FAA Part 141 · KSCH · Glenville, NY
Flight Training in Schenectady Albany and New York’s Capital Region
Five Star Flight is an FAA-certified Part 141 flight school based at Schenectady County Airport (KSCH) in Glenville — ten minutes from downtown Schenectady and thirty minutes from Albany. We have been training pilots here for twenty years.
- 20 yearstraining pilots at Schenectady County Airport
- 3,000+training hours flown by our students in 2025
- 25licenses and certificates earned in 2025
- 190 hourscommercial certificate under Part 141
Who we train
- 01Weekend pilots
- 02Airline careers
- 03Complete beginners
Whether you want a private pilot license to fly your own aircraft on weekends or are working toward a commercial certificate and an airline career, you can start here with no experience at all.
Most of our students begin with a one-hour intro flight.Start with yours
The airfield
Why Train at Schenectady County Airport
KSCH has been an active airfield since 1927, and it still hosts the mix of traffic that makes a well-rounded pilot. You will share the pattern with student pilots, corporate jets and the ski-equipped LC-130s of the Air National Guard, which means you learn radio work and traffic awareness properly rather than in isolation.
The airport also sits close to genuinely varied terrain. Our northwest practice area runs between the Great Sacandaga Lake and Amsterdam with the Mohawk River as a navigational reference; the northeast area sits near Saratoga Lake. Cross-country work takes you into the hills of the Adirondacks and Catskills, and commercial students routinely fly south toward some of the busiest airspace in the world.
We operate from the SCCC hangars at the south end of the field — four fully equipped hangars and a dedicated briefing room, so weather days are still training days.
Training pathway
Your Path from First Flight to Commercial Pilot
Every certificate below is taught under our Part 141 syllabus. Because Part 141 is FAA-approved and structured, the commercial certificate requires 190 hours rather than the 250 hours a Part 61 student needs — a difference of roughly sixty hours of aircraft and instructor time.
- 01
Private Pilot License
The foundation certificate. Minimum 35 hours under Part 141 (40 under Part 61), typically 60–70 in practice. Fly friends and family anywhere in the country.
35 hr min · 60–70 typical 
02Instrument Rating
Fly in cloud and low visibility on instruments alone. The rating that turns a fair-weather pilot into a useful one.
Flown in our IFR Archer
03Commercial Pilot Certificate
190 hours under Part 141. Lets you fly for compensation or hire, and it is the gateway to a professional career.
190 hr · Part 141
04Multi-Engine (AMEL) and Certified Flight Instructor
Add-on ratings, each typically 10–15 hours of flight training.
10–15 hr each
A.S. in Aviation ScienceSUNY Schenectady partnership
Earn an Aviation Degree While You Learn to Fly
Our partnership with SUNY Schenectady is unusual, and it is worth understanding before you choose a flight school. You can complete an Associate’s Degree in Aviation Science at SUNY Schenectady while doing all of your flight training with us, at our field, in our aircraft.
Classroom work in Aviation Law, Meteorology, Flight Safety and Intro to Flight Instruction runs alongside the flying, so the theory is applied in the aircraft the same week you learn it. Students on this pathway also pay a lower hourly rate than out-of-pocket students, and the flight training is funded through a semester lab fee rather than lesson by lesson.
Several of our current instructors came through this exact route — they started at SUNY Schenectady with no flying experience and are now teaching in the same Piper PA-28s they trained in.
The aircraft
Our Fleet: A Standardized Line of Piper PA-28s
We fly a standardized fleet of Piper PA-28s — Cherokees, Warriors and an Archer — plus a PA-28R-201 Arrow for the complex aircraft time required for the commercial certificate. Standardization matters more than most students expect: switching between aircraft types mid-training costs hours, and hours cost money.
The PA-28 has trained pilots since 1960 for good reason. It is forgiving enough to learn stick-and-rudder skills in, honest enough to teach you when you have made a mistake, and cheap enough per hour to keep training moving.
Piper PA-28 · Training since 1960
Published rates
What Flight Training Costs in Schenectady
Our rental rates as of September 1, 2026 are $180 per hour for an aircraft and $85 per hour for a flight instructor. Discounts are provided to active SCCC students.
The FAA minimum is 40 hours to qualify for a private pilot license check-ride, with a national average of about 72 hours. Five Star students earn their certificates well below the national average.
Wet — fuel included
Certified flight instructor
SUNY Schenectady pathway: aircraft from $170/hr, instruction from $77/hr.
In their words
Our Students
I am grateful to have received quality flight training through Five Star. Their standardized fleet of trainer aircraft has made for a smooth training process and the knowledgeable flight instructors have helped me every step of the way through gaining my certifications.
I have just started my flight training at Five Star. And, I’m finding that the care, the knowledge and the professionalism of the Five Star CFIs have me well underway in earning my Private Pilot License.
One hour · You flyWhere everyone starts
Start with an Intro Flight
Your first flight is a one-hour session with an instructor. You will do the walkaround, sit in the left seat, and fly the aircraft yourself for most of the hour — it is a real lesson, not a sightseeing trip, and it counts toward your license if you continue.
No experience and no medical certificate required. If you have never touched an aircraft before, this is exactly where to start.
Straight answers
Common Questions About Learning to Fly
How long does it take to get a private pilot license?
Most students who fly twice a week finish in six to nine months. Flying once a week roughly doubles that — not because the requirements change, but because you spend the first part of each lesson re-learning the last one. Consistency is the single biggest cost saver in flight training.
How many flight hours do I actually need?
The FAA minimum for a private pilot license is 35 hours under Part 141, which is how we train, or 40 hours under Part 61. The national average is closer to 60–70, and that is what you should budget for. Anyone quoting you the legal minimum as a realistic figure is quoting the law, not experience.
How much does flight training cost?
We publish our rates rather than making you ask. Aircraft start at $180 an hour wet, with fuel included, and instruction at $85 an hour, billed on Hobbs time. Students on the SUNY Schenectady pathway pay less: aircraft from $170 and instruction from $77. Budget for the 60–70 hours most students actually fly rather than the legal minimum, and remember there is no large upfront deposit — out-of-pocket students pay at the end of each flight. Financing is available through Meritize.
Do I need a medical certificate before I start?
Not for your intro flight. You will need at least a third-class FAA medical before you fly solo, and we recommend getting a second-class early if you are aiming at a commercial career — it is better to know about any issue at the start than after you have spent thousands of dollars.
What is the difference between Part 61 and Part 141?
Part 141 schools train to an FAA-approved syllabus that is audited for pass rates and structure. The practical difference for you: a commercial certificate takes 190 hours under Part 141 versus 250 under Part 61. We are Part 141 certified, and all our students follow the Part 141 syllabus.
How old do I have to be?
You can start flight training at any age and fly solo at 16. The private pilot license itself requires you to be 17, and the commercial certificate 18. We have taught teenagers and retirees in the same week.
Do you help with job placement?
Our graduates have gone on to secure positions as airline pilots, flight instructors, pipeline surveyors, and charter pilots. We offer an extensive network and inroads into these positions.
Service area
Serving Albany, Schenectady, Saratoga and the Capital Region
Students drive to us from across the Capital Region and beyond — Albany is thirty minutes away, Clifton Park and Niskayuna are fifteen, and we regularly train students from Troy, Latham, Colonie, Saratoga Springs, Amsterdam and Ballston Spa.