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Cost Reference / AOPA, FAA, BLS, VA Primary Sources
WashingtonCost figures last verified: April 2026

Flight School Cost in Washington: PPL Pricing, Named Schools, and Hourly Rates for 2026

Pacific NW. Weather-limited. Higher fuel cost. Boeing-corridor career proximity.

PPL all-in$14,000 to $19,000Aggregated from named-school pricing
Cessna 172 wet rate$200 to $240/hrPer-hour wet rate band
CFI hourly$70 to $100/hrIndependent and Part 141 staff
VFR days / year200 to 250NOAA climate normals

Metro-tier breakdown

MetroCessna 172 wetCFI hourly
Seattle / Boeing Field / Renton$210 to $250/hr$75 to $105/hr
Spokane$195 to $230/hr$65 to $90/hr
Olympia / South Sound$200 to $240/hr$70 to $100/hr

Named flight schools (alphabetical)

SchoolLocationPartPricingSource
Galvin Flying ServiceSeattle (Boeing Field)Part 141Programme pricing published per stageView
Spokane Turbine CenterSpokanePart 141Programme pricing not publicly listedView
Inflight Pilot TrainingOlympia / TacomaPart 61Per-hour, see published ratesView
Snohomish Flying ServiceSnohomishPart 61Per-hour, see published ratesView

Schools listed alphabetically, never ranked. Pricing is current to April 2026 from the published source. Verify with the school at the time of enrolment.

Washington-specific cost factors

  • Marine Pacific NW weather: plan for IFR days even at PPL stage
  • Higher fuel cost flows through to wet rate
  • Boeing-corridor career proximity for transition pilots
  • Density of small-town airports allows cheaper outlying training

Scholarships and grants

Major aviation scholarships available regardless of state include AOPA Flight Training Scholarships, EAA Flight Training Scholarships, Women in Aviation International, OBAP, NGPA, LeRoy Homer Foundation, and Tuskegee NEXT.

Washington-specific programmes:

VA-approved Part 141 schools in Washington

Veterans using the Post-9/11 GI Bill must enrol at a VA-approved Part 141 school for flight training to be covered. The current VA-approved school list is published at VA.gov. Several of the named-Part-141 schools above are VA-approved; verify each individually at the VA site at the time of enrolment.

See the financing options page for the GI Bill PPL-coverage gap and the alternatives available to veterans.

Continue reading

Primary sources

  1. Pilot License Cost. AOPA, accessed April 2026. https://www.aopa.org/training-and-safety/students/pilot-license-cost
  2. Approved Part 141 Pilot Schools. FAA, accessed April 2026. https://www.faa.gov/pilots/training/schools
  3. Climate Normals (VFR-day data). NOAA, accessed April 2026. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/land-based-station/us-climate-normals
  4. Galvin Flying Service pricing page. Seattle (Boeing Field), accessed April 2026. https://galvinflying.com/
  5. Spokane Turbine Center pricing page. Spokane, accessed April 2026. https://spokaneturbinecenter.com/
  6. Inflight Pilot Training pricing page. Olympia / Tacoma, accessed April 2026. https://www.inflightpilottraining.com/
  7. Snohomish Flying Service pricing page. Snohomish, accessed April 2026. https://snofly.com/
  8. Washington Pilots Association scholarships. State / institution, accessed April 2026. https://wpaflys.org/
  9. Central Washington University aviation aid. State / institution, accessed April 2026. https://www.cwu.edu/aviation/