How Much Did You Pay For Your Training?

[Doberman]

I'm just wondering who out there holds the record for money spent on flight training. I once was told by an FO at that she has spent somewhere in the area of $210,000 on fligth schools and training. She makes 18,000 a year as a second year FO on a 1900, WOW.

Anyone out there able to beat that? Or am I at least making some of you feel better?

Let me know what you think!

 

[DAL737FO]

Doberman,

You need to be a little more specific. I could see someone that went to Purdue or Auburn's flight training/four year degree program having a pretty hefty total for flight training however they are also getting a college education while doing it.

If someone spent over $200k out if pocket for solely flight training I'd have to wonder who paid their bills.

 

[Doberman]

I know it sounds like I am making it up, but believe me, I know all too well that here story is legit. About $130,000 was gobbled up in about a 2 year span at a company in Orlando called ATA (Airline Training Academy) They since have gone under and I believe they stuck many people who had loans approaching the 100K mark. She then went to another up an coming school near Daytona and took out aditional loans with KeyBank and Daddy.

Keybank will currently give out 100K, with a 20 year payback and variable rate, at the drop of a hat for approved flight schools, and people are taking them.

I am also told that you are able to take out an additional 100K for further flight training.

 

[Gulfstream 200]

130K to a flight school in Orlando!!!

HOLY $HIT!!!

I LOVE IT. Capitalism at its best. I wish I started one of these places and got filthy rich off idiots like her!

fish in a barrel man!


PS - there is NO WAY any bank on the planet is going to give you 200K for flight lessons. You may be able to get a 200K loan, as long as daddy backs it up with his house or something else worth 200K plus 30%. No friggin' way they going to give you 200K to goto a flight school.

 

[ACE]

I spent $50,000 for my degree and flight training at ERAU. There are cheaper ways to go about it. For instance, go to community college for your first two years and your local flight school for your ratings. Knowing what I do now, I wish I would have done it that way. 130k is way too much!

 

[jetsetr]

Pvt-MEI $17k, back in 1992

 

[WhiteCloud]

I spent $50,000 for my degree and flight training at ERAU. There are cheaper ways to go about it. For instance, go to community college for your first two years and your local flight school for your ratings. Knowing what I do now, I wish I would have done it that way. 130k is way too much!

I started flying after a 4 year degree and worked my way through. It took about 2 years and (I estimate) $20K from 0 time to CFII/MEI. Full time would have gone faster but I paid as I flew. No loans. Once you get on board somewhere as a CFI the other ratings can be less expensive than if you were just off the street.

 

[Otter]

about 20K sounds right on flight training. I went to ERAU but would not count the cost of the 4 yr degree as I would have gone to college anyway, and my degree was not Air Science.

 

[Otter]

oops...nothing like screwing up on a post right after saying what school you went to....(laughing)

 

[English]

According to my ex during divorce preceedings, I spent $61,000 on flight training since day one of lessons until day one at American Eagle. This included legitimate flight training expenses, and also....

magazine subscriptions related to flying
all books and written exams
payments on the 172 I owned (insurance, tiedowns, fuel, maintenance, etc. included)
vacations taken in the airplane
$100 hamburger runs
the costs of headsets, flight bags, etc.
Oshkosh and all other airshows attended
job fairs attended
conferences attended


Basically, if it was related to aviation in any way, it was lumped into this figure. I was hired at Eagle with approximately 1200 total time. Not including the income I earned as a flight instructor, it cost me on average of $50 per hour to fly (single and multiengine).

The ex scoured every credit card receipt and check book we had, so I know this is an accurate figure

 

[jarhead]

Four year degree at UND's aviation program from 1990 to 1994 Total cost of Bachelors degree (Airway Science) with room and board, about $30,000 for a Minnesota resident with reciprocity arangements with North Dakota.

Flight programs over the four years included, pvt, comm/inst Multi engine, CFI, CFII, and MEI, ran about another $40,000, for a grand total of around $70,000 in the early nineties.

 

[Buss_Driver]

A career that lets you look down on the tops of clouds: Priceless.

 

[8HourPilot]

90,000 large flight school in MI. That was for everything for 4 years

 

[ILS8L]

not just $$

More than 15 years of my life ... but worth it. Still learning every day!

 

[WrightAvia]

19,000 Private to MEI, including the apartment and utilities. I happened to get lucky and live pretty much on my own in the two bedroom apartment.

