I'm New and I wanted to know how much does it cost for a cadet....

[Globemaster]

How much does it cost for a cadet (15 yo) to get a PPL (yes I know you've got to be 16 to get a license) through CAP

[tsrup]

Lets see, FAA requires 40hrs minimum, so based on the Minimum,

$35.00 an hour for the aircraft x40= $1,400
Fuel comes to about 60-80 dollars an hour. so about $3,200
Books come to about 200 dollars
Medical comes to about 150 dollars depending on what your local flight doc charges and whether or not it's covered by insurance.
PPL written exam is like 95 dollars,
and then your check-ride can be around 250 (that depends on what your check pilot charges)

So you can expect to spend about $5295

Now keep in mind that figure is figured for about 80 dollars an hour for fuel, and is for the minimum amount of time needed for your PPL.
Your actual cost may vary with cheaper/more expensive fuel and the very real possibility that you can take upwards of 70 hours to finish your PPL.

Hope this helps.

[peter rabbit]

Costs in our area:
$29/hour for a CAP 172
$5.70/gal max (usually 4.95) for fuel at 8 gallons per hour for a 172
$75-100 for a medical
other costs should be about the same, except add for a headset and other incidentals

Knock about $1,500 off the $5,295

[Cliff_Chambliss]

Actually while the FAA requires a minimum of 40 hrs for a Private Certificate, nationally the actual average is 55-60 hours.  I have had a few students checkride ready at 35 hours (Part 141 Program) and I have had a few take 80-90 hours (flying 1 flight per week, time off for proms, football, SAT/ACT Tests, girls, etc).  Plan on the high side of costs.

Add in grond school  approximately $300-$400  Formal GS, Dvd, Interactive, whatever, the cost is going to be about the same.

[Thrashed]

No one knows the real average. Everyone just makes up quotes without any real data. The FAA might have the numbers on the PPL application, but that is not published. The average is way above 40 hours though. Just Google "private pilot average hours" and you'll get a dozen different numbers. In the end, it's up to the student flying. Everyone is different.

http://www.aopa.org/letsgoflying/ready/time/options.html

Money is always an issue, but add CAP flying to that. You need to find an airplane. CAP has a lot of C182's, C-206's, etc. Those are not good trainers. You'll need to find a C172 nearby. They are getting rare. Then you will need to find a CAP instructor with time to teach and that will work for free. In my wing, you must get authorization from the wing & squadron commander for cadet flight training. Then you MUST use the Cessna or Jeppesen 141 syllabus (with all the stage checks). Be sure to check your wing's requirements.

I'm a CAP instructor and I've never heard of a cadet getting their private through CAP. Most go to the local FBO and fly.

Good luck.

[Flying Pig]

Its takes the same amount of money as anywhere else.....it takes every penny you have!

[tsrup]

I'm a CAP instructor and I've never heard of a cadet getting their private through CAP. Most go to the local FBO and fly.

Well, add one to your list

[simon]

Globemaster, forget CAP. Set aside $10k and go to an FBO.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but better you know up front. Welcome to aviation. It is fun but expensive.

The subject of getting a PPL through CAP has been done to death in other threads so I won't repeat it here. Read up in those threads and you will see the pros and cons.

I did my PPL in the San Francisco Bay area at an FBO in 2007. I stopped counting at $8k but I reckon it cost me around $12k. Your mileage will vary. The bay is probably more expensive to train at than, say, Nebraska. In addition, there is some additional emphasis on getting airspace right in busy areas like the bay, since there is a lot of it. So an instructor is not going to put you up for a check ride there until they are sure you have that under control. It adds to the cost. Oh and I also learnt in a taildragger which takes a few more hours to master. I think it took me 80 hours. The plane was $110 back then when fuel was $4 a gallon. My instructor was something like $65 and he was generous with his time. Go figure some numbers on that.

In a less busy / expensive area with a tricycle and a sport pilot certificate, you might do it for 40% less. But there are limitations.

Talk to people and get the best instructor you can find. Not  by cost. One that fits your personality. Let it all flow from there. If I had to give one pieve of advice, that would be it.

