Learn to Fly in Colorado Springs

Flight Training Programs

At The Flight School at Colorado Springs, we can help you accomplish your flight training and aviation goals; the sky is not the limit. Our career-focused training program offers the training you need to progress from Discovery Flight to Flight Instructor and beyond, all without the high costs other programs charge for flight training. Colorado Springs is a great place to learn to fly, but we also offer accelerated destination flight training for those interested in going somewhere new. Our intensive training plan guides you through the process quickly and effectively, making you a better pilot in less time and for less expense.

Private Pilot

Our accelerated Private Pilot program prepares you to fly safely on your own, day or night, anywhere you want to go—but not for hire.

Instrument Rating

Our program blends instrument training and commercial time-building to ensure you have the hours and the expertise to safely fly by reference to instruments.

Commercial Pilot

Perfect your maneuvers and learn the law in our high-speed, high-intensity commercial track.

Ground Instructor

Learn to teach on the ground first while on the way to teaching in the sky. Flight training is better when you teach.

Flight Instructor

Carry forward an aviation tradition. Our accelerated CFI plan means you start teaching nearly as soon as you become a commercial pilot.

Build Time

The journey to 1500 hours is a slow one—but it doesn't have to be with our affordable time-building packages.

Your Journey to Airline Transport Pilot

Our Accelerated Flight Training Outline

A unique, “Zero to Hero” flight training outline emphasizes a variety of curricula and strategies to help you soar through your ratings with The Flight School at Colorado Springs. Though you’re welcome to join us at any stage of your training and we’re happy to build custom-tailored training plans, our approach to training will always be comprehensive and oriented toward your ultimate aviation goals—whatever those may be.

*All prices listed assume students utilize pre-pay deals and include testing fees and third-party study software costs.

Contents

take a discovery flight today and begin your flight training in Colorado Springs

Discovery Flight

Your Introduction to Aviation

A Discovery Flight with The Flight School at Colorado Springs offers an opportunity to experience the thrill of aviation—and decide if it’s right for you! Our Discovery flight includes up to an hour of flight time with a Certificated Flight Instructor.

Stage Cost: $220

Private Stage I

Private Pilot Ground School

We’ve built our curriculum around several important principles. The first of those is that ground knowledge should come first. Acquiring the requisite ground knowledge before you begin the bulk of your flight training will better prepare you to learn in the cockpit, save you money and make you a more diligent, better-prepared pilot.

Does The Flight School at Meadow Lake offer an in-person ground school option?

Yes! All of the necessary ground school training can be completed in-person instead of via an online course, but our in-person ground schools are offered only when sufficient demand is met; to offer the ground school for $250 per person, we require a minimum class of ten students.

Private II, III, IV, V

Learning to Fly

As you proceed through pre-solo, solo, dual cross-country, solo-cross country and checkride prep, you’ll add to your ground knowledge with the necessary skills to take command of the airplane.

Some students may require more than 60 hours of flight time and/or more than 60 hours of instruction. Students who purchase a pre-pay agreement receive a 5% discount on all additional flight time or instruction until passing a check ride.

Private Pilot!

Total Estimated Cost
$ 0
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Ground Instructor

Teaching on the Ground

And just like that, you’re ready to start teaching. On the ground! The best way to learn is to teach, so we strongly encourage students to take the necessary FAA exams to become ground instructors immediately upon becoming a Private Pilot. This way, they can make the most of the remainder of their ground training.

Many students choose to complete additional FAA Knowledge tests for the flight instructor exams at this stage as well for efficiency and expediency, so costs reflect all flight instructor written exams.

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Instrument Stage I

Instrument Ground School

Learn to fly all over again—without looking outside! The long trek to an instrument rating is best started on the ground. Our ground schools feature in-person or online classes plus a video course and student-teacher study sessions.

flight training isn't just about flight training—it's about simulator training, too! The Flight School at Colorado Springs offers excellent opportunities for both

Instrument Stage II

Simulator

Our program combines the requirements of both an instrument rating and a commercial certificate, so our instrument students complete 50 hours in an Advanced Aviation Training Device (AATD) before beginning instrument flight training. This saves them money and better prepares them to exceed the standards required for an instrument rating.

Instrument Stage III

Flight

It won’t take long to translate the skills you learned in the simulator to an aircraft. Since you’ll already know all there is to know about instrument flying, now all you have to do is apply it.

  • 17 Flight Hours $2,363

    10 Hours Instructional Flying before Time-Building, 5 More Hours Before the Check Ride, 2 Hours for the Checkride

  • 25h Instrument Instruction $1,375
  • Instrument Checkride $900

    Paid to a DPE.

  • Total Stage Cost $4,638
  • Pre-Pay Cost $4,451.10

    *Instrument & Commercial Pre-Pay Deal includes prepayment of all Instrument & Commercial costs paid to TFS.

The Flight School at Colorado Springs offers many instrument-focused flight training opportunities in the Colorado Springs area

Instrument Stage IV

XC Time-Building

You’ll spend the next 100 hours of flight time flying to new places with another student. The entire time, you’ll shoot instrument approaches and simulate flying by instruments. Why stay in Colorado Springs for your flight training? Take the plane and go somewhere! Alternatively, try Flight Training Adventures!

Wrap up instrument training with several more hours of instruction and flying before taking your instrument checkride.

  • 100 Hours Split Flight Time $6,950

    "Split time" refers to flying with another pilot—each pilot pays half of the aircraft rental and both pilots log time.

