What was the total cost?

What was the written test like?

What did you learn in?

I don't, but I'm OSTing this.

There is an Aviation subforum, Pic.

I bought a Taylorcraft and got my LS ticket so cost for me was way more than just renting. Written was simple but I can't imagine that it's all that much different than a Private. A person still has to know all the basics with either.

I have my Remote Pilot certificate. Does that help?

I was licensed before light sport aircraft/sport pilot was a thing, but I've known a few sport pilots and dealt with FBOs that offer sport pilot training, I'll try to help.

The commonly quoted price is around $5,000

Aircraft rental for newer LSAs (Tecnams and Flight Designs seem to be popular) will go from $110-150.  Instructor cost is around $50 an hour.  Throw in $1,000 for incicdentals (written and practical test fees, books/other training materials, headsets/charts etc) and that seems a little on the light side to me, but probably doable if you are frugal.  Seems that most people learn in about a little less time than if they are training for a full private certificate, maybe 40-50 hours vs 60-70 for private, but that's pretty anecdotal from the guys I have spoken to.

Can't really speak to the written test per se as I haven't taken it, but at the end of the day no FAA written is truly difficult.  Thing is that all of the questions are published so when you study, you  are studying questions that you will see on the exam (or very similar.)  If I recall correctly you are "nautically inclined" so it should be easy as shit for you.

Be forewarned, most of the sport pilots I know moved on to get their full private certificate (barring medical issues.)

What's the average cost for your private pilots license?

My brother has a Cessna 152 I could probably use

Plots cert ran me about 6k. Completed checkride at 40.1 hrs. Just go for full vs sport pilot. All same material and you can fly both.

Renting?  Probably $10,000 now.

Using your own aircraft?

Figure 60 hours total flight time.  Figure 35 with an instructor.  Instructor will be about $50 an hour, so $1500 for the instructor.

152 burns about 6 gallons per hour if I recall correctly, so at a price of $4.50 per gallon, say $30 an hour in fuel.

If you just had to pay for fuel and instructor, could be $4,000 or so assuming 35 dual hours and 25 solo hour including incidentals (above.)  

The 60 hour number is kind of an average, it can be knocked down if you fly multiple times a week and really grind at it but generally speaking, schedules, weather and life in general seem to put a damper on this for many people.

If you had to pitch in for maintenance, engine reserves, insurance, hangar rent then this cost will obviously go up but are a little more difficult to quantify as some are monthly vs hourly.  His insurance will go up with you training in it so I'd expect he would want you to chip in for at least some of this stuff.  A lot of variables here, but figure engine reserves of about $10 an hour, hangar from $50-400 a month (varies wildly) and insurance of about $1,000 a year.  Fixed maintenance costs on that airplane are probably safe in the $2-3000 a year range.

I think that the national average for getting your private license is still around 55 - 60 hours. Figure at least half of that will be with an instructor. You could find an independent instructor for maybe $40 to $60 dollars an hour (just pulling that number out of my ass, my last instructor was $25/hr.) Figure fuel at about 6-7 gallons per hour. My local cost for fuel is just a hair under $4 a gallon. Then add in cost of the written test and the flight test. It's been forever since I took one I have no idea as to the cost these days. If you went to my local flight school, add in the cost of anal lube whenever you have to write them a check.

I finished my private for about $8500 last year.  Sport pilot means no flying at night and you'll have to get an endorsement to fly into B, C, and D airspace.

No one who wants to live...



TC

Yeah, I pretty much agree with Pilotman.
I got my private license in 1979 and it cost me about $3K and 50 hours.
Around here these days a private pilot license at an FBO is $10K minimum.

Sweet! Thanks he gets free hangar space, a friend of the family has a hanger he stores his planes on and let's my brother store the 152 in their. My brother is also an A&P so I'm thinking I'll just have to pay for insurance and fuel

Just get a pilot's license.

Light sport is mostly for pilots who know they won't pass their physical IME.