Good luck.

[Thrashed]

Good advice. Find a good instructor. Lou Fields in OAK? I flew some taildraggers by in the '80's there. I instructed in HWD and SJC.

[Spaceman3750]

I've always thought Tailwheels, Etc. has an interesting program...

[mocap84]

Try applying to a NCSA once you have completed an encampment.  You can get a weeks worth of flight instruction for about $1000 at most flight academys. While that does not earn you your PPL, you can get a lot of experience from it.

[Flying Pig]

Try applying to a NCSA once you have completed an encampment.  You can get a weeks worth of flight instruction for about $1000 at most flight academys. While that does not earn you your PPL, you can get a lot of experience from it.

A weeks of flying? Wow! Thats 168 hours for $1000!

[Thrashed]

Try applying to a NCSA once you have completed an encampment.  You can get a weeks worth of flight instruction for about $1000 at most flight academys. While that does not earn you your PPL, you can get a lot of experience from it.

10 hours in a week. Pretty good for flying though.

[Eclipse]

And most of those academies will include the complete ground school as well.

[mocap84]

wow, sorry about that typo, I meant week, not weeks. 

[mocap84]

Try applying to a NCSA once you have completed an encampment.  You can get a weeks worth of flight instruction for about $1000 at most flight academys. While that does not earn you your PPL, you can get a lot of experience from it.

A weeks of flying? Wow! Thats 168 hours for $1000!

I meant that the academy lasts one week or so, sorry for any confusion.

[SarDragon]

Lighten up, Francis.

He was making a funny.

[Buzz]

Globemaster, consider all options.

For instance, you may find a glider program in your area.  It is cheaper to get your PPL in sailplanes, then get your SEL endorsement -- and flying sailplanes is one of the two best things that you can do to become a master pilot (the other being spin training) rather than just another PP.  You are already old enough to solo sailplanes, and there is no medical required.

Sport Pilot is another possibility, 20 hours less required, and often lower per-hour costs.  Again, no medical required.

Get started either way, then as the money comes, you can take SEL training, get your medical, get signed off, take your checkride and have your PPL SEL later.

There is also the option of buying or building an ultralight, learning to fly, then taking that skill with you when you start your PPL training.

The big thing to keep in mind is that any fixed-wing flying you can get will improve your skills.  The primary objective is to become a good, safe pilot, able to fly solo and build your experience.  You can't get your license for another 2-years-plus anyhow.

[simon]

I totally agree with Buzz. If I lived closer to a glider area, had more time than money (Enough to spend my weekends at the airport instead of with my family), I would have learnt to fly in a glider. In the same way that learning in a taildragger over a tricycle will give you improved directional control on the runway, learning in a glider will give you a improved situational awareness in the airport environment and a better understanding of total aircraft performance. These are airmanship skills that most pilots would agree are important but ones that a tricycle pilot might be able to squeak through with during their PPL.

Most pilots learn in tricycles and there is of course nothing wrong with that. Taildraggers will cost you more (Due to more hours) but they are exciting to take off and land in (Using the word 'exciting' liberally) but sailplanes will cost you significantly less, have their own unique kind of excitement and will do great things for your flying foundations. Plus you'll be hanging out at airports with a bunch of old airport dogs that love to give tons of free advice - people who fly for the pure joy of it - why we all started.

Of course you will need to add extra hours after your sailplane rating to get a PPL and that is not an insignificant cost. If you have a gliding club nearby, you might wish to head over and talk with a few instructors. Not an option for everybody, but if hours and dollars are an issue, might be one for you.

[Cliff_Chambliss]

Actually it takes more than an endorsement to add Private Pilot Airplane to a Private Pilot Glider Certificate.
I would invite your attention to 14CFR61.63 where additional ratings are discussed.  Basically this part says the applicant must take the Private Airplae Written Test, Comply with the Experience Requirements of 14CFR61-109, and take a Practical Test with an examiner. 
  About the only thing the holder of Private Pilot Glider does not have to do is concern themselves with the minimum 40 hours flight training and 15 hours required dual training.  All other requirements for Private Pilot Airplane, (cross country, night, etc) must be met.

