172 = $127/hr!

[embpic1]

A buddy of mine flys corporate and does a little instucting on the side. He files out of southern CA and gets $50/hr. He said all of the instuction he gives is to older guys with more money than skills. He doesnt see any new young guys getting their ratings.

 

[SPilot]

Adding to the list, I paid $80/h for a C172, $1.50 fuel surcharge and $32 for my private and instrument instructor in late 2004. So $110 total out of pocket.

At the same school almost two years later, late 2006, my students were charged $120 for the C172, $25 fuel surcharge (variable between $19 and $25, but mostly $25), and $42 for the instructor. So $187.

Regular lessons which would always take some extra taxi time at Daytona Beach, plus time to fly in and out of the airspace, would usually be 1.4-1.7, which put the daily cost for the student around $280-$340. Add a typical hour or two of oral, and full time flight training students were paying $400/day while in training. How many average Americans can afford that for 30 days straight?

 

[wrxpilot]

Notice the fuel is higher... the aircraft is higher.........

But the instructor still gets about the same.....

We do it to ourselves.... Chasing the dream is expensive......

Well, the CFIs are apparently getting paid better these days. I get $21/hr, regardless of it being primary, advanced, or ground. I don't know of anybody getting paid $8/hr around here (south FL). We have a pretty new a/c fleet with about half a dozen glass G1000s (172s and 182s). They are popular with the customers... The G1000 172 is about $135/hr wet. The steam gauge SPs are about $120/hr wet.

As far as having a lot of debt, that all depends on how you do it. It took me 3 yrs to go from student to CFI/CP AMEL ASEL. No debt, but a lot of hard work, sacrifice, and flying beaters whenever I could. It's possible, just not easy. I have to admit I'm glad I started 3 yrs ago though... No question it's more expensive now.

 

[NarcolepticAV8R]

1992. Rented and trained in a C152 $16/hr wet. And the time was off the tach, not the Hobbs meter.

 

[TEXAN AVIATOR]

United Flight Systems in Houston is still well priced. The Glass airplanes is about the same as anywhere else but the carb 172s are well priced. Great people there too..
Cessna 150/152 - $59/hour
Cessna 172 - $79/hour
Cessna 172R (1998 Model) - $86/hour
Cessna 172S (G1000 Equipped) (2006 Model) - $129/hour
Cessna 172RG - $93/hour
Geronimo PA23 -$169/hour
www.unitedflight.com

 

[wrxpilot]

United Flight Systems in Houston is still well priced. The Glass airplanes is about the same as anywhere else but the carb 172s are well priced. Great people there too..
Cessna 150/152 - $59/hour
Cessna 172 - $79/hour
Cessna 172R (1998 Model) - $86/hour
Cessna 172S (G1000 Equipped) (2006 Model) - $129/hour
Cessna 172RG - $93/hour
Geronimo PA23 -$169/hour
www.unitedflight.com

Those are good prices. Any fuel surcharges?

 

[WestHouston]

I just finished CFI at Delta Connection Academy in Houston. The ONLY reason I went there is the gubmint paid for it all. I see dozens of 18-20 year old student pilots going there and paying $150 an hour for a 1984 172 with GNS 430 and and $50 for the instructor. So $200 total for a 22 year old airplane. And the instructors still make $11 an hour.

 

[NuGuy]

Heyas guys,

Not only have the prices gone up, but the selection has gone down.

Back in the day (say, 1990 or so), there were a number of places at FXE that had a number of aircraft, and there was one (Cav-Air) had 14-16 aircraft of all shapes and sizes to fit your budget.

I did a trip out to Centennial in Denver about that time. There were no less than 3 places that had 20+ aircraft for rent, up to and including Mooneys and 210s.

Piston traffic around FXE was thick, and you often had to wait to get in. Touch and goes were unlikely due to traffic.

These days, there's not much going on. There's one operator with more than 5 airplanes (and sky high prices), and the others are one-guy/one-plane deals. I sat watching, on a nice, VFR weekend day, and saw little activity.

It was kind of creepy....

Nu

 

[SplitBar]

Why do primary in a 172? Find an outfit with 152's and you will save a ton of cash. A 152 does the same job as a 172 when it comes to getting your private ticket.

 

[WestHouston]

Why do primary in a 172? Find an outfit with 152's and you will save a ton of cash. A 152 does the same job as a 172 when it comes to getting your private ticket.

