Rising fuel prices may affect tuition at flight training schools

Rising oil prices have increased costs for many industries, including aviation, resulting in costlier airline ticket prices and canceled flights.

For flight schools, such as Texas-based Thrust Flight, rising fuel costs could also affect flight training costs.

Patrick Arnzen is the CEO of Thrust Flight school, which offers courses at Mesa’s Falcon Field. He says flight training is already very expensive.

“It makes operating a business like mine incredibly difficult,” Arnzen said. “When you attribute 30% of the cost of a flight directly to fuel, it's a big number.”

Flight schools like Thrust Flight use both aviation gas and jet fuel. Data from the International Air Transport Association show prices for jet fuel have more than doubled in the last year, but the organization does not track avgas prices. Avgas is high-octane gasoline — usually 100LL (low-lead) — and is used for piston-powered aircraft, whereas jet fuel, like Jet A, is kerosene based.

Arnzen said his students pay a fixed cost, but if fuel costs remain high, he will have to raise tuition for his students next year.

“Fuel prices affect us the same way it affects us at the gas pumps for our cars and for our trucks, so you know we've seen a huge increase in our fuel cost as we do flight training for all of our students,” Arnzen said.

Arnzen said he will evaluate prices at the end of the year.