The Hungry Pilot

As soon as you study the basics of aerodynamics you will come across the theorems of Mr Bernoulli and, more importantly, Mr Newton. They may provide an explanation of why an aircraft flies from a physics perspective. But hey, let’s face it: Money makes an airplane fly. A lot of money, usually…

What you will find in this article:

• The Hungry Pilot‘s own experience
• A brief explanation why flying is so expensive
• An estimate of the cost to become a commercial pilot
• The necessity of having a plan B

What you will not find here is a detailed breakdown of what it will cost you. Like I said, I can only provide an estimate, as there are plenty of flight schools out there and your personal situation and needs will have a big impact on your cost as well. That is why I will give you only ballpark figures, but contact me if you have questions or if you would like some more personal advice.

My own experience

I did my PPL in California in 2008. Back then flight schools, even in the US, would already ask for a fuel surcharge. Anyway, compared to now flying in the US was still dirt cheap, so I spent a month in San Diego, did my training in less than 3 weeks, while I partied with fellow students and instructors and paid less than 6k $. I had not yet finished my PPL when I decided to become a commercial pilot, but it soon turned out that the way to go for me was the European license, as I did not have a working visa or a green card for the USA. So I went back to San Diego just a couple weeks later for hour building and I managed to fly another 60 hours in a bit more than 2 weeks.

Back in Austria I started with converting the American license to a European while looking around for a flight school to continue my studies. The conversion was easier as I had already flown over 100 hours in the US, with less hours I would have had to sit all the PPL theory exams again in Austria. I also joined a flying club and did the remaining time building parallel to my CPL and IR training, taking friends and family along who would share the cost with me.

Overall I spent about 60k € for my training, cost of living included. Keep in mind, it was from 2008 to early 2010. Back then I could have had it all for even less, in a different school or by doing the entire training in the US.

Why is flying so expensive?

While passengers nowadays are used to low-cost flying and paying peanuts for their tickets, it still costs a lot to operate transport category aircraft. Even flying a light twin-engine training aircraft can cost a thousand Euros per flight hour these days, and the cost increases in proportion with the size of the aircraft.

At this point I‘m not going to start a discussion about ethics and how the rotten apples among the operators treat their staff, or what a disgrace Boeing has become over the last 25 years… Just keep in mind that someone has to pay for the super cheap tickets, and if it’s not the passenger then it’s the employees (and that includes the pilots, most certainly).

It is all about profits

Commercial air transport is the safest way of transportation we know these days, but this comes at a high price. Not only financially, but also in terms of lost human lives over the past 120 years. Essentially it’s all about profits, and in order to make profits the industry needs passengers and cargo. These have a habit of staying away from airplanes if there’s a too high chance they die or get destroyed.

That’s why the industry and lawmakers are so keen about safety, and it works only if everyone involved operates at the highest possible standards.

It starts with OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) like Airbus and Boeing, who invest billions in designing and certifying airliners. Certifying means, the airplanes must be built in accordance with the technical requirements established by the aviation authorities. Basically any airplane or helicopter must comply with some sort of certification specification, regardless of how many people can board it. That also includes all light training aircraft. Expensive hardware and high operating cost means even higher cost for the client, in this case that’s you as the aspiring professional pilot.

Of course it doesn’t end with just the OEMs. All of their suppliers must be certified too, and every single component or part they produce.

Next we have the infrastructure which is required to facilitate safe flying. Air traffic control, aircraft maintenance and tons of ground equipment you can find on airports, which someone needs to build first and then maintain. Like pilot training, it is a lengthy and expensive process to train and certify ATC and maintenance personnel.

Long story short, safety makes operating airplanes expensive. That will never change, regardless of how cheap tickets might be for the individual passenger. In the future though, eventually the massive tax benefits and exemptions of the aviation industry will fall in the wake of the fight against climate change. It will take many years still or even decades, but it will happen and the operating costs will rise further. Ticket prices will increase significantly and then humankind will fly less.

What is my training going to cost?

There are different routes leading to your goal, which is a CPL with an instrument rating for multi-engine aircraft powered by piston engines. We will discuss the different variants how to get there in more detail in a different posting, including this great invention called MPL (Multi-crew Pilot License).

As there are differences between schools and how they train you, there can be quite significant differences in what they charge you and what they include in their packages. Certain schools will provide you not only with the flight training itself, but also with career services. In other words, they will help you finding your first cockpit job, ideally already during the course. If your school has a high reputation and if it provides training for one or more renowned airlines, expect to pay more. Also expect better chances to get hired after your training though.

