It's the question that stops most people before they start. So here's the whole answer — where you begin, what it really costs, what could disqualify you, and how people pay for it. No sales pitch. Just what we'd want to know if we were standing where you are.
There's no shortcut around it and no version where you skip ahead. The Private Pilot certificate is the foundation — every rating and certificate after it builds on top. If you're aiming at an airline seat, you still start here.
You fly the airplane. $165, and the cheapest way to find out if this is for you.
Needed before you fly solo. Read section four before you spend anything.
Every path runs through here. This is what most financing covers.
Required to fly professionally. Financed separately, later.
How most new commercial pilots build hours and get paid doing it.
Most schools publish a course price. Almost none publish what you'll actually spend, because the required extras sit outside the course. We'd rather you plan for the real figure now than discover it at hour forty.
Required, and not included above. This is the part nobody warns you about.
The students who finish fastest aren't the ones with the most money — they're the ones who fly most consistently. Training in stops and starts costs more overall, because skills fade between lessons and you pay to relearn them. That's the real argument for financing: it lets you train on a schedule instead of on a savings account.
Most students finance one certificate at a time rather than the whole path at once.
Costs vary with how often you fly, weather, and how quickly you progress.
This is the section most flight schools leave out, and it's the one that costs people the most when it's skipped.
You need an FAA medical before you fly solo — and if you're aiming at an airline career, you'll eventually need a first-class medical. Vision, medical history, current medications, and past mental-health treatment are all part of that evaluation. The standards are the FAA's, not ours.
We're not a lender and we don't make credit decisions — every lender sets its own criteria. But we've watched a lot of students go through this, and the same handful of things tend to decide it.
Every item above is something we walk students through. You can do all of it yourself — plenty do — but none of it has to be your first time solving a problem you've never seen.
We'll point you to an aviation medical examiner near you and tell you what to bring, so nothing gets deferred over paperwork.
Tell us your goal and we'll build the actual cost estimate for your path — not a range, a number you can take to a lender.
Some of it you need on day one. Some can wait, and some you can rent. We'll tell you which is which.
We explain the difference between the two partners, help you prepare, and check it before you submit.
Scheduling, prep, and knowing when you're actually ready — so you don't pay for an examiner twice.
Declined application, deferred medical, changed circumstances. There's usually another route, and we've seen most of them.
We work with Edly and Stratus Financial because both are built for aviation students. They're independent lenders — not Fly Legacy — so rates, terms, and approval are entirely theirs to set. Here's the honest difference.
Bank-originated loans where your monthly payment is tied to your income — built around the reality that a pilot's pay starts low and climbs.
A well-known name in aviation finance that can cover the full cost of a program — not just the flying.
You're also free to pay directly, use VA benefits (Philadelphia), or arrange your own financing. These are options, not requirements.
Tell us where you're starting from and we'll come back with the path that fits, a real cost estimate, and what to prepare before you apply. This is not a financing application.
/finance-thank-you on submit, apply the tag fl-financing-readiness, and add the contact to the Fly Legacy financing pipeline. Field list is in the HTML comment directly above this block.
We'll get back to you within one business day. This isn't a credit application and it doesn't affect your credit score.
Yes. Every certificate and rating after it builds on the Private Pilot certificate — commercial, instrument, multi-engine, instructor. There's no route that skips it.
No. Edly and Stratus Financial are independent third-party lenders. Fly Legacy is not a lender or financial advisor — we connect you to these partners and help you through their process. The loan agreement is between you and the lender.
Edly's pre-qualification is designed to have no impact on your credit score. A full application may involve a credit check — review each lender's terms before you submit.
That's set by the lender, not by us, and it isn't a single number — lenders weigh credit alongside income, co-signer, and the program. Edly's pre-qualification is the no-risk way to find out where you stand.
Different lenders use different criteria, and a decline with one doesn't predict the other. There may also be a different program structure that changes the picture. Talk to us before you write it off.
It depends on why. Some conditions are deferred rather than denied and can be resolved with additional documentation. Some paths have different requirements. This is exactly why we tell people to handle the medical first.
Yes. Many students finance one certificate at a time rather than the whole path at once. We'll help you work out what makes sense for your situation.
That varies by lender and by application. Having your documents ready before you apply is the single biggest factor in how fast it moves — we'll tell you exactly what to gather.
Tell us your goal and where you're starting from. We'll explain your options in plain language and help you take the next step — no pressure, no obligation.