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Student pilot flying a Cessna, seen from the back seat

KANSAS CITY flight school · Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport

Airplane Flight Training

Five FAA certificates and ratings, from your first solo to teaching others to fly, all trained at Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport.

Your path, step by step

Most students start with a Private Pilot License and add ratings in this order. Jump in wherever you are.

Student pilot flying an airplane, seen from the back seat

Private Pilot License

Earn your Private Pilot License at Wheeler Downtown Airport, with the Kansas City skyline off your wing from your very first lesson in our Piper Cherokee.

40 hrs

FAA minimum

~75 hrs

U.S. average*

17

Minimum age

$170/hr

Piper Cherokee · plus instruction at $70/hr

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Student's hands on the yoke and throttle in front of a training airplane's instrument panel

Instrument Rating

Train for your IFR rating out of Wheeler Downtown Airport in the heart of Kansas City — the skills to navigate confidently through clouds, haze, and low-visibility days.

40 hrs

Instrument time

50 hrs

Cross-country (PIC)

15 hrs

With a CFII

$170/hr

Piper Cherokee · plus instruction at $70/hr

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Training airplane N5742U parked on the ramp under a bright sky

Commercial Pilot License

Fly for hire. Build the precision, commercial maneuvers and professional standards operators expect, training out of Wheeler Downtown Airport in Kansas City.

250 hrs

FAA minimum

50 hrs

Cross-country

18

Minimum age

$170/hr

Piper Cherokee · plus instruction at $70/hr

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Instructor and student checking fuel during an airplane preflight inspection

Certified Flight Instructor

Get paid to fly while you build hours, teaching Kansas City's next generation of pilots at Wheeler Downtown Airport.

No min.

Hours required

2

Written exams

1

Checkride

$85/hr

CFI & CFII instruction

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Flight instructor and student in an airplane cockpit during a training flight

Certified Flight Instructor - Instrument

Add instrument instruction to your fixed-wing credentials at Wheeler Downtown Airport, teaching IFR in real Midwest weather while you build airline hours.

No min.

Hours required

1–2

Written exams

1

Checkride

$85/hr

CFI & CFII instruction

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New to flying?

Take the controls on a discovery flight with an instructor before you commit to a course.

Paying for training

Stratus Financial and Flight Training Finance both finance airplane training. See our financing page for how to apply.

Talk to an instructor

Questions about a course, scheduling or cost? Call (816)-499-3342

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