Another factor is the country where the school is located. Prices can vary quite a bit between Northern and Southern Europe for example. This is the continent I will focus on here, because it’s where I did most of my flying and teaching.

Northern Europe

Having worked as a flight instructor in Finland, I have seen schools charging prices of 130k Euros, not including landing and examination fees. Depending on the school there might be an Airbus A320 type rating included, but not your cost of living. All of this combined, and of course depending on your personal lifestyle, you will need approximately 150k Euros. Keep in mind that this doesn’t include additional training in case you have to retake exams, or any parts of your training.

The weather in the North is also a factor which can delay your training significantly, which in return might result in maintaining yourself without an income for longer than planned. That’s why schools in the North usually have some sort of winter camp or fair weather base in Southern Europe or in the USA, to which students are being sent for certain parts of their training. These stays are typically included in the package and obviously add extra cost.

Finland is an extreme example here, but also the other Nordic countries are expensive to live in and train. Training in Norway‘s large schools will still set you back by 100k, living costs not included.

Central and Southern Europe

In these parts course prices can vary a lot. In a country like Austria you find schools which charge just about 70k. Maybe even less, but in such a case you need to be extra cautious about the credibility of the provider, regardless of the country. If someone offers you the whole thing for let‘s say 50k, be careful as this sounds too good to be true in 2024 and onwards. Ideally you visit the place anyway and talk to active students there about their experience.

Spain is a highly popular country for professional pilot training these days for various reasons. You have great weather throughout the year and the cost of living is on the lower side, to name only two. You can find packages ranging from 80 to 125k € which include everything, even your accommodation and food.

Such a package is designed to give the student some peace of mind, but always make sure you read your training contract carefully to avoid nasty surprises as to what is included and how long you may take for your training. We will talk about flight schools again in the future to see how you can find the right one for you, but get in touch with me now if you have questions about anything. I’ll also be happy to have a look at your training agreement to check it for any catches.

Financing

Most flight schools nowadays will at least assist you in getting a training loan, for example by directly referring you to a partner bank. I know I’m repeating myself, but just be careful about what you sign. Remember, everyone is in the game for profit. Both the school and the bank want your money and they are not your friends, they are service providers.

If the schools you are checking out do not already have the information available for you, then ask about student support or grants provided by the state. Your home country might have something available, if you’re lucky even in case you train abroad. In the Nordic countries this is quite common, however the institutions which give you money usually want to see some progress as well. If you don’t deliver in the form of finishing your training within a certain period, you might have to pay money back.

Make sure you get loan offers from not only your house bank or your school’s partner, but from several different lenders.

Plan B

As with most things in life, if you have a plan A, you should always have a plan B as well. Especially if you choose flying as a career, because it comes with certain risks that you will not see in other fields or industries. The volatility of the aviation industry with its up and down cycles and your personal health are two main factors. These can go sideways quickly and will often be beyond your control. In hard cases you might even lose your medical certificate forever, left only with a crazy expensive pilot license which you might as well flush down the toilet.

The medical fitness is one thing which you can buy insurance for though, and if you are prepared to invest the above mentioned amounts of money, it would be worth to at least consider getting such insurance. A so-called loss-of-license (LOL) insurance pays in cases where you become unfit to fly, usually either a lump sum or a monthly payment for a certain period of time.

The other factor beyond your control is the nature of the aviation industry itself. We discussed this also here in a bit more depth. On top of the usual cycles with a peak appearing approximately every 7 years, there are one-time events like Covid, which have the potential to disrupt the industry for several years. Meaning, about every 7 years everyone is hiring pilots and in certain parts of the world even shortages might occur, so everyone with a heartbeat and a license will find a cockpit job. During or after a crisis the opposite is the case and you might find yourself without a flying job for years. Of course this is also when your LOL insurance will not pay you anything.

At this point your plan B comes in handy. If you’re lucky, you have someone else financing you and your training, like family or your spouse. Those who aren’t as lucky usually need another job and ideally have had some kind of training or studies other than pilot training already in the past. Look around for colleges or universities which offer combined education, which will give you both a pilot license and a degree. Your degree, could be aviation related economics or engineering for example, will put you on the safe side in case you don’t find that first cockpit job immediately or in case the industry goes down the drain once again. And remember, the question is not if it goes down, it is when.

Bottom line is, in case you can’t make a living as a pilot, you need an alternative source of income which pays you enough to support yourself and possibly those who are depending on you, and which pays back your training debt as well.