CFII Flight School
$16,995 less than Sling.
Before you commit six figures, here is the CFII Career Track side by side with Sling Pilot Academy's airline program.
CFII vs Sling Pilot Academy
| CFII | Sling | |
|---|---|---|
| PricePublished price for the same starting point, every certificate included. | $89,000 | $105,995 + |
| Program lengthZero experience to the last checkride, full time. | ~9 months | 12 months |
| Cost per flight hourPrice divided by the flight hours you graduate with. | ~$316 | ~$372 |
| Flight hours at graduationWhat your logbook says on graduation day. | 282 | 285 |
| Hours in a real airplaneEverything that is not the simulator. | 229 | 235 |
| Hours in a simulatorApproved sim time that counts toward the ratings. | 53 | 50 |
| Multi-engine hoursTwin time for the multi-engine rating. | 25 | 25 |
| Paid instructor phaseWho pays for the hours after certification. | $15,000 add-on | Not offered |
| You save | $16,995 |
These figures are the $89,000 training program alone. Sling figures: published zero-experience airline program price and hours, slingpilotacademy.com, August 2026; program length 12 months, slingpilotacademy.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 Sling does not offer one.
So which is better, CFII or Sling?
It depends on what you care about. If you care most about price and finishing sooner, CFII is the better choice: $89,000 and about 9 months from zero experience against Sling's $105,995 and 12 months, and Sling does not offer a paid instructor phase. Sling works if you want a little more time in a real airplane: its published program has six more airplane hours and three fewer in the simulator, and the extra cost and time are 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
Sling's published program does not offer a paid instructor phase.
These figures are the $89,000 program plus the $15,000 Work with us instructor add-on. Sling figures: published zero-experience airline program price and hours, slingpilotacademy.com, August 2026; program length 12 months, slingpilotacademy.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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