How does pay-as-you-go training work?
There are no block bookings and no large sums paid upfront. You pay for each lesson when it happens — your costs track your actual progress rather than a commitment made before you've started.
The model explained
Pay-as-you-go means exactly what it says. Each lesson is charged individually — you don't pre-purchase a block of hours or pay for time you haven't flown yet.
All training flights are charged at £295 per hour — whether your instructor is in the aircraft with you or supervising from the ground while you fly solo.
There's no pressure to commit to a schedule or purchase anything in advance. Once you've enrolled, you book lessons when they suit you and pay as you go.
The only upfront payment when you formally start your PPL training is the £450 enrolment fee. Your trial lesson is charged separately at £295, before any enrolment decision is made.
Before you enrol
You don't pay the enrolment fee on the day of your trial lesson. After your trial, you're invited to request a personalised training plan from our scheduling team — at no charge. They'll put together a realistic schedule based on your availability, and you can review it before deciding whether to proceed. Enrolment only opens once you're happy with the plan.
This means that by the time you pay anything beyond your trial lesson, you'll already know what your training schedule looks like and have had a chance to experience flying with us.
Booking and paying for lessons
Lessons are booked through your training plan and our scheduling team. We're open seven days a week, so we can work around most work and family commitments.
Each lesson is charged after it takes place. If a lesson doesn't fly due to weather, there's nothing to pay for that day. There's no minimum number of lessons per month and no penalty for taking a break.
That said, training frequency has a direct effect on the total number of hours — and therefore the total cost — required to reach test standard.
A student who flies twice a week will almost always need fewer total hours than one who flies once a fortnight. We explain this in detail in Does flying more often reduce my overall cost?
Budgeting as you train
Because there's no fixed package, your costs are proportional to your progress. You can set a monthly budget and book lessons accordingly — your instructor will keep you informed of where you are in the syllabus so there are no surprises about how much training remains.
Beyond flying hours, the other costs to plan for are your theory exams (nine subjects at £55 each, totalling £495) and the skills test when you're ready. See What is a realistic total cost for a PPL? for a full breakdown.