All questions about the costs of a PPL training

First of all, we try to communicate the actual costs of our training. It is a complex product and there are variables, but we try to keep our pricing simple. We do not want you to be faced with surprises or feel uncomfortable about the investment during your training.

Therefore, it may be that you see a (much) lower price for a PPL training at other flight schools. That sounds attractive, but it is important to know that not all flight schools are equally transparent about their prices.

At some flight schools, various costs arise during the training (think of fuel, landing fees, sometimes even instruction), which means you ultimately pay a very different amount than you initially expected.

You can find out what is and isn't included in this price in the following questions.

Practice (€ 17.115)

• Total of 45 flight hours (that is approximately 55 hours of flight time in your logbook)
• 45 hours with instructor including pre- and debriefing
• 10 hours solo including pre- and debriefing
• 155 landings
• 37 hours electric, 8 hours single engine piston (of course, CO2 is compensated)
• Includes electricity and fuel

Theory (€ 1.250)

• Access to a comprehensive e-learning environment so you can master the nine theory subjects in your own way.
• Includes 24 hours of classroom guidance.
• Practical course Radio/Telephony
• Exam training

There are a number of costs that are variable or that we cannot include in the package.

• Extra lessons and extra landings. The 45 hours in the practical training PPL is the legally mandated minimum number of hours. Students who often take lessons and have a good feel for it usually manage well within the 45 hours. For students who need a bit more time, the total is often exceeded by an average of 15% to 20%.
  Because this is different for every student, we cannot include this in the package. You can of course purchase extra lessons from us per lesson or in a package of six lessons. Soon it will also be possible to take extra lessons on our simulator.
• Medical examination. Before you fly solo, a class 2 medical certificate is required. Expect costs of €375. Depending on your age and the clinic you choose, the frequency and costs of the examination may vary.
• The practical exam. This exam is conducted by a qualified examiner. Expect to pay €500 to €600
• Costs for issuing the first certificate at KIWA* €726 (price level end of 2023)
• Language Proficiency Endorsement (LPE) language test
  We have chosen not to include this mandatory test in our package. This is because these costs are sold without VAT. If we were to include this in our package, you would therefore pay 21% more. The cost of this test is € 164.- (price level end of 2023)
• The theory exams
  You need to take a total of 9 exams. These costs are also sold without VAT, so you will pay for them yourself. We assist with the registration. The exams cost €522,- (price level end of 2023)

You can pay for us per single lesson or per six lessons. It is good to know that one lesson is not the same as one flight hour.

Please note that you average about 0.85 flight hours in one lesson. So for 45 flight hours, you will need about 54 lessons. So keep in mind 9 x 6 lesson packages.

The average lesson lasts two hours with us. You start with a briefing with your instructor. Then you inspect the aircraft, start up, and taxi to the runway. After an hour in the aircraft, there is another half hour reserved for the debriefing.

You pay the mentioned package price not in one go. It is a summary of your practical lessons and theory. You order the lessons and theory at your own pace and are also free to stop at any time.

At E-Flight Academy, we offer our flight lessons in packages of 6 lessons. We call the first 6 lessons the assessment and is cheaper than the packages of 6 lessons afterwards. The costs for a 6 lesson package depend on the day of the week on which you take lessons and the season.

One assessment from Monday to Friday all year round or on weekends from October to March, costs €1,665-

One assessment In the weekend from April to September, it costs €1,815.-.

If you want to take lessons from Monday to Friday all year round after your assessment, or on weekends from October to March, then it costs a lesson package of 6 lessons €1.680,-.

If you want to take lessons on the weekend from April to September, then it costs a lesson package of 6 lessons €1.830,-.

The price difference between weekdays and weekends is caused by different rates in landing fees and by weekend surcharges from our instructors.

In addition to your flight lessons, you will also go the theory package to purchase for €1250,- so you can get started with this component.

In our theory package zit:

• Access to a comprehensive e-learning environment so you can master the nine theory subjects in your own way. Includes 24 hours of classroom support.
• Practical Course Radio/Telephony

Yes, each lesson includes at least one landing, and on top of that, there are 100 landings included in a training course. This adds up to a total of 155 landings included in the package prices.

In principle, this number should be sufficient. Do you still need extra landings? Then this will be charged based on a post-calculation according to these rates from the airport. We will pass this on to you without any markup.

Yes! That is all part of the price of a lesson. You don't have to keep track of anything or settle up afterwards.

Yes! You don't have to worry about that here either.

Depending on how many extra lessons you need (on average 15% to 20% above the minimum of 45 hours), you can order one or more extra lesson packages of six lessons. See the previous question for the package prices.

Or if you need less than 6 extra lessons, you can also purchase additional individual lessons.

If you want to take lessons from Monday to Friday all year round or on weekends from October to March, then it costs a some lessons on the Velis (electric device) €280,-. And a some lessons on the Virus (fuel device) €310,-.

If you want to take lessons on the weekend from April to September, a single lesson costs €290 for the Velis (electric aircraft) and €320 for the Virus (fuel aircraft).

