How are Student Pilots Funding Their Training in NZ Right Now?

John and I watched with great interest as the comments kept coming after the article and opinion piece we published last week went live on social media.

Some discussion appeared to get quite heated and there were a few ‘In my day…’ comments which bore no relation to how it is these days, to train to become a pilot.

The Airforce is certainly a way to become a pilot, but you are bonded to the Airforce for quite a few years and even though you may enter the Airforce with a desire to become a pilot, you may not be chosen to train to become one, instead finding yourself funnelled into another specialty.

True, you will be paid as you train to fly and this may be the best option for some people but pilot places are very limited – our small Airforce only needs a small pilot compliment.

Instead, we turn our attention to training in General Aviation.

I was curious to see how New Zealand compares with other English speaking countries for training costs, loans and minimum hours to be employed at airline level.

BIG CAVEAT - The following in no way can be considered as accurate as there is only so much information I can find in the limited time I had to research between deciding to write this article and publishing it. But it will be a discussion point, perhaps. There are so many variables in course training across the countries that I cannot claim that every option has been carefully weighed against another.

But anyway, here we go…

NZ – About $120,000 to train. Only partial funding is available, and this hasn’t been reviewed since 2013. You will need a minimum of 500 hours to get a job with an airline.

AUS – NZ$120,000 to train. Full funding is available. Minimum of 500 hours.

UK – NZ$150,000 to train with no funding available. Minimum of 250 hours.

US – NZ$153,000 to train. Full funding available and minimum of 200 hours.

CAN – NZ$73,000 to train. Bank loans and federal funding available. 200 hours minimum.

SA – NZ$46,000 to train. Bank loans available. 200 hours minimum.

With the above figures in mind, we can jump right in to hearing from four of our most advanced winners on how they handled (or are handling) their funding dilemma.

Ben Williams – 19 years old when he won his Scholarship in 2021. Currently a C Cat Instructor at South Canterbury Aero Club. You can see his bio here

Ben at his IAANZ graduation with John.

From the very start of my flight training, I knew how significant the financial commitment would be to achieve all the qualifications required to become a pilot. For me, this meant getting a job before and after school to start saving. Fortunately, I completed much of my training through an aero club. This not only allowed me to fly at my own pace when funds were available but also significantly reduced the per-hour cost compared to flight schools.

Along the way, I was fortunate to receive assistance through initiatives like the FlyingNZ Young Eagles Scholarships, which helped me achieve my first solo flight, and the Pauwels Flying Scholarship, which provided crucial support as I began training for my Commercial Pilot License (CPL) and Instrument Rating (IR) at IAANZ. The student loan system also played a key role in funding this stage of my training.

In my final year of school, I decided to take a gap year, which eventually stretched to 18 months. This extra time allowed me to save enough to cover the shortfall in student loan funding. While this delayed my entry into the aviation industry, it also gave me the opportunity to develop valuable real-world skills that have since proven incredibly beneficial.

One challenge with flight school funding is the uncertainty of the exact shortfall. Training costs often increase during the course, and by the time you reach the end, you're presented with an unexpected bill. In some cases, schools may withhold licenses until the outstanding balance is paid. Fortunately, since I had already completed my Private Pilot License (PPL) before enrolling, my shortfall was smaller than that of many of my classmates.

When I finished my CPL, I was thankful to have savings left from my full-time work to fund my C Category Instructor Rating (CCAT). Once again, I chose to complete this through an aero club, which made the training more affordable, allowed me to proceed at my own pace, and offered a personalized approach to instruction.

Overall, the cost of flight training is a significant barrier to entering the aviation industry. I was lucky to discover my passion early and start saving through part-time jobs. I fully understand why many people are discouraged from pursuing a career as a pilot due to the expense. Student loans provide critical support, but they leave a lasting financial impact that I’ll be repaying for many years BUT has meant I have entered the industry.

Gemma Bray – 17 years old when she won her Scholarship. Currently seeking work as a C Cat Instructor. You can see her bio here

Gemma on the day she qualified as a C Cat Instructor.

When I was starting out, my PPL cost around $330 an hour dual. For most people, they either have to work for many years and save up to do it in one go or work while they are training. This is why I suspect there was so much variation in the age of pilots at IAANZ when I was there. You were either straight out of school or in your late 20's. There were very few people that didn't fit under either of these categories. For me that meant working while at school to be able to get my PPL. This job gave me $300 in hand at the end of each week. So, I could budget just under 1 hour of flying each week. To be on the safe side I only booked one flight every second week, which still drained my funds away very quickly. My parents would also help me out where they could. This meant it was quite a long process to get a PPL- 2 years. Because of this, I do see why people wait and save to then smash it out in a short period of time. I spent a lot of money flying just to revise what I'd done so long ago which made it more expensive in the long run. At this point I was flying very irregularly. The scholarship helped me immensely here. What I was able to do was self fund the initial training and then closer to the flight test, I used the funds to fly every day for about 3 weeks, getting me up to test standards really quick. This took a lot of stress off as finances was something I was always thinking about. 

