CFII Flight School
$34,995 less than ATP.
Before you commit six figures, here is the CFII Career Track side by side with ATP's Airline Career Pilot Program.
CFII vs ATP Flight School
| CFII | ATP | |
|---|---|---|
| PricePublished price for the same starting point, every certificate included. | $89,000 | $123,995 + |
| Program lengthZero experience to the last checkride, full time. | ~9 months | 9 months |
| Cost per flight hourPrice divided by the flight hours you graduate with. | ~$316 | ~$440 |
| Flight hours at graduationWhat your logbook says on graduation day. | 282 | 282 |
| Hours in a real airplaneEverything that is not the simulator. | 229 | 229 |
| Hours in a simulatorApproved sim time that counts toward the ratings. | 53 | 53 |
| Multi-engine hoursTwin time for the multi-engine rating. | 25 | 25 |
| Paid instructor phaseWho pays for the hours after certification. | $15,000 add-on | After the program |
| You save | $34,995 |
These figures are the $89,000 training program alone. ATP figures: published zero-experience Airline Career Pilot Program price and hours, atpflightschool.com, August 2026; select ATP locations add up to $5,000; program length 9 months, atpflightschool.com, October 2026. Cost per flight hour is each program's price divided by its flight hours at graduation, rounded. Our $15,000 Work with us add-on guarantees a paid instructor phase, while instructing at ATP is a separate job.
So which is better, CFII or ATP?
It depends on what you care about. If you care most about price and a paid path to your hours, CFII is the better choice: $89,000 from zero experience against ATP's $123,995, and our Work with us add-on guarantees 175 paid instructing hours after your certificates. ATP works if you need to train close to home, since it runs dozens of locations across the country, or if you want the biggest name in airline training and paying more for it is not a concern.
A more modern fleet
Every CFII trainer is a factory-new Tecnam P-Mentor. Ask any school you are comparing how old its airplanes are.
- Garmin G3X glass cockpit
- The kind of screens you will fly for a living.
- GFC 500 autopilot
- Learn to manage automation from the first lessons.
- BRS parachute
- One handle brings the whole airplane down under canopy.
- IFR-ready panel
- The same airplane takes you through your instrument rating.
With the paid instructor phase
Work with us is our optional $15,000 add-on. After your certificates, a 25-hour bootcamp prepares you to teach, then you instruct for a guaranteed 175 hours at $30 per flight-training hour. You graduate with a minimum of 480 hours, and the last 175 are paid instead of purchased.
- $15,000
- Work with us add-on
- 175 hrs
- Guaranteed paid instructing
- $5,250+
- Earned back at $30 an hour
- 480+ hrs
- In your logbook at graduation
ATP's published program ends at certification; instructing afterward is a separate job.
These figures are the $89,000 program plus the $15,000 Work with us instructor add-on. ATP figures: published zero-experience Airline Career Pilot Program price and hours, atpflightschool.com, August 2026; select ATP locations add up to $5,000; program length 9 months, atpflightschool.com, October 2026. Earned back instructing is the guaranteed 175 paid instructing hours at $30 per flight-training hour; hours beyond 175 are paid the same. Estimated savings is the price difference plus that guaranteed instructing pay. Our add-on runs through the instructor phase to a minimum of 480 hours, and every hour past certification is in a real airplane.
What the table cannot show you
Southern California, all year
Nine months only works somewhere the weather cooperates. You also train in the busiest, most complex airspace in the country.
What training here is like
Housing and financing
Furnished student housing near the airport is free right now for career students, normally $1,300 a month. The program can be financed.
How financing works
Learn more.
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