Book A Free Consultation
Questions about the path, the hours or the cost? A free consultation with a You Fly LA instructor at Van Nuys Airport answers them before you spend a dollar.
Pick A Day And Time
Pacific time · confirmation by email and text- 1Pick a day
- 2Pick a time
- 3Add your name, phone and email
- ✓You're booked
Free, about 30 minutes, at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Main Terminal Unit 108, Van Nuys. Need to change it? Call (818) 330-1318.
Some people book a discovery flight immediately. Others want to talk to a human first — about what the flight involves, whether it suits a nervous passenger or a ten-year-old or a proposal, or about what learning to fly would actually cost and how long it would take. That conversation is free, it takes about half an hour, and there is nothing to buy at the end of it.
Free, no obligation, nothing to pay. Call (818) 330-1318 between 9 AM and 9 PM, seven days a week, or book a time online and we will meet you at Van Nuys Airport.
What A Consultation Actually Is
It is a conversation with someone who flies, about what you are trying to do. Not a sales appointment with a script.
You tell us what brought you here — a birthday present, a lifelong itch, a career change, a teenager who will not stop talking about airplanes — and we tell you honestly what the options are, what each one costs, and which one fits. If that is a $229 discovery flight, we will say so. If it is a full private pilot course with us, we will walk you through the real numbers and the real timeline. And if the honest answer is "not right now," we will say that too, because we would rather you came back in a year than spent money on the wrong thing this week.
Most consultations happen in person at Van Nuys Airport, where you can stand next to the airplanes and sit in one. If you cannot get out here, we will do it on the phone.
It Is Free, And There Is No Obligation
Genuinely free. No deposit, no card, nothing to sign, and no follow-up sales calls you did not ask for.
We do this because the single best way to explain a discovery flight or a flight training path is to sit down and explain it, rather than hoping a web page covers your specific question. Plenty of people who book a consultation end up flying with us. Plenty do not, and leave with better information than they came in with. That is a fair trade for half an hour of our time.
Find Your Starting Point
A free consultation with a You Fly LA instructor. Bring your goal, your budget and your schedule.
What You Will Leave With
Tap any one. Each is something we cover in the half hour.
A Straight Answer On Which Flight Suits You
There are five things you can book with us and they are not interchangeable. One person or two. Sixty minutes or ninety. Downtown, the coast, or the Hollywood Sign. A Piper or the Cirrus SR22. Or the full-motion simulator, if flying in an actual airplane is a step too far today. Ten minutes of conversation usually settles it.
Real Numbers For Flight Training, If That Is Why You Are Here
If your question is "what does it cost to get a pilot license," you will leave with the actual figures rather than a teaser rate: our course prices, what sits outside course tuition — the FAA knowledge test, the examiner's fee, your medical, a headset — and a realistic timeline based on how often you could actually fly. Frequency drives the total cost more than anything else, and we will be honest with you about what flying once a fortnight does to a budget.
A Clear Sequence, In The Right Order
Discovery flight, medical certificate, student pilot certificate, lessons, solo, cross-country and night, written exam, checkride. Which ratings come after that, and in what order, depending on whether you want to fly for fun or for a living. You will leave knowing which step is next rather than which step is fifth.
Honest Answers About The Awkward Parts
Airsickness. Fear of flying. Weight and balance limits. Whether a medical condition is going to be a problem. Whether a teenager is old enough. Whether your logbook from 2009 still counts for anything. Whether you are, frankly, too old — you are not; there is no upper age limit on a pilot certificate. These are the questions people are embarrassed to ask on the phone, and they are the ones a consultation is best at.
How Our Discovery Flights And Courses Fit Together
You Fly LA flies discovery flights and runs the certificate courses that follow them, from private pilot through to the airline career program. The FAA issues your certificate, not the school; our job is to train you to the standard and get you through the checkride. We fly from one ramp at Van Nuys with one fleet and one set of instructors, so whichever door you come in through you meet the same people.
Who It Is For
Most people who book one have never been in a small airplane. That is completely normal here.
Which one is you?
