Just keep in mind that if you are looking at two flight schools and each gives you a different price estimate, you don’t want to base your decision on the costs alone. Since the FAA requires a minimum 40 hour package of dual and solo flight time, some schools will know they can provide you with a cost estimate identifying at least that minimum number of hours. Yet the reality is that the average student will take around 60 to 70 hours. Therefore, when you get a quote, be sure to ask the school how many hours they are estimating and the rental rate of the plane they are quoting in their figure. This will help you to compare apples to apples.
Experts also recommend to keep the costs of getting your license down, you plan to fly the least expensive plane you feel comfortable in, at least
two or three times a week. Air time is usually about one hour, with a half hour spent for the pre and post-flight briefings. While you might think it is too expensive to fly this often, keep in mind that the more frequently you fly, the more quickly you will become a competent pilot and the more confident you will get in your abilities. Ultimately, this skill will enable you to move through the licensing process more quickly and will save on the overall number of hours you will need to invest in to get ready for the final licensing exams.
A Final Note
Once you have a private pilot’s license and have successfully passed the night flying portion of the training, you are allowed to operate an aircraft under visual flight rules (VFR). These are a set of aviation regulations under which a pilot may operate an aircraft by visual reference to the environmental outside the cockpit. In other words, pilots flying under VFR assume responsibility for their separation from all other aircraft and are generally not assigned routes or altitudes by air traffic control. Furthermore, there are specific requirements for VFR flight, consisting of minimum visibility, distance from clouds, and altitude to ensure that aircraft operating under VFR can be seen from a far enough distance to ensure safety. For instance, in the U.S., VFR flight in not allowed in airspace beginning at 18,000 feet.