Costs of Running A Flight School?

[User546]

I have a friend that is wanting to open a flight school in Indiana, and he's curious about what type of costs he should budget for, and plan for (insurance, maintenance, hangars, etc.).

I know insurance is a big one with flight schools, so any idea what kind of ballpark figures he might be looking at on having 2-4 airplanes?

Any good advice or tips from people who have done this, or who currently run flight schools? And furthermore, is the time and investment he would make into setting one up be worth the payback in the end.

 

[bigD]

I run the books for our flight school, so I have an idea of what we pay, but much of the cost is dependant on where you're flying and what kinds of planes/training you're looking to offer. PM me if you want specific details...

Generally, I'd say that it's only a good idea if your friend is a huge aviation buff. Flight schools generally don't make the kind of money that most people would consider to be worth the effort.