How old must you be to be able to fly and how much does it cost?

Question

ok i just go \intersted in airplanes about late 2005, i am looking to learn to fly one, i am 13 years old going on 14 in june, i want to get my pilots license but i think here in Durham, North Carolina theres nowhere around. but yeah if i could learn to fly, how old do i have to be?. and also im not a very wealthy person nore are my parents so how much does it cost?

Answer 1

In Durham, NC, check out Empire Aviation.  They operate out of Lake Ridge Aeropark (8NC8). Typically, the cost of a lesson would include rental of the plane, fuel, and the cost of the instructor's time.  At Empire Aviation these costs currently total to $120/hour.

They also offer several sessions of ground school starting at various points throughout the year.  I highly recommend starting out in ground school -- there is a lot of "book knowledge" that's important to flying a plane -- cockpit skills alone aren't enough.  In addition, ground school will give you a good opportunity to meet and become comfortable with the instructors *before* you're 1000 feet off the ground.

Ground school meets for a couple of hours in the evening, once a week for several months.  The entire session will cost you $150 or $200 (that's a pretty good deal if you ask me).

There is also a flight school operating out of RDU (I don't remember the name), as well as several smaller operations and/or independent instructors at other airports around the area.  As far as I know, all of these have great reputations, excellent instructors, and would be worth checking out as a comparison.  

Do keep this in mind though:  When you pay for flight instruction, you typically pay per-hour-the-engine-is-running.  So if you're flying out of a busy airport, or in controlled airspace, you can end up paying for time spent waiting on the ground for clearance to depart.  (you will find others that disagree with this statement, so explore all your options, and make your own decision).

Even if you can't afford to take as many lessons you'd like, most flight schools wouldn't mind you hanging around on a Saturday afternoon, helping out here and there (just make sure you let them know what you're doing, and you have their permission to hang around).  You can learn a lot by just listening, watching, and asking questions; and if you're around enough, you might end up with a part-time job, or at least some free instruction time here and there.

16 is the minimum age to get your Private Pilot License, but you can (and should) start taking lessons now.  It's not uncommon for people to take 1-year or more to complete the training.  Having limited funds (and/or time) to devote will also slow things down.  

While 40-hrs is the minimum flight-time requirement, most people take significantly longer than that to achieve the necessary proficiency.  I believe the national average is somewhere around 70 or 80 hours.  

Obviously, the primary cost will be flight-instruction time and aircraft rental, but there are also some books and basic equipment you'll probably need to purchase (sooner or later).

All in all, total cost of getting your Private Pilot License (in the Raleigh-Durham area) could be as low as $5000, but will likely be more like $8000.  Obviously, the cost is spread out across the duration of your training, and it all depends how long it takes you to become proficient and safe at the controls of the plane.

good luck!

Answer 2

you can start flying now, and get your private license at 16.  Cost per hour varies widely with location, but a good guess is about $50/hour + $25/hour for the instructor.  It will take you a minimum of 40 hours to get your license.  Most student pilots get their license in about 60-80 hours.  

Cost can be prohibitive, but there are inspiring stories of youngsters who REALLY wanted to learn to fly earning their flying time by working at the local FBO... pumping gas, washing airplanes, etc.  

Good luck!  You'll enjoy it.

Answer 3

I can't give a price and I'm sure there will be a place around to learn to fly.  You are more than old enough to be taking lessons.  It is odd, but you can generally fly an airplane before you can drive a car.

Look for a Civil Air Patrol Squadron and think about joining.  Lessons are a part of the training in many of them.

Live your dream and don't let anyone tell you that you can't do it.