The questions everyone asks
Straight answers, including the ones that make our own position awkward. If a number here is a range, it is because the honest answer is a range.
What does it cost to get a private pilot licence in Arizona?
Realistically 13,000 to 20,000 dollars, all in. The FAA minimum is 40 flight hours, but most students need closer to 60 to 75 hours to be ready for the checkride, which is why school quotes based on the minimum rarely match what people actually pay. The gap is normal, not a warning sign — plan for the higher number.
How long does it actually take?
It depends far more on how often you fly than on how quickly you learn. Flying two or three times a week, most people reach a private certificate in six to twelve months. Flying once a fortnight, it stretches out and costs more, because each lesson starts with re-learning the last one. Consistency is the single biggest lever you control.
What is a discovery flight, and what does it cost?
A short introductory flight, usually twenty to thirty minutes, where you sit in the left seat and actually fly the aeroplane with an instructor beside you. In Arizona they generally run about 99 to 250 dollars. Most schools credit the cost toward your training if you enrol. It is the cheapest honest way to find out whether you want this.
Do I need an FAA medical certificate before I start?
Not to take a discovery flight, and not to start lessons with an instructor on board. You do need one before you fly solo, so most students book the medical exam in their first few weeks rather than waiting. It is a straightforward exam with an FAA-designated aviation medical examiner. Tell us and we will point you to one near you.
How old do you have to be to learn to fly?
There is no minimum age to take lessons with an instructor — children fly discovery flights regularly. To fly solo you need a student pilot certificate, which requires you to be 16 (14 for gliders and balloons). To hold a private pilot certificate you must be 17 (16 for gliders and balloons). Those ages are set by federal regulation and no school can waive them.
Is Start Your Wings a flight school, and does going through you cost more?
No, and no. We are not a flight school — we do not own aircraft and we do not instruct. We answer your questions, help you compare Arizona’s schools, and book your discovery flight. You pay the school directly at the school’s own published price. There is no markup, no booking fee, and nothing added for coming through us.
Still stuck on something? That is what we are for — call (555) 128-3720 and ask. There is no script and nothing to buy.
Next: every flight school in Arizona, or the Phoenix, Mesa and Tucson pages.
Book your discovery flight
We answer, we compare, we book. Free to you, at the school’s own price.