Comparison

Private Pilot Course vs Aviation Excuse maker

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Private Pilot Course

Prepare for the ground portion of your FAA Private Pilot Practical Test with realistic checkride scenarios and expert insights. Includes essential FAA handbooks, a knowledge quiz, and flight calculators.

Highlights
  • Realistic checkride oral enactment
  • Examiner and instructor insights
  • FAA Airplane Flying Handbook
  • Private Pilot PTS
  • Knowledge quiz
  • Flight calculators
Features
Read full description

The Private Pilot Course - Ground Portion gives you an insight into what happens on the ground portion of your FAA Private Pilot Practical Test, commonly referred to as the Checkride Oral. We provide more than one hour of video, showing you a realistic enactment of a checkride oral conducted by an FAA designated pilot examiner and a student pilot. This app also includes insights from an examiner and instructor to give you a full understanding of what to expect on your private pilot practical test. Bonus features of this app are a copy of the FAA Airplane Flying Handbook, the Private Pilot PTS, the FAA Risk Management Handbook and the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM). Also included is a quiz to test your knowledge and calculators for Stall Speed, Load Factor, Maneuvering Speed and Top of Climb calculations. Please check out our companion app, the Private Pilot Course - Flight Portion, that gives you more than two and a half hours of exciting in-flight HD video and detailed animation including an in depth explanation of the takeoffs, landings and maneuvers needed to pass your FAA Private Pilot Practical Test. Both apps together make a perfect package that will make you pass your Checkride with ease. Due to HD video, this App is more than 750MB in size. Please make sure you have enough space on your device. Due to size restrictions, you have to be connected to a WiFi network to download this app.

About

Aviation Excuse maker

Features
Read full description

Are you an aviation student, working on a pilot certificate or rating? Have a checkride coming up? Still having trouble getting everything just right? Is your instructor tired of hearing the same old excuses from you over and over? Then this Aviation Excuse Maker is for you. All you have to do is shake your phone and you a new excuse will appear! No longer will your instructor get bored hearing the same old excuse over and over. Be creative and use the Aviation Excuse Maker! Take your instructor by surprise! This app is sure to keep your instructor on his toes!

Screenshots

Private Pilot Course4 screens
Aviation Excuse maker3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Aviation Excuse maker at Free against Private Pilot Course's $29.99. Private Pilot Course's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.6). On update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Aviation Excuse maker is free to download; Private Pilot Course costs $29.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Private Pilot Course ships an update every 38 months, Aviation Excuse maker every 28 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Private Pilot Course versus Aviation Excuse maker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPrivate Pilot CourseAviation Excuse maker
Price$29.99Free — better
Rating3.5 (6 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 38 monthsEvery 28 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size749 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFlight Training Apps, Inc.JetWright LLC

In-app purchases

None

Private Pilot Course

No in-app purchases

None

Aviation Excuse maker

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Private Pilot Course free?
Private Pilot Course costs $29.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Aviation Excuse maker free?
Aviation Excuse maker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Private Pilot Course or Aviation Excuse maker have ads?
Neither Private Pilot Course nor Aviation Excuse maker shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Private Pilot Course or Aviation Excuse maker?
Private Pilot Course ships an update every 38 months, and Aviation Excuse maker every 28 months. Most recently, Private Pilot Course was updated on October 24, 2026 and Aviation Excuse maker on October 4, 2026.

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