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Pilot (PPL/CPL/ATP)
Pilot certification is 100% federal — the FAA issues all pilot certificates under 14 CFR Part 61. No state issues pilot licenses. Compare training costs, flight school availability, airspace considerations, and more across all 50 states.
51
States Covered
0
State Licenses Required
$10,000-$18,000
Avg PPL Cost
FAA Only
Certification Authority
All pilot certificates are issued by the FAA. Here are the three key areas you need to understand to become a licensed pilot.
Start with a Student Pilot Certificate (free via IACRA), then progress to Private Pilot (PPL, 40+ hours), Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot (CPL, 250+ hours), and Airline Transport Pilot (ATP, 1,500+ hours). Each level requires a written knowledge exam and practical test (checkride).
An FAA medical certificate is required: 3rd Class for private flying (valid 24-60 months), 2nd Class for commercial (12 months), 1st Class for ATP (6-12 months). BasicMed offers an alternative to 3rd Class since 2017. Exams are conducted by Aviation Medical Examiners (AMEs).
While certification is federal, states differ in flight school density, training costs (ranging from $8,000-$22,000 for PPL), airspace complexity, weather patterns, and military airspace considerations. These factors significantly affect the training experience and timeline.
Click any column header to sort. Click a state to view full details.
| State | State License | PPL Cost Range | Checkride Fee | Non-Training Fees | FSDO | Confidence | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama(AL) | No (FAA) | $9,000-$15,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Birmingham FSDO (BHM) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Alaska(AK) | No (FAA) | $12,000-$20,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Anchorage FSDO (ANC) / Fairbanks FSDO (FAI) / Juneau FSDO (JNU) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Arizona(AZ) | No (FAA) | $9,000-$15,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Scottsdale FSDO (SDL) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Arkansas(AR) | No (FAA) | $8,000-$14,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Little Rock FSDO (LIT) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| California(CA) | No (FAA) | $12,000-$22,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Van Nuys FSDO (VNY) / Riverside FSDO (RIV) / San Jose FSDO (SJC) / Sacramento FSDO (SAC) / Oakland FSDO (OAK) / Fresno FSDO (FAT) / San Diego FSDO (SAN) / Long Beach FSDO (LGB) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Colorado(CO) | No (FAA) | $10,000-$18,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Denver FSDO (DEN) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Connecticut(CT) | No (FAA) | $12,000-$20,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Windsor Locks FSDO (BDL) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Delaware(DE) | No (FAA) | $11,000-$18,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Philadelphia FSDO (PHL) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| District of Columbia(DC) | No (FAA) | $12,000-$20,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Washington FSDO (DCA) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Florida(FL) | No (FAA) | $9,000-$16,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Orlando FSDO (ORL) / Miami FSDO (MIA) / Tampa FSDO (TPA) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Georgia(GA) | No (FAA) | $9,000-$16,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Atlanta FSDO (PDK) / College Park FSDO (CPK) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Hawaii(HI) | No (FAA) | $13,000-$22,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Honolulu FSDO (HNL) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Idaho(ID) | No (FAA) | $9,000-$15,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Boise FSDO (BOI) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Illinois(IL) | No (FAA) | $10,000-$18,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Chicago FSDO (DuPage) / Springfield FSDO (SPI) / West Chicago FSDO (DPA) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Indiana(IN) | No (FAA) | $9,000-$15,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Indianapolis FSDO (IND) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Iowa(IA) | No (FAA) | $8,000-$14,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Des Moines FSDO (DSM) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Kansas(KS) | No (FAA) | $8,000-$14,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Wichita FSDO (ICT) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Kentucky(KY) | No (FAA) | $9,000-$15,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Louisville FSDO (SDF) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Louisiana(LA) | No (FAA) | $9,000-$15,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Baton Rouge FSDO (BTR) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Maine(ME) | No (FAA) | $10,000-$17,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Portland FSDO (PWM) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Maryland(MD) | No (FAA) | $11,000-$19,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Baltimore FSDO (BWI) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Massachusetts(MA) | No (FAA) | $12,000-$20,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Boston FSDO (BOS) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Michigan(MI) | No (FAA) | $10,000-$16,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Belleville FSDO (DTW) / Grand Rapids FSDO (GRR) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Minnesota(MN) | No (FAA) | $10,000-$16,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Minneapolis FSDO (MSP) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Mississippi(MS) | No (FAA) | $8,000-$13,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Jackson FSDO (JAN) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Missouri(MO) | No (FAA) | $9,000-$15,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Kansas City FSDO (MCI) / St. Louis FSDO (STL) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Montana(MT) | No (FAA) | $9,000-$16,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Helena FSDO (HLN) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Nebraska(NE) | No (FAA) | $8,000-$14,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Lincoln FSDO (LNK) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Nevada(NV) | No (FAA) | $10,000-$17,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Las Vegas FSDO (LAS) / Reno FSDO (RNO) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| New Hampshire(NH) | No (FAA) | $11,000-$18,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Portland FSDO (PWM) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| New Jersey(NJ) | No (FAA) | $12,000-$20,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Teterboro FSDO (TEB) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| New Mexico(NM) | No (FAA) | $9,000-$15,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Albuquerque FSDO (ABQ) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| New York(NY) | No (FAA) | $13,000-$22,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Albany FSDO (ALB) / Rochester FSDO (ROC) / New York FSDO (JFK) / Farmingdale FSDO (FRG) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| North Carolina(NC) | No (FAA) | $9,000-$16,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Charlotte FSDO (CLT) / Greensboro FSDO (GSO) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| North Dakota(ND) | No (FAA) | $9,000-$15,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Fargo FSDO (FAR) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Ohio(OH) | No (FAA) | $9,000-$16,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Cleveland FSDO (CLE) / Columbus FSDO (CMH) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Oklahoma(OK) | No (FAA) | $8,000-$14,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Oklahoma City FSDO (OKC) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Oregon(OR) | No (FAA) | $10,000-$17,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Portland FSDO (PDX) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Pennsylvania(PA) | No (FAA) | $10,000-$18,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Philadelphia FSDO (PHL) / Harrisburg FSDO (MDT) / Pittsburgh FSDO (PIT) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Rhode Island(RI) | No (FAA) | $12,000-$19,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Windsor Locks FSDO (BDL) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| South Carolina(SC) | No (FAA) | $9,000-$15,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Columbia FSDO (CAE) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| South Dakota(SD) | No (FAA) | $8,000-$14,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Rapid City FSDO (RAP) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Tennessee(TN) | No (FAA) | $9,000-$15,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Nashville FSDO (BNA) / Memphis FSDO (MEM) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Texas(TX) | No (FAA) | $9,000-$16,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Dallas FSDO (DAL) / Houston FSDO (IAH) / San Antonio FSDO (SAT) / Lubbock FSDO (LBB) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Utah(UT) | No (FAA) | $9,000-$16,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Salt Lake City FSDO (SLC) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Vermont(VT) | No (FAA) | $11,000-$18,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Portland FSDO (PWM) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Virginia(VA) | No (FAA) | $10,000-$18,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Richmond FSDO (RIC) / Washington FSDO (DCA) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Washington(WA) | No (FAA) | $11,000-$19,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Seattle FSDO (SEA) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| West Virginia(WV) | No (FAA) | $9,000-$15,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Charleston FSDO (CRW) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Wisconsin(WI) | No (FAA) | $9,000-$16,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Milwaukee FSDO (MKE) | medium | Mar 2026 |
| Wyoming(WY) | No (FAA) | $10,000-$16,000 | $600-$1,200 | $875-$1,575 | Casper FSDO (CPR) | medium | Mar 2026 |
Pilots often hold additional certifications. Explore related licensing requirements.
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See the full comparison table above for all 51 states.