Fly the left seat on day one. $199.

A 45-minute discovery flight in a Cessna 172S, over the Cascades, with an instructor. It counts in your logbook.

Book a discovery flight See the full cost of a licence

$199Discovery flight, 45 minutes, you fly

$189/hrCessna 172S with G1000, fuel included

$85/hrInstruction, in the air or on the ground

7 daysFlights from 7 am to sunset

What 45 minutes in the left seat is like.

You fly with Kari or Marcus, two of our instructors. They handle the radio and keep a hand near the controls. You do the flying.

Because a certificated flight instructor is beside you, the flight goes in a logbook as your first dual instruction. If you carry on, it counts toward your licence.

0:00The walkaroundFifteen minutes around the airplane: fuel, oil, control surfaces, tyres. You check, they explain.
0:15Taxi and run-upYou steer with your feet. It feels strange for about a minute.
0:22Take off on runway 34Your hands on the yoke. The Three Sisters, Broken Top and Mt Bachelor are ahead on the climb.
0:30Turns, climbs, a little slow flightThe basic moves every pilot learns first.
0:55Back on the groundYour instructor lands; you can follow through on the controls. Then the logbook, and any questions.

What a private pilot certificate costs here.

Most schools quote the FAA minimum of 40 hours. Almost nobody finishes in 40. Our students finish between 55 and 70 hours, so this is the bill for a typical student at 60, with every line shown.

$19,165Typical total at 60 flight hours, paid as you fly.

Private pilot certificate, typical cost at 60 flight hours
Aircraft, Cessna 172S60 hours at $189, fuel included	$11,340
Flight instruction45 of those hours with an instructor, at $85	$3,825
Ground instruction25 hours at $85: weather, airspace, regulations, the plan for each lesson	$2,125
Checkride examiner’s feePaid to the FAA-designated examiner, about	$900
Headset, books, logbook	$650
FAA knowledge test	$175
Third-class medicalPaid to an aviation medical examiner, about	$150
Typical total	$19,165

$17,370If you finish in 55 hours

$19,165Typical, 60 hours

$22,075If it takes 70 hours

Pay as you fly. Nothing up front and no block to buy. If you would rather prepay, 10-hour blocks are 5% off. Flying two or three times a week is the single biggest thing that keeps your total near the low end.

The path, and what the FAA requires at each step.

Discovery flight

Find out if you like it. $199, logged as dual instruction.

Medical and student certificate

A third-class medical from an aviation medical examiner, and a student pilot certificate.

Needed before solo

First solo

Usually after 15 to 25 hours. Three trips around the pattern, alone.

Minimum age 16

Cross-country and night

Flights to other airports, some alone, and three hours of night flying.

10 hours solo minimum

Knowledge test

Sixty questions on a computer at a testing centre. Ground lessons get you ready.

70% to pass

Checkride

An oral exam and a flight with an FAA-designated examiner. Then you are a pilot.

Minimum age 17

Five airplanes, every rate published.

Cessna 172S Skyhawk × 3

N4128S · N732SA · N519KB

Panel: Garmin G1000 glass cockpit
Seats: 4, high wing, easy to see down from
Best for: Private pilot training and the instrument rating

$189an hour, fuel included

Piper PA-28-181 Archer

N8364P

Panel: Traditional round gauges
Seats: 4, low wing, steadier in summer bumps
Best for: Students who want to learn on steam gauges, and saving $20 an hour

$169an hour, fuel included

American Champion Citabria 7ECA

N55TW

Panel: Simple VFR panel
Seats: 2, one behind the other
Best for: The tailwheel endorsement with Joel, and the best stick-and-rudder lesson there is

$159an hour, fuel included

Four instructors, all full time.

No one here is building hours on the way to an airline seat next month. You keep the same instructor from your first lesson to your checkride.

Kari Sorensen

CFII · MEI · 9,400 hrs

Founded the school in 2011. Chief instructor. Teaches the mountain flying course.

Marcus Bell

CFI

Most discovery flights. Private pilot students.

Anya Petrova

CFII

Instrument ratings, in the 172S and the simulator.

Joel Ruiz

CFI · tailwheel

The Citabria, and the tailwheel endorsement.

After the private certificate.

Same rates, same instructors. These are the add-ons our pilots ask about most.

Mountain flying courseFour flights over the Cascades: winds, density altitude, canyon turns.$1,950
Tailwheel endorsementAbout ten hours in the Citabria.about $2,400
Instrument ratingFly in cloud. Simulator at $40 an hour on your own, plus $85 with an instructor.quoted
Commercial and CFIFor anyone heading toward flying as a job.quoted

Book the first flight.

Tell us when suits you. Kari or Marcus calls back the same day to set a time, and checks the weather the evening before.

Where: Hangar C-4, Bend Municipal Airport (KBDN), 63048 Powell Butte Hwy, Bend
Flights: 7 am to sunset, every day
Office: 8 am to 5 pm, Monday to Saturday
Call: (541) 555-0147
Summer: The field is at 3,460 ft. On hot afternoons we fly early.