F1 Visa: Aviation English
+ Flight Training
Students are issued the F1 visa for the Aviation English and Professional Pilot Training program with on-campus employment opportunities and paid Flight Instructor position upon completion of your FAA CFI course. Log hours as you earn pay and experience flying in the United States for up to 4 years! Gain the experience, hours, ICAO aviation English proficiency and confidence through this specialized program to make you the top candidate for the flying career of your dreams.
Why Should I Choose This Program?
LOWEST COST F1 PROGRAM Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Single Engine and CFI: 265 Hours —>$50,171 Total Tuition Estimate. All that matters are the per hour prices. Do not let any flight school tell you otherwise with low, unfair “estimates” to complete. Give us any quote from any flight school and we will show you exactly how to compare.
PAY AS YOU FLY! No huge payments that make it impossible to transfer if you’re not satisfied with the training because your money is stuck.
Transfer any time with the F-1 visa. The M1 visa you only have 6 months and then it is complicated and expensive. If you are not happy training in our program we will transfer you immediately. If you want to transfer to a M1 school we will help you file the change of status. We want you to fly with us because you want to not because you are trapped.
All levels of experience considered. This is one of the only options for foreign pilots to co-validate their licenses to FAA and still have the opportunity for work authorization.
As soon as you finish your FAA CFI checkride you are eligible for hire as a CFI with one of our partner flight schools. You do NOT have to wait 12 months with all the CPT and OPT restrictions like other F1 schools.
4 year visa! Log all the necessary hours while you are earning pay to meet any First Officer position requirements worldwide.
On-campus Employment Opportunities while you are working towards your CFI: Admissions, Student Services, Marketing, Social Media Management, Web Development, Translations, etc.
ICAO English Testing Center
Located in Daytona Beach, Florida – top location for flying in the United States!
F1 Visa Flight Training Details
WHAT ARE THE TOTAL TUITION ESTIMATES FOR FLIGHT AND GROUND CLASSES?
Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Single Engine and CFI – Initial (265 Total Hours):
Ground School Tuition Total $8,775 + Flight Training Tuition Total C152 $41,396 = $50,171 Total Tuition Estimate
PER HOUR COSTS
Ground School B (CFI, CFII, MEI): Advanced Aviation English, continued EASA ATPL Theory (14 modules), Flight Instructor Continuing Education and Lesson Planning, Advanced ATC Communication = $550 per month
MINIMUM ENROLLMENT REQUIREMENTS
- 17+ years of age
- Passport with 2+ years until expiration
- Proof of funding to present to the US Embassy during your student visa interview (MINIMUM $10,000)
- High school diploma or equivalent.
- FAA Medical*: Depending on your career goals, students should obtain a 1st (airline pilot), 2nd (flight instructor) or 3rd (student pilot) Class FAA Medical. You can typically find FAA Aviation Medical Examiners (AME) at major airports in every country. If not, please review disqualifying medical conditions and disqualifying medications that may prevent you from obtaining the necessary medical certificate in order to conduct flight training in the United States.
*Members of our staff are not AMEs, doctors or medical professionals so we cannot appropriately advise on what would or would not be a disqualifying condition or medication. If you are concerned about your ability to obtain your FAA medical certificate and there are no AMEs within a reasonable distance to you in your country, we advise you to obtain your country’s aviation medical certificate prior to beginning the enrollment process. This will be a good indicator of your eligibility for the FAA medical certificate when there are no other options.
MINIMUM F1 STUDENT VISA INSTRUCTION AND TRAINING REQUIREMENTS
Minimum 18 hours per week of Ground School. There is no minimum flight requirement.
FLIGHT HOURS QUOTED
Our quote is based on average completion rates, not the minimums.
| Private Pilot Course | Hours |
| Flight Dual w/ Instructor | 40 |
| Flight Solo | 10 |
| Pre-Post Instruction Briefing | 10 |
| Instrument Rating Course | |
| Flight Dual w/ Instructor | 50 |
| Pre-Post Instruction Briefing | 10 |
| Commercial Single Engine Course | |
| Flight SHARED Time Building | 95 |
| Flight Dual w/ Instructor | 45 |
| Flight C172 G1000 Dual w/ Instructor (MIN 10 HRS) | 10 |
| Pre-Post Instruction Briefing | 10 |
| CFI – Intial | |
| Flight Dual w/ Instructor | 15 |
| Pre-Post Instruction Briefing | 5 |
DURATION AND PAYMENT OPTIONS
Duration of your program depends significantly on your current level of English and any flying experience. We recommend taking our English Placement Test to first determine your level of English and submit details of any previous flight experience. Our Admissions Team can then estimate your timeline for completion. Unlike any other F1 visa flight school training program you can fly as much or as little as you want or your budget allows. Accelerate through your training in as little as 6 months from zero experience to Flight Instructor if you want to be scheduled as much as possible! Our average student schedule is 8-10 hours per week. If you’re not in a rush or have a lower monthly budget, no problem. The most important thing is that you get started and make progress, at whatever that pace may be, towards the goal of becoming a pilot.