I agree I did my private in a couple of rust-bucket '66 150's with duct tape literally holding the cowling together on one. All for about 5 grand in Seattle in 2005. I have a soft spot in my heart for one fiddys.

 

[acpilot]

<deleted>

 

[N4niner206]

What's a "handburger"?

Sounds kinda nasty.

 

[doh]

What's a "handburger"?

I have no idea, but I feel a compulsion to go wash my hands now! And I am not guilty of anything!

 

[doh]

They will start bringing in pilots from overseas, still cheap for them.

American are going overseas to fly because they (foreign carriers) can't fill their cockpits either.

 

[Whataburger]

Anyways, the original question was how do these new guys afford this in their quest to fly for the airlines?

Buy ugly C152 or Chief for $15000. Fly the hell out of it. Sell it for $15000. Hope nothing major breaks. Buy 1/8 share of C172/PA28. Fly the hell out of it because the other 7 guys never fly. Sell 1/8 share.

 

[jbDC9]

Not only have the prices gone up, but the selection has gone down. Back in the day (say, 1990 or so), there were a number of places at FXE that had a number of aircraft, and there was one (Cav-Air) had 14-16 aircraft of all shapes and sizes to fit your budget.

I did a trip out to Centennial in Denver about that time. There were no less than 3 places that had 20+ aircraft for rent, up to and including Mooneys and 210s.

Yep, you got that right; back in the late 80s at Dallas Addison there were several schools/rental outfits with large, diverse fleets... the usual 152/172/182, Cardinal RG, Cherokee/Warrior/Archers, Grumman Cheetahs/Tigers, Mooneys, V35 and A36 Bonanzas, Barons, a Duchess, even a Super Cub. Not any more...

These days, there's not much going on. There's one operator with more than 5 airplanes (and sky high prices), and the others are one-guy/one-plane deals. I sat watching, on a nice, VFR weekend day, and saw little activity.

It was kind of creepy....

I'm surprised to hear that FXE is that quiet. You wanna see a busy airport, come on over to Hooks (DWH) in Houston; there are 2-3 fixed wing flight schools (including United Flights large fleet), plus 2 helicopter schools... add in the corporate jets and turboprops, plus the transient military traffic, and man, what a zoo. One thing I've noticed about the fixed wing schools: none of the students speak English very well; I'm not sure where they're from, but they sure can clog up the tower/ground frequencies with their gibberish. It's pretty maddening when I just want to get in or out quickly in my RV.

 

[erj-145mech]

DWH, try going over to CXO. Thats where I learned to fly. Many RV's there, and comradery.

 

[FlyingToIST]

The Cirrus is the biggest rip off around. I have a buddy of mine that instructs in one and when I told him that I was thinking of getting checked out in one I asked him what the process was. He told me that flight schools require a 10 FLIGHT hour training course. When asked at how much the plane costs per hour, he said $250! I just about fell over. Just to get the checkout costs $2500! WTFO!

He tried to justify the cost saying that it takes some time to get used to the "speed" of the aircraft and requires training to "stay ahead of the aircraft". What a bunch of crap!

Anyone else heard of flight school's running this scam?

Gator,
it's the flight school that is trying to rip you off. While we are at it, why don't we find out what kind of a Cirrus experience you have? Then, we'll talk again..
Since you look to know a lot about this business, you sound like you can teach me a thing or two

 

[FlyingToIST]

I agree I did my private in a couple of rust-bucket '66 150's with duct tape literally holding the cowling together on one. All for about 5 grand in Seattle in 2005. I have a soft spot in my heart for one fiddys.

Sounds like alternate air When we first started in 2005 we were renting PA38s for $70/hr.. they are $103 right now..

 

[NuGuy]

I'm surprised to hear that FXE is that quiet.

Heyas JB,

Yea, it's kind of weird. I was working for a heilo outfit in 90, and FXE was clogged, PMP was clogged, and HWO, well, HWO was HWO, if you know what I mean.

These days, man, there is NOTHING going on at FXE. The high-roller traffic has gone up, but the piston crowd has evaporated as best I can tell. On weekends you can practically see the tumbleweeds roll across the runway. Besides, with Skytel gone (knocked down to build another corporate hangar), you can't get a airport greaseburger anywhere in SoFL. They had good pie, too.

My guess is that the people with the kind of money FXE requires now to play have split for the private strips like Antiquers. A lot of the FXE t-hangars are filled with non-aviation stuff, like cars. Rumor is that economical flying is available out of OPF, TMB or X51, but I wouldn't drive down there if my life depended on it (which in a way, it does).

Nu