As an instructor I sure do wish a lot more starting student pilots (and former military jet pilots) had a few hours in a sailplane - They would then at least understand that the feet do more than just carry them to the airplane.

[Mark_Wheeler]

As an instructor I sure do wish a lot more starting student pilots (and former military jet pilots) had a few hours in a sailplane - They would then at least understand that the feet do more than just carry them to the airplane.

My first logged time is in a Great Lakes conventionally geared bi-plane, I learned a lot about feet use in that .8 than I ever thought possible!

Mark

[Buzz]

  About the only thing the holder of Private Pilot Glider does not have to do is concern themselves with the minimum 40 hours flight training and 15 hours required dual training.  All other requirements for Private Pilot Airplane, (cross country, night, etc) must be met.

. . .and the difference between going through the sailplane and going through the Cessna is that the glider pilot can save a couple of thousand dollars, because he or she gets into the Cessna with a far greater understanding of the dynamics of flight -- in some cases, more than the CFI in the right seat.  They are able to qualify in the minimum amount of (expensive) instructor and plane time.

A friend of mine, after her first hour in a C-172, had the instructor turn to her and say "I will pay half of the cost of the plane and fuel, and fly with you for free, if you teach me what you know."  He had 300 hours, she had about 800 in sailplanes, ultralights and hang gliders.  She now has another 500 or so, and had her tailwheel endorsement after an hour with the Citabria.

She's the only person I have allowed to fly my plane since I got it (it's a single-seater classic).

Perhaps I should mention that she's 23 years old . . ?  I have a flight jacket older than she is!

As an instructor I sure do wish a lot more starting student pilots (and former military jet pilots) had a few hours in a sailplane - They would then at least understand that the feet do more than just carry them to the airplane.

I wish that more CFIs had sailplane time and spin competence.

[Flying Pig]

Actually it takes more than an endorsement to add Private Pilot Airplane to a Private Pilot Glider Certificate.
I would invite your attention to 14CFR61.63 where additional ratings are discussed.  Basically this part says the applicant must take the Private Airplae Written Test, Comply with the Experience Requirements of 14CFR61-109, and take a Practical Test with an examiner. 
  About the only thing the holder of Private Pilot Glider does not have to do is concern themselves with the minimum 40 hours flight training and 15 hours required dual training.  All other requirements for Private Pilot Airplane, (cross country, night, etc) must be met.

As an instructor I sure do wish a lot more starting student pilots (and former military jet pilots) had a few hours in a sailplane - They would then at least understand that the feet do more than just carry them to the airplane.

Exactly.  I was a Private Glider before anything else.  If your a glider pilot going to fixed wing, your pretty much going to do everything that a 0 time applicant is going to do.

Gliders, where every landing is an emergency landing.

[simon]

Wow, the first thread in a long time where posters actually agree with each other... 

I had a nice experience last year flying down from San Jose to Los Angeles for a day of CAP gliding at Los Alamitos Air Force base. The highlight was watching a cadet solo. I think he was fairly young, maybe only 14. I also think all the adult pilots there on that day thought, wow, what a blast to be soaring above Los Angeles in a glider when your buddies are just out riding their skateboards or texting each other. It doesn't get much better than that.

[FastAttack]

I did the glider to SEL addon route.

I had about 80 glider hours.. all my time requirements were met right away.

but like someone posted here, you will still have to do the cross country requirements, the instrument time, night flight requirements and do the basic SEL items of the PTS.

All in all my addon costed around 3k.. my Glider PPL was around 2k ..

Comparing apples to apples , in a overall sense it was cheaper to go the glider route then to do the SEL rating.

When I transitioned I solo'd the power aircraft after my 3rd flight with my instructor. The thing I had to learn was how "flare".

If I had to do it all over again.
I would go to the glider academy first ( I was a former cadet), get some flying skills under my belt and then do a mix of SEL and glider flying to meet the requirements of both.

If you have a local CAP instructor willing to take you under his wing.. go for it.. But to be honest don't be disappointed if you can't find a CAP instructor willing to take his time to do the full training.

