How much does a trial flying lesson cost? Prices at 18 schools and clubs in the UK and Europe
October 30, 2026 · Chris van Eijk
How much is a trial flying lesson? A trial lesson — also sold as an introductory flight, a proefles, a Schnupperflug or a vol d'initiation — puts you in the pilot's seat of a light aeroplane with an instructor beside you. We read the prices that 18 flight schools, flying clubs and airfields in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium publish on their own websites, on 29 October 2026. Every amount is for one person, in the operator's own currency; we converted nothing.
Short answer: in the UK a 30-minute trial lesson costs £110 to £150 at the five places that sell one by that length, and an hour £205 to £280 at seven. In the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium the shortest lesson on offer runs from 20 to 45 minutes and costs €131 to €284; an hour costs €325 to €395 at the four that sell one. Eight of the 18 pages say the time counts towards a licence or can be logged.
What a trial flying lesson costs at 18 schools and clubs
| School or club | 20 min | 30 min | 40–45 | 60 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | ||||
| Full Sutton AirfieldAirfield · Full Sutton | – | £110 | – | £205 |
| Fenland Flying SchoolSchool · Fenland | – | £135 | £200 (45 min) | £260 |
| Sherburn Aero ClubClub · Sherburn-in-Elmet | – | £142 | – | £240 |
| West London Aero ClubClub · White Waltham | – | £147 | – | £240 |
| Clacton Aero ClubSchool · Clacton | from £150, length not stated | |||
| North Weald Flight TrainingSchool · North Weald | – | from £150 | – | from £275 |
| The Pilot CentreSchool · Denham | – | – | £165 (40 min) | £240 |
| Caernarfon AirportAirfield · Caernarfon | £170 | – | £220 (40 min) | £280 |
| Netherlands | ||||
| Special Air AcademySchool · Teuge | €131 | – | €275 (40 min) | €385 |
| Kempen AirportAirfield · Budel | €157 | – | – | – |
| Wings over HollandSchool · Lelystad | – | €212 | – | – |
| E-Flight AcademySchool · Teuge | – | – | €284 (40 min) | – |
| Germany | ||||
| AerotoursSchool · Strausberg | – | €225 | – | €395 |
| Flugschule WormsSchool · Worms | – | – | €245 (45–60 min) | – |
| FlyCademySchool · Braunschweig | – | €249 | €329 (45 min) | €389 |
| Belgium | ||||
| Spa AviationClub · Spa-La Sauvenière | – | – | €240 (40 min) | – |
| Flight School PromotionSchool · Spa | – | – | €250 (45 min) | – |
| Sabena AeroclubClub · Grimbergen | – | – | €260 (45 min) | €325 |
What a trial lesson costs in the UK
Of the eight UK schools, clubs and airfields, five sell 30 minutes for £110 to £150 and seven sell an hour for £205 to £280:
- Full Sutton Airfield: "Trial Lessons start at £110 for 30 minutes or £205 for an hour." — counted from "engine start to engine stop", mostly in a Piper PA28.
- Fenland Flying School: £135 for 30 minutes, £200 for 45 and £260 for an hour in a two-seater, for one person of at most 80 kg and 180 cm; in a four-seater £155, £230 and £300, and £175 to £360 if one or two people come along.
- Sherburn Aero Club: £142 for 30 minutes and £240 for an hour in a Cessna 152, £160 and £278 in a PA-28; "All prices are inclusive of VAT (where necessary)".
- West London Aero Club (White Waltham): £147 for 30 minutes and £240 for an hour in a Piper Warrior, plus a temporary fuel supplement of £9 or £18; the club tries to fit a passenger in the back at no extra charge, weight permitting.
- North Weald Flight Training: from £150 for 30 minutes and from £275 for an hour.
- Clacton Aero Club, a school despite its name: "Trial Lessons from £150." The page names no length.
- The Pilot Centre (Denham): £165 for the trial lesson its price list gives as 40 minutes — its trial-lesson page says about thirty minutes in the air — and £240 for an hour.
- Caernarfon Airport: £170 for 20 minutes, £220 for 40 and £280 for an hour, with "one Passenger to be taken in the back seat at no extra cost".
What a trial lesson costs in the Netherlands
Dutch schools sell shorter first flights:
- Special Air Academy (Teuge): €131 for 20 minutes, €275 for 40 and €385 for an hour in a Cessna 172, on weekdays; "Voor vluchten in het weekend en op feestdagen geldt een toeslag van € 25 per vlucht." The minutes are block time, engine start to stop, and up to two passengers can come along.