Example Duration and Payment Schedule:
The only mandatory tuition due monthly is your Ground School! $875 per month due on the 1st of each month while attending General ESL, Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial and/or Certified Flight Instructor – Initial (CFI) —> Ground School (A) classes.
Students with zero flight experience are estimated to complete their flight training in 10 months flying 8-10 hours per week. The calculation is $41,396 Flight Tuition / 9 months = $4,600/m Flight Tuition + $875/m Ground School (A) Tuition —-> $5,475 per month Total Flight and Ground Tuition for 9 months
Remember though, students may “Pay as You Fly” for their Flight Tuition instead of paying on a monthly schedule! If you want a discount on your flight training tuition you can pay in $5,000 installments for a 5% discount but it is not mandatory and you can still receive a refund on that tuition.
NON-TUITION FEES
Students will pay the following non-tuition fees as they become due. These fees are not included in the ground tuition nor flight tuition schedule because they are not due on a monthly basis. There is no reason for these fees to be paid in advance.
$175 – Student Visa Processing Fee + English Level Placement Test
$285 – Ground School textbooks, student workbooks and online assignments per course (ESL, PPL, IR, CPL, CFI)
$250 – $1,000 – Aviation Headset
$185 – Pilot Supplies
$150 – Student Health Insurance (annual policy)
$375 – Aircraft Renter’s Insurance (annual policy)
$150 – FAA Medical Exam
$130 – TSA/FTSP Registration (per registration: PPL/Initial, IR, ME)
$105 – NATA Fingerprinting for TSA/FTSP Registration
$174 – FAA Written Exam (per exam)
$725 – FAA Checkride Examiner Fee (per checkride)
$1,300 – FAA CFI – Initial Checkride Examiner Fee
$85 – On-campus Employment Tracking and Reporting Fee (monthly)
ICAO AVIATION ENGLISH WITH TESTING
Latitude Language has been in the business of aviation English since 2010 with the initial creation of Pilot Aviation English. Paving the way over a decade ago by creating an online English course for international students. Allowing students the opportunity to improve their aviation English and ICAO level no matter their location worldwide. The first to offer online ATC practice scenarios with Instructor graded feedback, no automation. Now with the ability to offer the F1 visa to provide support to our aspiring international pilots the opporutnity to improve their aviation English in an immersive environment while progressing in their flight training. Furthermore, we look foward to our first officail ICAO Level Testing date in early December as one of the only schools in the entier United States to offer officail ICAO level test results.
Training Progression Examples
HOW DO I ADVANCE IN MY PROGRAM AND BECOME ELIGIBLE FOR WORK OPPORTUNTIES?
Depending on your level of English proficiency, you can focus on improving your English first and then begin flying or students can start flying immediately. You will have to attend a minimum of 20 hours of combined flying, ATC simulation and ground school with Aviation English per week to maintain status of your F1 student visa. Some students choose to do the minimum and others want to accelerate through their training to begin working as a Flight Instructor as soon as possible. The decision is yours!
Student A - Low to Intermediate Level of English. No Flight Experience.
Student A takes their English Placement Test and is determined level 3 and has no prior flight experience. It is estimated they will attend ESL General English for 4 months to improve to a level 5 before beginning flights. At month 5 they progress into Ground School A: PPL Ground School + Aviation English + ATC and begin their flight training. They will complete their PPL, IR, CPL and CFI in approximately 10 months. Upon passing their CFI course they can begin working as a Flight Instructor earning money, hours and experience! While working as a Flight Instructor they will continue attending weekly Ground School B: Advanced Aviation English & ATC working towards ICAO Level 6. Based on this progression example Student B has up to 2 years and 8 months of time on their F1 student visa to work as a Flight Instructor.