  • Total Stage Cost $6,950
  • Pre-Pay Cost* $5,500

    *Instrument & Commercial Pre-Pay Deal includes prepayment of all Instrument & Commercial costs paid to TFS.

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Instrument Rated!

Total Estimated Cost
$ 0

Commercial Stage I

Commercial Pilot Ground School

Time to hit the books again! But this time, instead of just learning, you’ll actually be teaching! You’ll teach lessons on law, aerodynamics, systems and more during this exciting phase of training.

  • Sporty's Commercial Online Ground School $279

    Call us to purchase.

  • TFS Commercial Ground Training $250
  • Sheppard Air Study Prep $50

    Paid to Sheppard Air

  • CAX Written Test $175

    Testing fee is paid to a testing center.

  • Total Stage Cost $754
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Earn the ability to make money flying with commercial flight training in Colorado Springs

Commercial II & III

Flight & Complex Training

Back in the air again and out from under the hood, you’ll learn a number of new flight maneuvers and perfect your landings in preparation for your checkride. You’ll also gain the skills and endorsements required to pilot complex or retractable gear aircraft.

  • 27 Hours of Flight Time $3,753

    Includes TAA/Complex flight time requirements and checkride flight time.

  • 32 Hours of Instruction $1,760
  • Commercial Checkride $900

    Paid to a DPE.

  • Total Stage Cost $6,413
  • Pre-Pay Cost $5,237.35

Commercial Pilot!

Total Estimated Cost
$ 0
Pipistrel Panel

Instructor III

Initial CFI

Now that you’ve spent your entire aviation training journey teaching on the ground, you’ll be much better prepared to teach in the sky. In this stage, you’ll spend much of your time on the ground preparing your own teaching materials while learning to transition to the right seat and teach inside an airplane.

  • 8 Hours of Flight Time $1,112
  • 5 Hours of Instruction $275
  • CFI Initial Checkride $1,500
  • Total Stage Cost $2,887
  • Pre-Pay Cost $2,817.65
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Pipistrel Panel

Instructor IV

Instrument Instructor

This optional-but-recommended add-on allows you to teach instrument students and perform instrument proficiency checks. Though it isn’t required to start teaching, it better qualifies instructors and we recommend nearly all candidates complete the checkride as soon as possible after becoming a CFI—while everything is still fresh.

  • 7 Hours of Flight Time $973
  • 5 Hours of Instruction $275
  • CFII Checkride $900
  • Total Stage Cost $2,148
  • Pre-Pay Cost $2,085.60

Time Build

Teach or Fly

Teaching from 250 hours to 1500 is a common path, but if you have the means to fly yourself there, we have the airplanes and time-building packages for you. Many students become instructors with the flight school they train with, while some pilots seek other types of work flying pipeline patrols, survey flights, drop zones, banner towing and more!

  • 1250 Hours of Split Flight Time $86,875
  • Pre-Pay Cost $68,750
With The Flight School at Colorado Springs, your flight training is all your own

Flight Training Plan Cost Breakdown

Budgeting for flight training can be difficult. At The Flight School at Colorado Springs, we offer full pricing transparency, so you know what to expect. Our pre-pay packages are simply money on account with a discount applied to all flights, and do not need to be flown in one specific aircraft—the prices, however, reflect our most affordable aircraft for any given training requirement. Students following the above plan can pay as they fly, but the estimates reflect prices when pre-paid non-refundably by stage. Any overflown stage must be paid off before a new pre-paid stage can begin.

StagePay-As-You-Go Cost SAWCPre-Pay Discount Cost SAWCPay-As-You-Go Cost SLSAPre-Pay Discount Cost SLSA
Discovery Flight$170$170$170$170
Private Ground (Excl. Disco)$924$924$924$924.00
Private Flight (60/60)$13,500$12,825$11,040$10,488.00
Private Checkride$900$900900$900.00
Private Total$15,494$14,819$13,034.00$12,482.00
Ground Instructor I$665$665$665$665.00
Ground Instructor II$400$400$400$400.00
Ground Instructor Total$1,065$1,065$1,065.00$1,065.00
Instrument Ground$2,004$2,004$2,004$2,004.00
Instrument Simulator$5,295$5,295$5,295$5,295.00
Instrument Flight$2,600$2,470$2,190$2,080.50
Instrument Time-Building$8,500$7,650$6,450$5,805.00
Instrument Checkride Prep$1,790$1,790$1,503$1,352.70
Instrument Total$21,089$19,930$18,342.00$17,437.20
Commercial Ground$754$754$754$754.00
Commercial Flight$3,650$3,285$3,035$2,731.50
Commercial Complex$2,760$2,484$2,678$2,410.20
Commercial Checkride$900$900900$900.00
Commercial Total$8,064$7,423$7,367.00$6,795.70
Flight Instructor I$1,660$1,494$1,332$1,198.80
CFI Checkride$1,500$1,500$1,500.00$1,500.00
Flight Instructor II$1,490$1,341$1,203$1,082.70
CFII Checkride$900$900$900.00$900.00
Flight Instructor Total$5,550$5,235$4,935.00$4,681.50
Discovery Flight to CFII$51,432$48,642$44,743.00$42,461.40
Time-Building 250 to 1450$106,250$95,625$80,625$72,562.50
Discovery to 1450$157,682$144,267$125,368$115,024