{
  "slug": "aircraft-rental-cost",
  "title": "Aircraft Rental Cost Calculator",
  "heading": "Aircraft Rental Cost Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/aircraft-rental-cost",
  "summary": "True hourly cost of renting vs. flying club membership.",
  "description": "Wet rental, instructor time, and club dues compared over a year of flying so you can pick the cheaper path.",
  "formula": null,
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=aircraft-rental-cost",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "hours",
      "label": "Hours flown per year",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 60,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "wet",
      "label": "Rental rate (wet)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 175,
      "unit": "$/hr",
      "min": null,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "cfi",
      "label": "Instructor rate",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 70,
      "unit": "$/hr",
      "min": null,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "cfiHours",
      "label": "Instructed hours",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 10,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "clubDues",
      "label": "Club dues",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 95,
      "unit": "$/mo",
      "min": null,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "clubRate",
      "label": "Club rate (wet)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 125,
      "unit": "$/hr",
      "min": null,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "rental",
      "label": "FBO rental annual cost",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "club",
      "label": "Flying club annual cost",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "savings",
      "label": "Club savings vs rental",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "breakeven",
      "label": "Break-even hours/yr for club",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Hours flown per year: 60",
      "Rental rate (wet): 175 $/hr",
      "Instructor rate: 70 $/hr",
      "Instructed hours: 10",
      "Club dues: 95 $/mo",
      "Club rate (wet): 125 $/hr"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "FBO rental annual cost: $11,200",
      "Flying club annual cost: $9,340",
      "Club savings vs rental: $1,860",
      "Break-even hours/yr for club: 22.8"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter hours flown per year.",
      "Enter rental rate (wet) ($/hr).",
      "Enter instructor rate ($/hr).",
      "Enter instructed hours.",
      "Enter club dues ($/mo).",
      "Enter club rate (wet) ($/hr).",
      "Read your fbo rental annual cost on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "hours": 36,
        "wet": 105,
        "cfi": 40,
        "cfiHours": 6,
        "clubDues": 55,
        "clubRate": 75
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "hours": 60,
        "wet": 175,
        "cfi": 70,
        "cfiHours": 10,
        "clubDues": 95,
        "clubRate": 125
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "hours": 96,
        "wet": 280,
        "cfi": 110,
        "cfiHours": 16,
        "clubDues": 150,
        "clubRate": 200
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "How does the aircraft rental cost calculator work?",
      "a": "Wet rental, instructor time, and club dues compared over a year of flying so you can pick the cheaper path."
    },
    {
      "q": "What do I need to enter?",
      "a": "6 values: hours flown per year, rental rate (wet), instructor rate, instructed hours, club dues, and club rate (wet). Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move."
    },
    {
      "q": "What does the fbo rental annual cost result mean?",
      "a": "It is returned as a money amount in US dollars and updates live as you edit the inputs, so you can compare two or three versions of a scenario in a few seconds."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?",
      "a": "Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser."
    },
    {
      "q": "How accurate is the result?",
      "a": "It applies the standard formula exactly, so the arithmetic is precise. Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them."
    },
    {
      "q": "Who is this tool for?",
      "a": "It's built for anyone comparing money scenarios before committing — budgeting a payment, sanity-checking a quote, or seeing what a change in rate or term actually costs."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/pilot-training-cost"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Aircraft Rental Cost Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/aircraft-rental-cost)"
}