[Thrashed]

I offered my CFI services to all my cadets (they pay for the CAP plane) and NONE of them have flown with me. 

[davidsinn]

I offered my CFI services to all my cadets (they pay for the CAP plane) and NONE of them have flown with me. 

Even with a free CFI it still works out to be $60+/hr, that ain't cheap.

[bosshawk]

Just in case some of you folks have forgotten: the words "AIRPLANE" and "CHEAP" are mutually exclusive.  You obviously have never owned one and seen the maintenance and fuel bills.

[Buzz]

Just in case some of you folks have forgotten: the words "AIRPLANE" and "CHEAP" are mutually exclusive.  You obviously have never owned one and seen the maintenance and fuel bills.

There is a very good way to cut these bills significantly -- BUILD a plane.

You can even find plenty of half-done kits whose owner died or gave up flying, and these may be found for as little at $1000. 

My Stits Playboy was built in 1965, won at Oshkosh a few years back, and I paid less than $7500 for it.  It flies for about $35 per hour including fuel and maintenance, and that's on AVGAS -- if I flew on autogas the price would be in the $28 range.  Pull back the throttle a bit from the 125 IAS cruise, I can cut another $5 out of that hourly cost.

There are plenty of "No-FWF" experimentals for sale (FWF = "Firewall Forward" -- engine, mount and prop), whose owners bought them to pull the engine for something they like more.  These are a good candidate for converted car engines.

I keep hearing of EAA chapters with projects that they want to find a good home for, sometimes for the cost of going to pick them up.

This isn't the solution for everyone, or even most pilots, but it is something to consider for someone who will finish what they start.

[Spaceman3750]

Just in case some of you folks have forgotten: the words "AIRPLANE" and "CHEAP" are mutually exclusive.  You obviously have never owned one and seen the maintenance and fuel bills.

There is a very good way to cut these bills significantly -- BUILD a plane.

You can even find plenty of half-done kits whose owner died or gave up flying, and these may be found for as little at $1000. 

My Stits Playboy was built in 1965, won at Oshkosh a few years back, and I paid less than $7500 for it.  It flies for about $35 per hour including fuel and maintenance, and that's on AVGAS -- if I flew on autogas the price would be in the $28 range.  Pull back the throttle a bit from the 125 IAS cruise, I can cut another $5 out of that hourly cost.

There are plenty of "No-FWF" experimentals for sale (FWF = "Firewall Forward" -- engine, mount and prop), whose owners bought them to pull the engine for something they like more.  These are a good candidate for converted car engines.

I keep hearing of EAA chapters with projects that they want to find a good home for, sometimes for the cost of going to pick them up.

This isn't the solution for everyone, or even most pilots, but it is something to consider for someone who will finish what they start.

I looked into this for a long time - certainly an intriguing project but man oh man a lot of work. I was particularly interested in the Sonex and its sister Onex but I think the lack of prefabricated sheet metal as part of the standard kit makes it a bit more of an involved build. Van's RV airframe kits look very nice but once you drop at least $15k for a Jabiru or Rotax powerplant it becomes significantly more painful (the Sonex kits are designed to accept their much lower-cost kit-built Aerovee powerplant).

Being able to repair an inspect your own experimental SLSA is definitely a plus!

[mdickinson]

you will need to find a CAP instructor with time to teach and that will work for free. In my wing, you must get authorization from the wing & squadron commander for cadet flight training. Then you MUST use the Cessna or Jeppesen 141 syllabus (with all the stage checks). Be sure to check your wing's requirements.

I'm a CAP instructor and I've never heard of a cadet getting their private through CAP. Most go to the local FBO and fly.

I'm a CAP instructor and have given primary flight instruction to four cadets. Of those four, two completed their Private, one completed his instrument rating (while still a cadet), and two received appointments to the Air Force Academy.

Another CAP CFI at my airport gave instruction to three more cadets, all of whom earned their Private.

Another CAP CFI in my wing has soloed over 50 cadets, and at got at least 20 of them to their Private.

