Short answer: among rentals BlockTime has checked on operators' own pages, a twin (multi-engine) rented wet runs $203 to $600 per hour, median $349 (35 listings). A single-engine rented wet runs $73 to $255 per hour, median $160 (39 listings).
Figures are computed from the rates in BlockTime's data (hourly rate, open-rental aircraft) as of October 18, 2026, the newest checked date in the data. They are not averages from a survey; rates with a public source link to it in the rankings.
Wet vs dry
A wet rate includes fuel. A dry rate does not: you pay for fuel on top, either at the pump or as a charge after the flight. Compare a dry rate against a wet one only after adding fuel. Some operators also add a fuel surcharge on top of the hourly rate.
Of the 152 rates on BlockTime, 86 are stated wet, 3 are dry, and 63 come from pages that do not say. When a page does not say, BlockTime treats the rate as wet and marks the all-in figure est.; for dry rates it adds an estimated fuel cost (9 gal/hr for a twin, 6 for a single, at $6.50/gal), also marked est.. Ask the operator which one you are getting.
Twin (multi-engine) rental rates
| Rates included | Aircraft | Lowest | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open rental, operator says wet | 35 | $203 | $349 | $600 |
| Open rental, page does not say wet or dry | 32 | $300 | $392.50 | $560 |
| Open rental, dry (fuel extra) | 3 | $150 | $395 | $795 |
| All open-rental rates | 70 | $150 | $385 | $795 |
| Every listed rate (incl. dual-only, students-only, per-pilot and block-only) | 87 | $150 | $389 | $795 |
Wet vs dry, twin vs single, and what else ends up on the bill. Computed from 152 published operator rates as of October 18, 2026.
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Single-engine rental rates
| Rates included | Aircraft | Lowest | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open rental, operator says wet | 39 | $73 | $160 | $255 |
| Open rental, page does not say wet or dry | 25 | $116 | $165 | $238 |
| Open rental, dry (fuel extra) | 0 | none in the data | ||
| All open-rental rates | 64 | $73 | $163 | $255 |
| Every listed rate (incl. dual-only, students-only, per-pilot and block-only) | 65 | $73 | $161 | $255 |
Missing or wrong info in this table? Report missing or wrong info
"Open rental" means a rated pilot can rent after a checkout. Median is the middle rate when sorted. Published hourly rate only: fuel surcharges, tax, instructor, checkout and insurance are not included.
What else ends up on the bill
- Fuel surcharges and tax. 10 listings mention a fuel surcharge and 4 publish a sales tax percentage. BlockTime's all-in column adds them where the amount is published.
- Checkout and instructor time. Plan for a checkout with an instructor before you can rent. Instructor time is billed separately unless the operator's rate says it is included.
- Insurance. 13 listings state an insurance requirement, such as renter's insurance.
- Club dues. Flying clubs can have lower hourly rates plus monthly dues; 12 listings have dues, shown separately and not in the all-in figure.
- Block deals. 33 listings publish a block or prepay deal that lowers the hourly rate if you buy hours up front.
Building multi-engine time
At the median wet rate, an hour in a twin costs about 2.2 times an hour in a single ($349 vs $160). For a 25-hour block, a common size for time building, that is about $8,725 in a twin vs $4,000 in a single at the median wet rate, before checkout, instructor, insurance or any block discount.
Not every twin is open to renters. Of the 87 twins on BlockTime, 70 are open rental, 9 are dual only (an instructor is always aboard), 5 are for enrolled students only, 2 are priced per pilot on shared flights ($170, $185 per pilot as published), and 1 is sold only as a prepaid block. Filter by eligibility in the rankings.
Splitting a twin with a second pilot can roughly halve your hourly share where the operator allows it. BlockTime shows that split as an est. unless the operator publishes a per-pilot price, so confirm the rules before you plan around it.
For the cheapest twins by model, published per-pilot prices, block deals and what to ask an operator before you book, read How to build multi-engine time cheaply.
Next steps
- Building twin time? Read How to build multi-engine time cheaply.
- See the cheapest open-rental twins and singles in the rankings, or browse by state and by aircraft.
- Get every rate in a spreadsheet: free rate file (CSV).
- Close to 1,500 hours? Compare regional pay and bonuses on RegionalScope.
- Got the job? Find a crashpad near your base on CommuteBase.