Once you were at the academy under the student loan, life got a bit easier. I would definitely recommend working through this as much as you can. The shortfall at the end is not set, it is variable, so may come out a lot higher than anticipated which is something you need to prepare for. Mine ended up being double what I was quoted. If you were working the whole way through training, it would make life a lot less stressful toward the end when that final bill comes through. Unfortunately, I was half way through multi engine training when it dawned on me so again, my parents helped out quite a bit there as I would not have been able to do it by myself. Another option is to just do your CPL and leave multi engine training till a bit later on down the line. Once you have a CPL, you are able to be employed. I know a few people that did this as they finished their CPL with no student loan left so would have had to self fund the entirety of multi anyway. I will note as well that through my time at IAANZ, aircraft costs were closer to $430 dual by the end so again, something you need to consider in planning.

Because my parents helped me to pay the IAANZ shortfall, I still had a little bit of money stashed away. So, when I heard about Nelson Aviation College offering a C-cat course with a very small shortfall, I pounced on the opportunity. Being at IAANZ and hearing such good things about NAC from friends and instructors, I thought there was no better option. Again, this shortfall ended up being slightly higher as it is very hard to sit a flight test bang on the minimum requirements. However, this one was a lot more manageable.

It is a very large commitment but if flying is something you're serious about, there's no time like the present. As we have all learnt, it only gets more expensive with time. Right now is the most affordable it will be.

Beni Rae – 16 years old when he won his Scholarship in 2020. Currently seeking flying work. You can see his bio here

Beni completing his Airvan type rating.

The cost of flight training grows more and more each year. As it stands currently, if someone wanted to do their flight training and was unable to get parental support or support from a scholarship, the only option is to take a gap year, or even two, to have enough money to work all the way from nothing to CPL + MEIR.

When I first started at IAANZ, the quote we were given for your PPL was about $20,000, and the 2nd year shortfall for your MEIR was about $15,000. Now, with rising costs, your PPL will cost you near $28,000, and your MEIR about $25,000. That's $53,000 you need to fund yourself, plus 2 years of student loans.

These figures are also only accurate if you meet all your flying targets. Needing an extra flight, re-sitting a flight test, or having delays increase the cost significantly.

I started working just before turning 16, working part time outside of school. With the money from the scholarship, and my savings, I was sitting very comfortably to get my PPL, and with weekend work while at IAANZ I thought I'd have enough saved for my MEIR by the end of the year.

I never experienced any costly setbacks, yet unfortunately, with rising costs I realised I would not have enough money to do my MEIR, so I did my CPL first and finished up then. I don't see this as a complete negative, of course in a perfect world it'd be nice to have, but I am employable, and confident I can make it work. I'll do my MEIR later down the line, when it becomes more relevant for an airline job. Some places have told me it's almost a positive - they know I won't head off to an airline as soon as I hit 500hrs, and this is the way I look at it too. I'll simply enjoy any flying I'm doing right now.

I think it is really unfortunate that flight training is becoming more and more inaccessible for those without money. There are no other tertiary courses at universities which require so much personal funding. This scholarship saved me from a gap year, but I can't help but wonder how many people without a privileged position give up any dream of being a pilot simply because of the cost. I sincerely hope the funding received from government changes in the near future - flying should be for everyone with that dream.

In the meantime, despite the challenges, it is not impossible. To those who know flying is what they want to do, I would not say let the cost discourage you. Start saving early, work hard, and make it happen.

Abi Carter – 20 years old when she won her Scholarship in 2023. She is currently completing her training at NAC. You can see her bio here

Abi being presented with her trophy by Angela Gattung from The Gattung foundation and John.

When I first started seriously considering the idea that I could actually learn to fly, I was already a few years out of high school, working full time, and had some money saved (for an undetermined future goal!) so I was in a better position than some. I knew it would be a huge challenge - both the financial aspect and the concept of studying while still working, and I also knew it wasn’t something I could reasonably do solely for a love for flying - it’s just too massive an investment. So, if I was to commit to giving my dream a try, it was all or nothing. It had to be the whole dream - an eventual career in aviation - or not at all. So, while I was planning and budgeting for my PPL, I was already thinking ahead to everything else down the line.

I scoured the aero club website for information and eventually estimated my PPL would cost around $30,000 in total. All the advice I’d been given was that I’d be far better off to save the money first, then fly as frequently as possible to get the most out of my flight training and to minimise the cost. Looking back, I have to agree wholeheartedly. The regularity and subsequent currency helped immensely.

