What is the average number of flight hours that US private pilots require before passing their checkride? It's easy to find comments and claims online (including on this site) about the average number of hours that's required for a new US private pilot to pass their checkride. Some are very precise - 67 hours seems popular - but no one appears to have any actual data to support their statements.

This comment is typical:


  We aren’t sure that 67 hours is the actual average. You can find as
  low as 55 and as high as 85 as the national average. A quick Google
  search found a dozen different answers to the average flight hours.
  None of the sources seemed authoritative. The FAA doesn’t seem to have
  a published number.


It's quite surprising (to me) that the average number of hours is so mysterious. Checkride applicants have to report their hours in the IACRA application process anyway, so presumably the FAA has the data. And it would be a very useful piece of information for schools and pilots to have for planning/budgeting purposes. In fact, I would expect part 141 schools in particular to have very detailed records on their students' hours, and perhaps even use them as a marketing tool ("get your private certificate in 10hrs less than the national average!").

But despite all that, there's no official, reliable number that I can find. So, what is the average number of flight hours from zero to passing the checkride?

Details:


Number of flight hours required to successfully pass the initial private ASEL checkride
Data from reliable sources only, i.e. FAA or a credible third-party study that identifies its sources and methodology
FAA private ASEL ab initio candidates only (no add-on ratings)
Part 61 and/or 141
This document from and published by the FAA does include a range although they do not cite their source or where they pulled the data from. It is as official a number as I can find. 


  One difference between a part 141 school and a part 61 school is that
  fewer flight hours are required to qualify for a pilot certificate in
  a part 141 certificated school. The requirement for a private pilot
  certificate is 40 hours in a part 61 school and 35 hours in a part 141
  certificated school. This difference may be insignificant for a
  private pilot certificate because the national average indicates most
  pilots require 60 to 75 hours of flight training.


The range most likely varies heavily due to the way people train. I know people who have gotten it in &lt;50 and people who are up around 90 and still have not flown the check ride. It varies largely with how much time you have to train as well as local weather. I was flying once a week (occasionally twice) during my training) and I was somewhere around 63 when I got my ticket.