By JAMAIL LARKINS
Aviation is on the rise. At least, that’s what the surface level view of the numbers would lead you to believe.
The FAA saw a 20% increase in student pilot certificates in 2023 over 2022. A total of 69,503 new pilots started flight training. That’s great news for the entire aviation community.
Now, let’s talk about reality: That optimistic data point is more than offset by the gloom-ridden statistic that 80% of those excited newcomers are expected to quit flying before they finish their flight training. That means only 13,900 new pilots are expected to continue their pilot journey.
Our country’s largest aircraft manufacturer, Boeing, believes 649,000 new pilots are needed over the next 20 years to maintain demand for commercial aircraft operations — roughly three times the number of new pilots who are actually obtaining their pilot certificates.
To further enhance the human resource problem, Boeing’s number doesn’t include the amount of pilots needed to operate business and corporate aircraft in the United States.
If we are going to meet that demand, the aviation industry is going to need to correct some problems in flight training.
In addition to my intense passion for flying, I absolutely love data research. I can easily spend hours consuming research on a variety of topics that pique my interest. That inevitably leads to wondering why 80% of student pilots quit before earning their wings.
Frequently, this feels more like a curse than a blessing, because I’m not able to answer these questions solely on my own. That leads me to social media, where I can ask a large number of people their thoughts.
That’s what lead me to a recent social media post asking current and prospective pilots their reasons for quitting or the major hurdles that almost prevented them from completing their flight training. Within days, I received hundreds of responses.
There were three sweeping themes woven into the mostly passionate, yet somewhat battered, responses.
No. 1: The Cost of Flight Training
But the #1 issue that was shouted over the internet was the cost of flight training.
There is no doubt aviation is an expensive hobby or career to start. Pilots who want to fly for fun are spending between $15,000 to $20,000 to earn their private pilot certificates.
Aspiring professional pilots face an even higher sticker shock: To earn all their ratings, they are looking at an investment between $70,000 to $120,000.
The good news is that there are plenty of options to reduce that capital investment.
Just ask Johnathan Metsker, 17, from Bolivar, Missouri. He paid for the majority of his private pilot ticket by working at his local airport detailing airplanes. He also applied for the Ray Scholarship from the Experimental Aircraft Association and the Ray Foundation. Ray Scholars can receive up to $12,000 for their private pilot certificates.
And what’s interesting is that the mentoring the Ray Scholars received from EAA and their local EAA chapters improve flight training success rates substantially. It actually flips the script: A full 80% of all Ray Scholars complete their flight training and earn a private pilot certificate.
In addition to EAA, many aviation associations are doing their best to foster the growth of the aviation industry.
For example, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association is providing more than $2.2 million in flight training scholarships in 2025. While slightly more than half of AOPA’s flight training scholarships go towards high school students, that still leaves a significant amount of money for a slightly more mature audience that would like to expand their horizons in aviation.
AOPA’s flight training scholarships not only cover your initial private pilot certificate, but can also be used for advanced flight training — everything from your instrument rating, seaplane rating, or even a tailwheel endorsement.
While EAA and AOPA have the largest scholarship funds, there are many other organizations that are helping the cause, including the Aircraft Electronics Association, the National Business Aviation Association, the University Aviation Association, Women in Aviation, the National Gay Pilots Association, the Organization of Black Airline Pilots, and many more organizations that offer scholarships that help make people’s dreams of flight a reality.
All of these organizations require you to put in some legwork, filling out applications, obtaining reference letters, personal interviews and more, but if you need financial assistance to overcome the No. 1 obstacle in flight training, these are some really solid opportunities.
I recently launched a database of more than $20 million in aviation scholarships that is free to use. Check it out at AviationStart.org.
I would love to hear from more pilots on their flight training journeys, so if you are willing to share, please let me know. You can search Jamail Larkins on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Or feel free to share your feedback at JamailLarkinsAviation.com.
This is the first in a series of stories. Look for the #2 reason here and the #3 reason here.
Xact same reason pilots quit !
Munnee !!!!
Cost and time combine to defeat newbies. A checkride (something you can repeat by repaying the fee) is over $1000 now. Add to that the cost of renting the plane, paying for fuel, paying for instruction, doing the study to pass the written, and THEN progressing thru the stages of training which has at least two benchmarks where you will doubt your skill and your energy to finish. You will eventually have to complete a solo flight which has structure to it; some quit before that due to fear to fly alone. The ‘fantasy’ to become a pilot is quickly vaporized for most once serious training and real work and expense begin to mount.
