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Desert Skies
Book · $199

Costs · KFFZ

Flight lessonsfrom $260 an hour.

With a FULL THROTTLE block, an hour of flying is $260: the airplane, fuel and your instructor. Every estimate on this page is built from the same rates our students are billed at.

Build your estimateBuild your Flight Plan

Rates from our portal · updated Nov 2, 2026

Every airplane and its rate
Prepaid block

$260

per lesson hour

Saves $20 an hour

Prepay $7,000

FULL THROTTLE: $260 per lesson hour.

  • AirplanePiper Warrior or Cessna 172

    $80

  • Fuelplanned at 10 gal/hr

    $80

  • Instructorin the airplane with you

    $100

Private pilot, planned
≈$19,300
Simulator hour
$50
instructor only

Live from our portal · Nov 2, 2026

01What each certificate costs

Three certificates.One number each.

Planning totals with FULL THROTTLE blocks, with briefings, ground school, the written test and the checkride fee inside. The simulator brings each one down, and that saving is shown on its own.

  • 01 · Private pilot

    $19,300

    Planned with FULL THROTTLE blocks

    Flight
    60hr
    Sim
    2.5hr
    Brief
    20hr

    Simulator saves $525

    Build this estimate

  • 02 · Instrument rating

    $12,600

    Planned with FULL THROTTLE blocks

    Flight
    35hr
    Sim
    20hr
    Brief
    15hr

    Simulator saves $4,200

    Build this estimate

  • 03 · Commercial pilot

    $24,800

    Planned with FULL THROTTLE blocks

    Flight
    105hr
    Sim
    27.5hr
    Brief
    15hr

    Simulator saves $3,025

    Build this estimate

Going on to teach? Flight instructor (CFI) is planned at $12,400, Instrument instructor (CFII) is planned at $5,000. From your first lesson to instrument instructor is about $74,000. Career training

02Program Builder

Build yourestimate.

Pick a certificate and you get one number. Open Adjust to change the airplane, the block, your pace or your simulator time. Lock it, add the next stage, and the program total keeps up. The link in your address bar saves it.

Certificate or rating

01 · Private pilot

$19,300

Planned total · FULL THROTTLE block

Private pilot: $19,300 planned.

  • Simulator saves: 2.5 hr at $50 instead of $260 with an instructor in the airplane

    $525

  • FULL THROTTLE block: prepay $7,000, 20% off the airplane

    $1,200

Flight
60 hr
15 solo
Simulator
2.5 hr
instructor only
Briefings
20 hr
on the ground
At your pace
4 mo
3 / wk

Your estimate

Private pilot on its own. Lock it to keep it, then add the next stage to see the whole program.

$19,300

About 4 months at 3 a week · $4,650 a month

  • Simulator savings

    $525

  • FULL THROTTLE block savings

    $1,200

Build my Flight Plan

All three keep your numbers.

Rates from our portal · updated Nov 2, 2026

03Blocks

Prepay a block,pay less per hour.

Add credit to your Desert Skies account and the amount sets your rate. Add $7,000 or more at once and lessons are billed with 20% off the airplane until your next top-up sets the rate again.

Fuel, instruction and briefings are never discounted, so a block lowers the airplane line and nothing else.

Training credit is non-refundable once you stop training, as in our enrollment agreement. Buy what covers the next month or two of flying.

  • JUST TABSstandard rate, same as paying as you go

    Prepay $3,000

    $280

  • TOP OFF10% off the airplane

    Prepay $5,000

    $270

  • FULL THROTTLE20% off the airplane

    Prepay $7,000

    $260

Live from our portal · Nov 2, 2026

04Simulator

The simulatoris part of training.

Desert Skies students fly the Redbird FMX at Jaybird Sim Center without paying for the device, up to 10 hours a month. You pay the instructor, $50 an hour, instead of $260 for the same hour in the airplane.

Not training with us? The simulator is $135 an hour at Jaybird with an instructor.

  • Private pilot

    2.5 hr planned · the FAA credits up to 2.5 (14 CFR 61.109(k)) · replaces flying with an instructor at $260 an hour

    $525saved

  • Instrument rating

    20 hr planned · the FAA credits up to 20 (14 CFR 61.65(i)) · replaces flying with an instructor at $260 an hour

    $4,200saved

  • Commercial pilot

    27.5 hr planned · the FAA credits up to 27.5 (14 CFR 61.129(i): 50 in all, 22.5 used earlier) · replaces flying on your own at $160 an hour

    $3,025saved

  • Instrument instructor (CFII)

    10 hr planned · replaces flying with an instructor at $260 an hour

    $2,100saved

Each saving is priced against the airplane time it replaces. Simulator hours count toward a certificate only within FAA limits, and your instructor logs them in the portal.

05What every estimate assumes

Cautious numbers,explained.

  • Fuel, planned high

    10 gallons an hour at $8. Most lessons burn 7 to 8, so the fuel line is cautious on purpose.

  • A briefing every lesson

    About an hour on the ground before and after you fly, at $100 an hour. It is in every estimate, not added later.

  • Ground school

    Our course for each certificate is a line in that stage. Already took one elsewhere? Tell your instructor and it comes off.

  • Tests and the examiner

    The FAA written test and the examiner’s checkride fee are estimated in each stage. Examiners set their own fees.

  • Hours most people need

    Stages are planned above the FAA minimums, because that is what most students actually fly. Your logged hours come off in the builder.

  • Not a fixed price

    An estimate is a plan, not a contract. Your instructor keeps it current in the portal, lesson by lesson.

06Paying for it

Two waysto pay.

Accelerated career track

Flight Training Finance

You apply with Flight Training Finance. The loan goes into a funding account, and we are paid from it only after each lesson you approve.

Its published terms are 12% to 18% APR with $250 down, over 18 to 48 monthly payments set by how often you fly. If you stop early, 90% of the training you have not had is credited back to your loan.

How financing works
Any pace

Pay as you fly

Pay after each lesson from the card on your account. When you are ready, prepay a block and the airplane costs less for every lesson it covers.

Book a discovery flight · $199

Questions

About themoney.

All questions
  • Why do some schools list a lower hourly rate?

    Our hourly rate plans fuel at 10 gallons, more than most lessons burn, and our estimates count a briefing with every lesson. Many listed rates leave those out. Compare complete totals for the same certificate, with what each one includes, rather than hourly rates.

  • Is this a quote?

    No. It is a planning estimate built from our rates and the hours most students need, which is more than the FAA minimum. Your instructor updates your plan in the portal as you train, so you always see what is left.

  • When do I pay?

    After each lesson, from the card or credit on your account. Prepay a block of $5,000 or more and the airplane costs less. Students on the Accelerated career track can finance through Flight Training Finance.

  • Can I get a refund on a block?

    Training credit is non-refundable once you stop training, as set out in our enrollment agreement. That is why we suggest buying the block that covers the next month or two of flying rather than a whole certificate up front.

  • What does the simulator cost?

    $50 an hour for the instructor if you train with us; the Redbird simulator itself is included. If you are not a Desert Skies student it is $135 an hour with the device.

  • What is not in the estimate?

    Extra hours if you need them, a retest if a checkride does not go your way, a multi-engine rating, and housing or travel. Everything else, from fuel to the examiner fee, is a line in the estimate.

Your numbers, your pace

Take your estimate further.

Turn it into a Flight Plan with dates and stages, or start with one hour in the air.

Build your Flight PlanBook a discovery flight · $199