Originally Posted by
travelinmanS
How much should one expect this to cost? I imagine it’s tens of thousands but don’t know if it’s closer to 20k or 80k? How much in time and money is it to get a instrument flying license?
In the US, you can probably still become a private pilot for under $10,000 if you work hard and use an older, less expensive airplane. Don't be distracted by the newer, fancier airplanes with fancy avionics. You don't need any of that to learn to fly. You can learn about them after you are certificated with a little self-study and a flight or two with an instructor.
Another way to save money is if you can be effective with your self studying. The FAA handbooks, I linked to above, are cheap in book form and free in pdf form. The more self-study you do the fewer hours of ground instruction you pay your instructor for.
That will get you the private pilot certificate. Those who intend to use an airplane for serious traveling will want to go on and get an instrument rating. Those on a professional track will need commercial pilot, flight instructor, and multi-engine certifications. Costs vary widely depending on how you do it all. Someone who is diligent at pursuing the goal of keeping the costs down can achieve significant savings.