Besides the high cost, obtaining a license to fly requires work and dedication while following rules and regulations. There are no shortcuts. A great number of young folks thrive on instant gratification these days and if any activity requires concentration, time, dedication and commitment (let alone money), they lose interest quickly. Following & remembering strict rules & regulations?—What a bummer man!!!
It’s easier, cheaper, quicker and requires little dedication to buy an Xbox or PC flight simulator program for them to fantasize about being a pilot and that satisfies their possible interest in flying.
Additionally, the high cost to fly doesn’t end after acquiring a license. To continue flying, ownership cost is not achievable for most and renting a simple single engine airplane averages $170.00 per hour. Result? Forget it Dude. It’s easier and cheaper to own a car or motorcycle to quench that instant gratification while turning on the computer to provide the “fantasy” of flight is good enough.
Until recently you needed to pay for and pass the third class physical to get the “Student Pilot” certificate as a part of your “private Pilot” training. I assume that is the data point this study used for the student start number.
Prior to the change in the student pilot certificate application process a student could train up to solo and then drop out and he would not be registered as a dropout as a “Student Pilot”.
I recommend to everybody I can that they apply for the “Student Pilot Certificate”. It costs nothing and never expires. It is something the federal government will not spencer forever. Get it while you can!
That is the real reason for the dramatic change in statistics IMHO. Statistics don’t lie but they do cover up the truth.
This does not negate the effect of. The high cost of flight training and obtaining the required pilot certificates.
Sorry, but I don’t get it that money is #1
Contact flight schools and ask for the total prices
(training, books, landing fees, etc.) and then
make a plan on how to earn this amount or where
to borrow it. Add 20-30% for unexpected costs or
more training hours. And there you have it.
You don’t need to be a mathematical genius to be…
Training costs are no surprise!
Starting first and then finding out you cannot afford
it is not smart.
Doris, your reply indicates a certain amount of tunnel vision regarding the money factor. I’ve known several people who stopped flying due to money, despite plans made in advance. It is not always possible to plan for every possible scenario: illness, employment change, sudden major expense are just a few that come to mind. But it could also be a combination of factors with money being the number one. Just because your plan worked for you doesn’t mean it would work for everyone else.
Kudos to Jonathan for making money for his flight training by detailing airplanes! That’s an independent business with low overhead, flexible hours, and lots of opportunities to study aircraft and meet pilots. I bet he got some good tips too!
As a teenage student pilot I soon realized that a minimum wage job would never pay enough. So I started my own business mowing lawns, then painting fences, then painting buildings. All near the airport. Good money!
Another teenage pilot found an old timer at the airport and asked him for advice. Turns out the old timer had a Cub that he seldom flew, so he let the teenager use it for almost free. (The teenager just had to pay for gas and a CFI.)
That teenage is now an old timer himself — an 80-something ATP who is helping other kids get their wings.
So go out to your airport — repeatedly— and hustle. Repeatedly. Seek out older pilots and ask their advice. Repeatedly. Find ways to fulfill your dreams. And don’t quit. Ever.
When I had the time, I didn’t have the money. When I had the money, I didn’t have the time. I spent roughly 4 years in the CAP, which helped training/aeronautical knowledge, but when it became too punitive and political, I stopped participating. I continued flying, but family obligations necessitated a hiatus. When I returned, I was rusty; I knew what to do, but the reflexes just weren’t there. I decided at that point that between the time, money, and not being able to perform certain maneuvers properly, it was the safe thing to do to stop flying instead of becoming one of the aviation safety statistics.
I disagree that the organizations are “pushing” kids into flying. If we don’t show them the path, their dreams will never mature. Flight training can be tough but so is everything else: medicine, engineering, etc. When I was 17, I had no idea a person could go to an airport and actually learn to fly! At our recent Air Fair, I discovered kids again had no idea how to get into a cockpit let alone a career. Keep up the good work AOPA, EAA, and so many others.
Part of the reason for wash-outs are the push from organizations like AOPA and EAA that hype the idea of flying to impressionable teens who get pushed into the idea of flying without the real knowledge of the sacrifices to acquire the prestige they are presented with. They quit when they realize reality vs perceived fame (no, flying isn’t the only activity where this happens, but that is the present topic).
eg: Stop pushing the activity. If someone really wants an accomplishment, they will seek it out themselves and figure how to accomplish it.