I decided that I needed to save the money before I started flying, so I worked backwards, breaking down my budget to figure out how long it would take me to save that money based on my current income. After allowing for the painful things like rent, petrol, groceries, bills etc… It would take me about three and a half years of saving.

That timeline didn’t appeal! I picked up a second, and then a third job working weeknights and weekends, and with this lovely extra income, it would now only take me roughly two years, which sounded a lot more reasonable. So, I started saving!

It took two years of saving, and six months from my first flying lesson until my PPL flight test. Each hour of flying in a Cessna 152 cost around $400 - including instructor time, landing fees, fuel surcharges, etc. In theory, for a PPL, you need a minimum of 50 hours. Realistically, it’ll probably take a few more. I had 70 hours by the time I sat my flight test - which was around $28,000 total. Mountain flying needed to be done in a Cessna 172 - which was more expensive. Flying with a B-cat instructor - also more expensive. I needed a medical, a headset, a logbook, and maps. I needed study books for my exams, and I needed to pay to sit my exams. I needed to pay a flight test fee, and a CAA application fee. A lot of these expenses were things I hadn’t considered when I planned my budget, and in the end, I think the total cost for getting my PPL was around $36,000. I did manage to scrape through right until my flight test - working 80+ hour weeks, taking the bus to work instead of driving, spending the barest minimum on myself - it wasn’t easy, but it was absolutely worth it.

There aren’t any government loans/funding for a PPL, but fortunately you can get a student loan for all the licences and ratings after! I’m at Nelson Aviation College now, and I feel very lucky to be here.

It is so much easier in every way - I’m studying full time and working part time on the weekend, as opposed to working full time and flying on the weekend! I’m not constantly anxious about finances, about how to pay for my next flight, or about running out of money - although that being said, watching my student loan debt increase isn’t a pleasant sight!! Every flight school has a shortfall that you do have to self fund, and I think mine is going to be about $12,000, which I would have no way of affording if it wasn’t for John’s amazing scholarship, and the wonderful Gattung Foundation who sponsored mine. (Thank you John, Melissa, and the Wahine toa of the Gattung foundation!!!!!)

So, that's my journey so far! I'm halfway through flight school now and I still love aviation wholeheartedly.

So, my advice would be to do it, chase your dream! From my personal experience, I would recommend saving the money first, then flying frequently and regularly. Talk to the people at your club - ask their advice, share stories! Appreciate your instructors, learn everything you can from them - not just the technical how-to-fly-a-plane. I had amazing instructors in Tauranga, and two in particular - Sky and Laura - who I did most of my PPL flight training with, made an immense difference to my flying with their support, advice and their own stories and experiences.

It is difficult. Aviation is an expensive industry. It demands a lot of hard work and dedication. It is also the most incredible adventure, the best challenge, and one of the most amazing parts of my life. I’ve made lifelong friends, a million happy memories, and I love every moment. It’s magic.

We also approached Irene King, CEO, Ardmore Flying School to get her view on what would be the ideal outcome for any changes to the funding framework; as we know this is something she is quite passionate about.

Irene has a long working career in aviation and is a well known and respected commentator.

Irene King

Ardmore Flying School has set some targets to address the student loan issue.  Recognising we are just one of the schools impacted and aligning views is challenging.

The first target is to achieve changes around the quantum of the loans and how they are adjusted.  Ardmore submitted in August 2024 for the removal of the $35,000 cap to align with everyone else - a maximum of consuming 2 EFTS per year or indexation of the value of the cap which was set in 2013.  We have briefed our Student Council and sought their support. 

Unfortunately, Officials and now Ministers prefer a do-nothing approach.  The consequence for this is that great students are discouraged from becoming pilots; we can’t accelerate the training of our best students and those nearing the end of their qualification are often working full time to pay course fees when the intensity of the flying programme is at its peak.  This is not about Ardmore gaining a lot more student loan funding, but about taking the pressure off aviation students to find increased funding from their own sources.  

The second part of the change is we want to have programmes that meet the “job ready” description of essential skills required by employers.  This requires regulatory change at the CAA and Education level. In combination with this we need to be able to train efficiently.  For example: Education has forced us out to a two year programme to ensure TEC/NZQA meet their KPI’s but the reality is great students can be trained over a shorter period i.e. akin to Air NZ’s proposed 14 month cadet programme.

The third change is the cap on numbers.  We know from our student’s perspective that if the number of trained pilots increases, there are concerns around job availability!  Well, that is around programmes being job ready for employers and Ardmore aligning with carriers and their supply requirements.  This is one of the active strategies we are following right now. The research by Scarlatti is global leading edge when it comes to pilot shortages in the foreseeable future in NZ .”