Ramapriya wrote:

Folks,

At the only flight training center here in Dubai where I presently
live, about 40 flying classes would cost USD 6000. How much would a
similar duration course in the east coast of the US cost? I know costs
will vary, but what can I assume to be the average? Just for
information, a return ticket to NY costs about USD 1300...

If that school is promising to get you your license for around $6,000, you should get
your training there. Typical minimum costs here on the East coast are in the $5,000
range, and it can be higher.

One local school charges $28 an hour for the instructor's fee and $63 an hour for
rental of a Cessna 152 (a small 2-seater). The average person takes about 70 hours to
get a private pilot's certificate here, and about half of that is with an instructor
in the plane. There are certificates here that do not require as much training, but
you might not be able to use them back in India. It's also the case that many people
learn more rapidly than the average.

If you *do* come here for training, you should probably pick a school in an area
which has consistently good weather so that you can fly every day. It would probably
also be best to pick a school that specializes in training foreigners. There are
several in Florida, for example.

George Patterson
If a man gets into a fight 3,000 miles away from home, he *had* to have
been looking for it.