How we calculate the real cost of a PPL

The formula

All-in (45 h) = 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.

Gap = all-in − advertised: what the headline price leaves out, shown as an amount and a percentage.

Realistic (55 h) = all-in + (typical hours − minimum hours) × extra hour.

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 verified 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 is free and what is in the report

Everything a school states about itself is free on its page: advertised price and what it includes, aircraft, base, theory format, trial flight, contacts. For each country the aggregates are free too: average gap, the range of the gap, how many schools and how many have confirmed their listing, and where the cheapest advertised price lands once every fee is counted. One demo row per country, the highest advertised price, shows its all-in cost, gap and fee breakdown in full. The all-in figures and ranking for the remaining schools, the realistic cost at 55 hours, payment terms and hidden extras are sold as a one-off country report. The free table is sorted alphabetically so that the order itself gives nothing away. Locked figures are not in the page in any form, so what you see is what any search engine or AI crawler sees.

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.