 

[Flechas]

$26K Private - MEI and some timebuilding
the 4 year degree at ERAU, which is another BIG number

 

[dav8or]

3,600 for the PPL
32,500 PPL to CFII,MEI
70,000 lost income while instructing and flying right seat.
375,000 for house in the airpark
100,000 (projected) for the RV8 I'm building

It has cost me $581,100 to learn to fly and the total is is still going up.

 

[othello]

my path
BigBendCC 1994-1996 went from 0 time to COMM- Mulit -Inst. flight fees right at 14,000$. also came out of BBCC with an AA. Then added on CFI-II-MEI after a couple of years having fun and getting a degree from a State U.

There are many ways to get the ratings I suggest what ever cost you the least. you get the same paying job in the end crappy, whether you went to a 90,000$ Acadmey in FLA or got your ratings for dirt cheap at the local FBO.

 

[Sctt@NJA]

Bridgewater State, MA 1988-92

about 28k for 4 year degree and zero time through CFII.

Lived at home with parents.

ME and ATP added later for $1500 a pop at Action Multi Ratings GON, CT.

 

[WhiteCloud]

According to my ex during divorce preceedings, I spent $61,000 on flight training since day one of lessons until day one at American Eagle. This included legitimate flight training expenses, and also....

magazine subscriptions related to flying
all books and written exams
payments on the 172 I owned (insurance, tiedowns, fuel, maintenance, etc. included)
vacations taken in the airplane
$100 hamburger runs
the costs of headsets, flight bags, etc.
Oshkosh and all other airshows attended
job fairs attended
conferences attended


Basically, if it was related to aviation in any way, it was lumped into this figure. I was hired at Eagle with approximately 1200 total time. Not including the income I earned as a flight instructor, it cost me on average of $50 per hour to fly (single and multiengine).

The ex scoured every credit card receipt and check book we had, so I know this is an accurate figure

What was her point?

 

[ICU]

PVT to ATP in 1998 About $10k
Found the smallest of schools in the smallest of towns, what can I say I' m cheap and proud of it

 

[FMR_RGNL_PLT]

I never had the guts to add it all up, I didn't want to make myself sick!

My advice to anyone....... Go the small flightschool, independent flight instructor route.... its the cheapest and from my experience all civiilian flight instruction is pretty much the same.

Unless you are going to a university with a good reputation outside of the avaiation world, that gives you a good "back up" degree, along with your ratings, I don't think the big money required is worth it.

The only type of aviation training that is head and shoulders above all others is what one receives in the fixed wing military flight schools..... IMO

 

[English]

Ziggy1,

The point was, that I owed the "community" reimbursement for my flight training expenses. The argument was that I was training for professional licenses that would enable me to make 200K a year as an airline captain (yeah right!). Therefore, since my ex contributed to my flight training, I had to "give something back".

We settled before it went to trial so it was a non-issue. The only value in it was that scouring our financial records was somehow closure therapy for my ex, and it enabled me to post accurately to this thread.

 

[lazy8s]

3,600 for the PPL
32,500 PPL to CFII,MEI
70,000 lost income while instructing and flying right seat.
375,000 for house in the airpark
100,000 (projected) for the RV8 I'm building

It has cost me $581,100 to learn to fly and the total is is still going up.

Dav8or, you know that you can't count what your Wife paid out only what YOU paid out!!

Call me and we'll go roll that thing a few times when you get it done, that's if your house doesn't get blown away today by Isabel.......

Lazy8s

 

[lazy8s]

Paid round about $33k for everything not counting all the extra crap invloved. Tack on another $31k for college and I could have bought a used Ferrari !!

Not too bad, when you can measure your flight training costs in terms of NEW Ferrari's (or Saleen, Lambo, etc.) then you did something wrong....

 

[dav8or]

Paid round about $33k for everything not counting all the extra crap invloved. Tack on another $31k for college and I could have bought a used Ferrari !!

Not too bad, when you can measure your flight training costs in terms of NEW Ferrari's (or Saleen, Lambo, etc.) then you did something wrong....

31K for a Ferrari? Maybe a raged out 308. Save up that CA pay and don't let the wife talk you into kids and maybe. I saw where a nice 512 went for 60k and it had less than 15k on it.

I'm getting ready to double my cost. I'm looking for 50-100 acres to develop my own airpark. I'll let you know when lots go on sale.

 

[MEI96]

Zero hours to MEI $49,000 Sierra Academy Oakland, CA.

College Degree was an extra $24,000 at U.C. Berkeley.