Student B - High Intermediate to Advance Level English. No Flight Experience.
Student B takes their English Placement Test and is determined level 5 and has no prior flight experience. They want to immediately begin their flight training so they will start Ground School A: PPL Ground School + Aviation English + ATC and be scheduled for flights. They will complete their PPL, IR, CPL and CFI in approximately 10 months. Upon passing their CFI course they can begin working as a Flight Instructor earning money, hours and experience! While working as a Flight Instructor they will continue attending weekly Ground School B: Advanced Aviation English & ATC working towards ICAO Level 6. Based on this progression example Student B has up to 3 years and 2 month of time on their F1 student visa to work as a Flight Instructor
Student C - Low to Intermediate Level of English. Foreign PPL.
Student C takes their English Placement Test and is determined level 3 and has some flight experience, PPL completed. It is estimated they will attend ESL General English for 4 months to improve to a level 5 before beginning flights. At month 5 they progress into Ground School A: IR Ground School + Aviation English + ATC and begin their flight training. They will complete their IR, CPL and CFI in approximately 8 months. Upon passing their CFI course they can begin working as a Flight Instructor earning money, hours and experience! While working as a Flight Instructor they will continue attending weekly Ground School B: Advanced Aviation English & ATC working towards ICAO Level 6. Based on this progression example Student B has up to 3 years of time on their F1 student visa to work as a Flight Instructor.
Student D - High Intermediate to Advance Level English. Foreign PPL.
Student D takes their English Placement Test and is determined level 5 and has no prior flight experience. They want to immediately begin their flight training so they will start Ground School A: IR Ground School + Aviation English + ATC and be scheduled for flights. They will complete their IR, CPL and CFI in approximately 8 months. Upon passing their CFI course they can begin working as a Flight Instructor earning money, hours and experience! While working as a Flight Instructor they will continue attending weekly Ground School B: Advanced Aviation English & ATC working towards ICAO Level 6. Based on this progression example Student B has up to 3 years and 4 months of time on their F1 student visa to work as a Flight Instructor
Student E - Low to Intermediate Level of English. Foreign CPL.
Student E takes their English Placement Test and is determined level 2 and has their foreign CPL. It is estimated they will attend ESL General English for 8 months to improve to a level 5 before beginning conversion flights. Completing the FAA’s Foreign License Verification Process a student with a foreign CPL can complete FAA part 61 requirements to convert their foreign licenses and hours. At month 5 they begin Ground School A: Foreign Pilot Conversion Ground School + Aviation English + ATC and will complete their Foreign CPL conversion and CFI in approximately 4 months. Upon passing their CFI course they can begin working as a Flight Instructor earning money, hours and experience! While working as a Flight Instructor they will continue attending weekly Ground School B: Advanced Aviation English & ATC working towards ICAO Level 6. Based on this progression example Student C has up to 3 years of time on their F1 student visa to work as a Flight Instructor
Student F - Intermediate to Advanced Level English. Foreign CPL.
**NOTICE: A maximum of 10 Intermediate to Advanced Level English Foreign CPL students will be allowed to participate in this program at one time.**
Student F takes their English Placement Test and is determined level 4 and has their foreign CPL. Completing the FAA’s Foreign License Verification Process a student with a foreign CPL can complete FAA part 61 requirements to convert their foreign licenses and hours. Immediately they begin Ground School A: Foreign Pilot Conversion Ground School + Aviation English + ATC and will complete their Foreign CPL conversion and CFI in approximately 4 months. Upon passing their CFI course they can begin working as a Flight Instructor earning money, hours and experience! While working as a Flight Instructor they will continue attending weekly Ground School B: Advanced Aviation English & ATC working towards ICAO Level 6. Based on this progression example Student C has up to 3 years and 8 months of time on their F1 student visa to work as a Flight Instructor.
MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE HOURS LOGGED AND FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR EMPLOYMENT
Whichever comes first, a maximum of 1,500 total logged hours or completion of 4 years on the F1 student visa. On-campus employment and a Flight Instructor job on a student visa is not a long term plan for financial gain. Hourly pay rates as a CFI-MEI are between $12 – $15 per hour depending on your abilities as a Flight Instructor and if you have also completed your CFII and MEI. This program is meant to provide you with the opportunity to gain experience as a professional pilot, log the necessary hours to qualify for a Second Officer or First Officer position and compensate you for participating in this amazing industry by teaching other aspiring student pilots!