I know most CAP instructors don't teach cadets... but believe me, if you are a CAP CFI and you're not giving flight instruction to cadets, then both you and the cadets are missing out!

Based on my experience giving dual to cadets, I suggest:

• If at all possible, begin your flight training by attending a National Flight Academy. These are offered each summer at five or ten locations around the country. http://ncsas.com/index.cfm/powered_flight_academy?show=career_fair&careerFairID=14 The cost is $1000, and your get eight or nine days of intense flight training and ground school, and most likely your solo wings. It is the best way to get started. (Alternatively, some wings, such as NY and IL, have their own Wing Flight Academies, which are just as good.)
• Budget for 60 hours of flight time. Find out how much your wing charges for the C172 and what the fuel price is at your airport.
• Find a CAP Instructor Pilot who is retired or unemployed (or an airline pilot) so can give you a lesson at least once a week (2 or 3 times a week is far better).
• Find a backup CAP Instructor Pilot for the days / weeks when your primary instructor is unavailable.
• Get permission from your wing, by submitting a properly formatted "CAP Memorandum" (see CAPR 10-1) to your squadron commander asking for permission to being flight training. In the memo, explain that you've done the calculations, have the money ready to spend, have the support of your parents, have a way to get to the airport, have the time to take lessons twice weekly, and have lined up two different CAP CFIs who will fly with you.
• Buy this private pilot kit, which contains ALL the different books and materials you will need (except a headset and a local sectional chart) Gleim Private Pilot Kit (As a CFI, I buy these kits directly from Gleim and as long as I buy 2 at a time, I get them for about $100 each. PM me if you want to buy one.)
• Clear the decks of all other activities. Earning your Private is not rocket science, but it does take a major commitment of time and energy, and of course funds. Don't try to do this during football season, or soccer season, or marching band season, or AP Exam time, whatever you do that sucks up a lot of your time. If you are too busy during the school year to fly twice a week, better to make it your full-time summer vacation project.

Good luck! Many, MANY other CAP cadets have earned their Private Pilot Certificate (PPC, please, not PPL) through CAP and you can, too, IF your local Instructor Pilots and wing allow it.

[Thrashed]

I know most CAP instructors don't teach cadets... but believe me, if you are a CAP CFI and you're not giving flight instruction to cadets, then both you and the cadets are missing out!

I've taught ground school to CAP and offered to teach flying for free. Not ONE has taken me up on it. Not ONE has taken the written. It seems they want to fly, but don't want to do the work (some don't have the money). Now the plane's engine is timed out and we are losing it. It will not be replaced. Now I couldn't teach if they wanted me to. Oh well.

[mdickinson]

I've taught ground school to CAP and offered to teach flying for free. Not ONE has taken me up on it. Not ONE has taken the written.

Don't feel bad. Out of every ten cadets that contact me to express their interest in flight training, only three actually get the permissions to begin flying. Two of those will get to solo and only one will earn his private.


Despite your lack of local cadet student pilots, you can still get the satisfaction and reward that comes from teaching cadets to fly. Just volunteer to serve as a flight instructor at one of the Powered Flight Academies that are held each summer. Most of them are looking for pilots. In 201, PFAs will be in Nebraska, Wisconsin, Virginia, Maine and Oklahoma. Each one is nine days long and is held in either June or July. Check the schedule at http://ncsas.com/index.cfm?Name=Powered+Flight+Academy

If none of those fits your schedule, check with your wing and nearby wings to see which ones are holding wing flight academies (same syllabus, same format, just as enjoyable; only difference is no NCSA ribbon for your uniform.)

You will have to pay your own travel to get there, but in most cases, flight instructors receive meals and housing during the academy at no cost.

If you can't take 9 days away, contact the activity director and ask if they need a CFI for half-time. I have twice taught at PFAs for half the time due to schedule constraints on my cart. If one CFI is only available for the first five days, and another only available for the last five days, that works out well.

[Thrashed]

9 days off in the summer is not going to happen. Perhaps the part time would. Travel is not a problem for me. GA is dead in my area, so I don't fly much GA. I did fly 825 hours in 2011, so at least I'm flying.