Piper PA-28 · KSCH

Our Training Fleet and Aircraft Rental Rates

We fly a standardized fleet of Piper PA-28s at Schenectady County Airport. Standardization is a deliberate choice: when every aircraft has broadly the same handling, the same checklist flow and a familiar panel, you spend your lessons learning to fly rather than learning a new airplane. That difference shows up directly in your final bill.

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Hourly Rates

All rates below are wet — fuel included — and are billed on Hobbs time. Rated pilots can also rent any aircraft in the fleet after a checkout with one of our instructors.

Hourly rates · effective September 1, 2026
Aircraft / instruction	SUNY student	Standard
Aircraft — wet, fuel included
PA-28-140 Cherokee	$170/hr	$180/hr
PA-28-151/161 WarriorNon-TAA	$170/hr	$190/hr
PA-28-151/161 WarriorTAA	$195/hr	$210/hr
PA-28-181 Archer	$185/hr	$195/hr
PA-28R-201 Arrow	$220/hr	$225/hr
Instruction
Flight instructionPrivate	$77/hr	$85/hr
Flight instructionInstrument and above	$81/hr	$90/hr

The aircraft

One family of aircraft, from first lesson to complex time

01 / 04The baseline trainer

Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee — Your First Aircraft

This is a great trainer for any beginning student. It is the most cost-effective way to begin your flight training and instill the “Fundamentals of Flight” for a student. They handle quite responsively, which is important while learning. They also have four seats, 48 gallons of usable fuel and about six hours of endurance on full tanks. Students can comfortably fly cross-country without re-fueling.

Hourly · SUNY / std: $170 / $180
Avg. cruise: 122 MPH
Usable fuel: 48 gal
Service ceiling: 15,000 ft

See our four Cherokee 140s01

Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee on the ramp at Schenectady County Airport

02 / 04The step up

Piper PA-28-151/161 Warrior — More Cabin, Same Systems

The Warrior shares its systems and checklists with the Cherokee, so moving between the two costs you nothing in training time. What you get is a quieter, roomier cabin, a slightly larger engine and a wing that makes it notably easy to land well — which is why students often finish their solo work in a Warrior.

Hourly · SUNY / std: From $170 / $190
Engine: 160 HP
Avg. cruise: 135 MPH
Max range: 700 NM

See our two Warriors02

03 / 04Instrument work

Piper PA-28-181 Archer — Our Instrument TrainerIFR certified

The Archer is IFR certified and is the aircraft most of our instrument students fly. With 180 horsepower she has the best cruise and takeoff performance of any non-complex PA-28 in the fleet, which matters when you are flying approaches at four different airports in one lesson and want the time in the air to be productive rather than spent in transit.

Hourly · SUNY / std: $185 / $195
Engine: 180 HP
Avg. cruise: 138 MPH
Service ceiling: 13,500 ft

Instrument rating training03

Piper PA-28-181 Archer, the fleet’s IFR-certified instrument trainer

04 / 04Commercial training

Piper PA-28R-201 Arrow — Complex Aircraft TimeComplex

The commercial certificate requires ten hours in a complex, turbine-powered or technically advanced airplane. For most students, that means a complex aircraft — retractable landing gear and a constant-speed propeller. The Arrow is ours, and having it on the field matters: schools without a complex aircraft send their commercial students elsewhere to buy those hours, usually at a premium and always at the cost of scheduling.

Hourly · SUNY / std: $220 / $225
Landing gear: Retractable
Propeller: Constant-speed
Cruise: 150 MPH

Commercial pilot training04

Piper PA-28R-201 Arrow, the fleet’s complex aircraft

By tail number

The aircraft you will actually fly

Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee N8092N — Cherokee 140N8092N

Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee N44653 — Cherokee 140N44653

Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee N16446 — Cherokee 140N16446

Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee N7928C — Cherokee 140N7928C

Piper PA-28 Warrior N109GP — WarriorN109GP

Piper PA-28 Warrior N9402K — WarriorN9402K

Piper PA-28-181 Archer Archer — IFR trainerArcherIFR certified · 138 MPH cruise · 13,500 ft ceiling

Piper PA-28R-201 Arrow Arrow — Complex aircraftArrowRetractable gear · constant-speed prop · 150 MPH cruise

Already certificated?

Aircraft Rental for Rated Pilots

Already hold a certificate? Every aircraft in the fleet is available for rental once you have completed a checkout with one of our instructors — typically an hour or two depending on your recent experience.

We also do flight reviews, instrument proficiency checks and tailored refresher training for pilots who have been out of the air for a while. Biennial Flight Reviews are also available (appointment only).

Call (914) 406-0376 to arrange a rental checkout

See them up close

Start with an Intro Flight

A one-hour session with an instructor in one of these aircraft. No experience and no medical certificate required.

Call (914) 406-0376

Training Programs

Students

Visit the field