Becoming a pilot is an ambitious goal that many people desire to achieve in their lifetime. Whether you want to simply become a small airplane pilot or take it all the way to the commercial airlines, the journey to get there requires a lot of work and a lot of practice to perfect the skills needed to fly an airplane both professionally and safely. But just how much does it cost to do all of this? 

Well,, it all depends on what you want to do and how you want to get there. In this article, the costs of becoming a pilot will be discussed under the pricing of a simple Part 61 training school, except when it is clearly stated that a Part 141 school would be the better option. 

To put it plainly, a Part 61 flight training school is a "pay as you go, do what you want" training environment, where the instructor and student simply choose what they want to do for that particular day. Once everything required is checked off, the student is sent off to their FAA check ride.