL holders with an Instructor Rating), but I can't imagine there will be many of them because you will still need to meet the CPL theoretical requirements and have received 10 hours instrument instruction in order to commence an FI-R course. So more often than not these people will be CPL holders.

I'd imagine that, other than a handful of exceptions, the only PPLs that are going to receive payment post April are those BCPL (with an FI rating) holders who's licences automatically become a PPL under EASA.

So Basically people either get to achieve their ppl and fly as a hobby even though expensive and thats it.

and no chance of becoming a paid pilot unless i win the lottery or be fortunate enough to come from a well off background, which i dont.

or i would have to have such a high paid job to fund all the required licences that i prob wouldnt even have any time to learn to fly because i would need to work all the time.

well its a bit of a de-motivator to even start now as always wanted from young.

Well I learnt to fly in the 80's as a farm labourer (not exactly well paid). I'm not much better off now, but still manage to fly on and off (some years a lot, other years a little). It's a hobby but there are ways to make it cheaper. I guess it's a case of how much you want it really to do it!

SS

As shortstripper says, and as I said in a previous post, it depends how badly you want it. When I was your age I could only afford to glide (which I was more than happy with anyway) and you're a young chap feeling a bit down because you haven't got the 80K for an APTL. I haven't got 80K for an APTL either.

I know a guy who drives a digger who has gained his chopper license. He's been chopper mad all his life and he made tremendous sacrifices to achieve his dream. He's happy as a pig in plop.

Pal of mine flies 747's, in fact his brother, his girlfriend and his son are all airline pilots, they all had to work for it, his dad used to cycle 20 odd miles a day to the airfield when he did his PPL, and then 20 odd back again come rain or snow. It's not handed to you on a plate.

If you want to fly badly enough, you will.

Not true. Start here Flying Scholarships - GAPAN and keep looking.

Absolutely. If you're ambitious enough go abroad. My son emigrated to Oz in 2005 and his life has improved by a quantum leap. Beautiful house, huge salary, all because they recognise talent in Oz instead of trying to bury it like they do here. Trying to get on in UK plc is like wading through treacle.

He came back for his first visit last year and he said it would be his last. It reminded him of why he left in the first place. Which I thought was worth the trip in itself personally.