Some lessons include one landing. Extra landings will be invoiced separately after the lesson. We charge the same rates as the landing fees of the airport.

*Lessons on the Virus are only needed for navigation flights. These are the last to be covered in your training, and you need at least 8 hours of them during your training.

If you make more than 155 landings, we will invoice these on a post-calculation basis. We charge the same rates as the landing fees of the airport. During a regular lesson, you usually make 1 or 2 landings. If you do circuit training (learning to land), you usually end up with 5 to 6 landings per lesson.

For the Velis (electric device) at Teuge:

• €8,75 site-landing Monday to Friday all year round or on weekends from April to September.
• €16,05 site-landing weekend/holidays from April to September.
• €20,70 overland-landing Monday to Friday all year round or on weekends from April to September.
• €28,00 overland-landing weekend/holidays from April to September.

For the Virus (fuel device) at Teuge:

• €10,85 terrain-landing Monday to Friday all year round or on weekends from April to September.
• €18,15 site-landing weekend/holidays from April to September.
• €22,80 overland-landing Monday to Friday all year round or on weekends from April to September.
• €30,10 overland-landing weekend/holidays from April to September.

The lower landing fees of the Velis are related to the noise. Yet another advantage of electric flying ;)

Landing at other airports
Each airport has different landing fees. We will incur by far the most costs at Teuge, but for your navigation flights, of course, also visit other airports. When comparing flight schools, and the landing fees are not included in the price, make sure to check what those extra costs entail.

Flight time (also known as 'airtime') is the time that an aircraft actually spends in the air.

Block time (also known as 'gate-to-gate time') is the time that elapses from the moment an aircraft departs from the hangar until it returns to the hangar.

In lessons in an electric aircraft, the difference between block time and flight time is much smaller than in a fuel aircraft. This is because we do not have a long run-up and our checklist is much shorter.

If you encounter a flight school that charges by block time, keep in mind that the time you are actually in the air is not the same as the time you spend on your total lesson.

At E-Flight Academy, you don't have to worry about that. Because you simply pay per lesson. And in one lesson, your flight time averages 0.85 flight hour. So you get a lot of real flight time during your flying lesson!

Yes, that is possible! For clarity, this refers to extra hours in addition to the hours you already receive within the theory package.

We call this Theory Support and it costs €80 per hour. It also happens that due to bad weather, flying cannot take place and the student is already there. In that case, last minute Theory Support can be taken by the respective instructor.

Flying itself is cheaper. Our aircraft has a 22 kWh battery, and if you know the electricity price, you can calculate that a flight usually costs less than 10 euros in electricity. A conventional training aircraft will quickly cost three to five times more.

However, there are also a lot of costs that turn out to be higher. Fortunately, it is expected that these costs will decrease in the coming years. For example, think of the depreciation of the battery. It needs to be replaced after just a few hundred hours. Additionally, our aircraft are of course brand new. Most flight schools operate with older planes that have already depreciated significantly. Maintenance is also new for the technicians, which has led to investments in training, and you can see this reflected in the price.

So it will take some time before electric flying becomes truly cheaper. A good way to accelerate that is to fly as much as possible electrically!

You don't need to purchase anything you already have again. The best thing to do is to consult with us about which part of the theory you have already arranged yourself and what we may still need to start. Please contact us at 055 203 2230

75 to 100 hours using e-learning. In addition, one can receive 5 days of guidance from a trainer.

The more you fly, the sooner you can take your exam. It's entirely up to you. At least, 4 or 5 flights per day is a bit of a maximum. So you can (theoretically) complete the 45 hours for your PPL in a few weeks. But your fellow students might take a year or longer to finish. It's up to you! Some regularity will help you master it faster. Note that, in addition to the practical lessons, you will also need to pass your theory exams. You can do this before or during your training.

Paying in advance is much more pleasant for us, and also for you, than paying afterwards. First of all, all the less enjoyable administrative work is done before you go flying. We don't have to talk about money on your flying day. The instructor doesn't walk around with a card machine and no, there is also no cash register and no change. It's all about flying! You can fully enjoy it. Even afterwards, you don't have to worry about the invoices to be paid. And for us, after a nice day of teaching, we don't have to make payment arrangements or send annoying reminders. And honestly, it is of course nice for us to keep the accounts receivable low. After all, we also have to pay for the airplanes, the insurance, and the rent for the hangar in advance.

If you still want to cancel your lesson and you notify us well in advance, no problem! We will simply refund your money. This also applies if a lesson needs to be rescheduled due to bad weather conditions and you decide not to come anymore. See our terms and conditions

Or: Can I claim the costs as study expenses?

With a Private Pilot Licence (PPL) certificate, you are not allowed to perform commercial activities. Therefore, in most cases, you cannot list the training as business expenses. The tax authority's website states: “The training or study is aimed at your profession or future profession.” If you continue after your Private Pilot License for a Commercial Pilot License (CPL) or an Instructor Rating, you can try it, however our advice: research it thoroughly, consult with an accountant, tax advisor, or ask the tax authority directly.