- Kempen Airport (Budel): "The price of a 20 minute trial lesson is Euro 157.-", in a Cessna 172, with room for two passengers.
- Wings over Holland (Lelystad): €212 for 30 minutes for one person, €302 with two passengers; "Brandstoftoeslag wordt doorbelast" — a fuel surcharge is passed on.
- E-Flight Academy (Teuge): €284 for about 40 minutes in the air in a Pipistrel Velis Electro, an electric two-seater, 1.5 to 2 hours in all, VAT included; it charges more at peak times in the high season. If you go on to its PPL course, the trial lesson is the first of six assessment lessons.
What a trial lesson costs in Germany
- Aerotours (Strausberg): €225 for 30 minutes and €395 for an hour in a Diamond DA20, after a 30-minute briefing, 19% VAT included.
- Flugschule Worms: "Preis für einen Schnupperflug: € 245,00" for 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the aircraft you choose, with VAT, aircraft, landing fee and instructor included; you may weigh at most 95 kg.
- FlyCademy (Braunschweig): €249 for 30 minutes, €329 for 45 and €389 for an hour in a Tecnam P2008 JC, €329 to €479 in a Diamond DA40, VAT included; the whole visit takes 90 to 120 minutes.
What a trial lesson costs in Belgium
- Spa Aviation (Spa-La Sauvenière): €240 for 40 minutes on board a Cessna 150/152; €285 for two people in a Cessna 172.
- Flight School Promotion (Spa): €250 for 45 minutes of flight after 30 minutes of briefing and preparing the aircraft; €300 and €350 with one or two companions.
- Sabena Aeroclub (Grimbergen): from €260 for 45 minutes and €325 for an hour in a Diamond DA20 or Tecnam P2008 JC, €280 and €350 in a four-seater.
Does a trial lesson count towards a licence?
At eight of the 18 it does, or can be logged. The Pilot Centre: "Trial lessons count towards your Private Pilot's Licence." West London Aero Club says the lesson counts towards the PPL or LAPL training, Sherburn that the time can be used towards the course, Clacton that it "counts towards a Private Pilots Licence", Fenland that it "can count towards your total flying hours", and North Weald that the time may be entered in the pilot's logbook. Flugschule Worms credits the flight as the first lesson of your training if you go on, and at E-Flight Academy it is the first of six assessment lessons for its PPL course. The other ten pages do not say.
What a whole licence costs at many of the same schools and clubs — from £9,800 in the UK and €9,978 at a German club — is in how much a PPL costs in the UK and Europe.
What to check before you book
- Which minutes you pay for. Full Sutton and Special Air Academy count from engine start to engine stop, E-Flight Academy and FlyCademy give the time in the air, and The Pilot Centre's 40 minutes in the table are about thirty in the air on its trial-lesson page.
- Extras on top. West London Aero Club adds a fuel supplement and Wings over Holland passes one on; Special Air Academy charges €25 more at weekends and may add a small fuel surcharge when prices rise steeply; E-Flight Academy charges more at peak times in the high season.
- Weight and seats. A two-seater has room for you and the instructor only: Fenland's two-seater takes one person up to 80 kg and 180 cm, Flugschule Worms sets 95 kg. Bringing someone along takes a four-seater — sometimes at no extra cost (Caernarfon, West London Aero Club, Special Air Academy), sometimes at a higher price (Fenland, Wings over Holland, Spa Aviation, Flight School Promotion, Sabena Aeroclub).
- VAT. Five of the 18 pages say their price includes it: Sherburn Aero Club, E-Flight Academy, Aerotours, Flugschule Worms and FlyCademy.
Club or school
Clubs sell trial lessons too: four of the 18 are flying clubs (Sherburn, West London, Spa Aviation and Sabena Aeroclub). Our comparison of flying club vs flight school prices the whole licence at both, and what a flight instructor costs per hour shows the instructor's share.
Sources
Every price was read on the operator's own website on 29 October 2026: Full Sutton Airfield, Fenland Flying School, Sherburn Aero Club, West London Aero Club, North Weald Flight Training, Clacton Aero Club, The Pilot Centre and Caernarfon Airport (UK); Special Air Academy (prices per length from its own product page), Kempen Airport, Wings over Holland and E-Flight Academy (Netherlands); Aerotours, Flugschule Worms and FlyCademy (Germany); Spa Aviation, Flight School Promotion and Sabena Aeroclub (Belgium). Prices change; check the operator's page before you book.