How we calculate the real cost of a PPL

The formula

Total at the minimum hours = course price including VAT + theory course (if not in the price) + every one-off fee the student pays: materials, computer-based training, theory exams, examiner, aircraft hire for the skill test, licence issue, English language proficiency assessment, Class 2 medical, landing fees and airport passes where they apply.

Each extra hour = the dual (with instructor) hourly rate for that aircraft, including VAT. Extra hours are usually flown with an instructor, so we do not blend in the cheaper solo rate.

Realistic total = total at the minimum + (typical hours − minimum hours) × extra hour. This is the headline number on every page.

All-in cost per hour = realistic total ÷ typical hours. Useful for comparing a school that bundles a lot with one that bundles little.

Typical hours

The EASA PPL(A) syllabus minimum is 45 hours. Most students take more. We ask every school for the average hours its students need and for the share that finish within the minimum. Until a school gives us its own figure, we use 55 hours for everyone and say so on the page. The assumption is the same for every school, so it does not change the ranking, only the absolute numbers.

VAT

Every figure on the site includes VAT. Where a school quoted a price without VAT we add it at the local standard rate. Where the school did not say whether VAT is included, we assume it is and mark the price with a ?. Where a school states that no VAT applies, we take the price as it is and note it, because the other schools in the same country may be taxed differently and that is worth checking.

Reference figures

Some costs are set by the regulator, not the school: theory exam fees, licence issue fees and class rating fees. Others, like the medical or the English language assessment, are broadly the same across a country. When a school has not stated one of these, we fill the gap with the local reference figure and mark the line reference figure. The total each page shows is therefore complete, but you can see exactly which lines came from the school and which did not.

Optional items

Equipment bundles and optional training packages are included in the total and marked optional, with a second subtotal that leaves them out. We include them by default because a first-time student usually needs the headset and the training aids whether or not they buy them from the school.

What “not stated” means

If a school has not told us a fee and there is no reliable reference figure, the line reads “not stated” and nothing is added. Those totals may be low, and the page says so. The most common gap is aircraft hire for the skill test, which several schools charge on top of the minimum hours.

Where the numbers come from

Every price was stated to us directly by the school, by email, phone, visit or in its own brochure. Nothing is scraped from third-party directories. Each school page shows the date the figures were stated and whether the school has confirmed the listing. Before a listing goes live we send it to the school and ask it to check; corrections are made the same day. If a school has not replied, the listing says so.

What we do not publish

We do not reproduce correspondence, name individual staff, or publish discounts offered to one person. We describe what a school told us in our own words and attribute it to the school.