Never flown before
You have thought about it for years and never known where to start. There is no prerequisite and no experience assumed, and if you are still working out which field to walk into, choosing a pilot school near you sets out what to compare.
Buying it as a gift
Birthdays, anniversaries, proposals, a retirement present. We will help you pick the right flight and the right length, and if you would rather leave the choice to them, a gift card works — see flying lesson gift certificates for how the redemption side of it goes.
Nervous about it
Small airplanes worry people. We will tell you honestly what the flight feels like, what the turbulence is usually like, and what happens if you want to go back early.
Seriously considering training
You want real pricing and a real timeline before you commit to a course.
Parents exploring it for a teenager
Minimum ages, medicals, school schedules, and what a realistic path from sixteen to a first flying job looks like.
Returning after a break
Logbook in a drawer somewhere. Bring it, and we will tell you what getting current involves.
Career changers
Pricing out the airline path. We will walk the whole ladder — private, instrument, commercial, multi-engine, CFI — with real numbers.
Groups and events
Corporate outings, bachelor parties, film shoots. See groups and events and then call us.
How To Book
Two ways, and neither costs anything.
Ring (818) 330-1318, 9 AM to 9 PM, seven days a week. If we are flying we will call you back the same day.
Pick a slot through the Book A Free Consultation listing. It is priced at $0.00 — you are reserving time, not buying anything — and you will get a confirmation with directions.
We are at Van Nuys Airport (KVNY), 7900 Balboa Blvd, Main Terminal Unit 108, Van Nuys, CA 91406. Full directions and parking are on our contact page.
Talk To An Instructor First
Tell us your goal and your schedule, and an instructor will lay out the hours, the order and the cost. The consultation is free.
Questions People Ask First
Is It Really Free?
Yes. Nothing to buy, no deposit, no card details. The listing is priced at $0.00 purely so you can reserve a time through the same booking system as everything else.
How Long Does It Take?
About half an hour in person. On the phone, usually fifteen or twenty minutes. If you want longer, that is fine — we are not running a timer.
Do I Need To Know Anything About Flying?
Nothing at all. Most people who book a consultation have never been in a small airplane and could not tell you the difference between a private certificate and an instrument rating. That is exactly who this is for, and no question is too basic.
Will I Get To Fly?
No — a consultation is a conversation, not a flight. For flying, book a discovery flight, which starts at $229 and puts you in the left seat with an instructor for about an hour.
Can I Bring Someone With Me?
Please do. Spouses, parents, friends, kids. If someone else is going to be affected by the decision — or is going to be in the airplane — they should hear the same answers you do.
Will You Pressure Me To Book Something?
No. There is no closing pitch and no "today only" pricing. If a discovery flight is not the right thing for you right now, we will tell you directly and you can leave without booking anything.
Do You Train Pilots?
Yes. You Fly LA flies discovery flights and runs the certificate courses that follow, from our own ramp at Van Nuys Airport. A consultation is a good place to work out which starting point you actually need.
What Should I Bring?
Yourself and your questions. If you have flown before, bring your logbook. If you are seriously considering training, bring a rough sense of your weekly availability and your budget, so the plan we sketch out is realistic rather than optimistic.
Can We Do It Over The Phone Instead?
Yes. In person is better if you are choosing between flights, because you can see the airplanes. But the phone works, and for a lot of questions it is faster.
What If I Am Nervous About Small Airplanes?
Say so when you call — it is one of the most common reasons people book a consultation. We will talk you through what the flight actually feels like, and if a full-motion simulator session is the better starting point, we will tell you that.
Book A Time
Half an hour, free, no obligation, and nothing to prepare. Whether you are choosing a first flight or working out whether a pilot license is realistic for you, this is the cheapest way to get a straight answer.
Talk To Someone Who Flies
Free, no obligation, about half an hour. Call (818) 330-1318, 9 AM to 9 PM, seven days a week — or reserve a time online.
Ready to skip the conversation and just go flying? See all discovery flights, read what to expect on the day, or browse the FAQ. Thinking about a license? Start with Learn To Fly In Los Angeles.
A free consultation with a You Fly LA instructor at Van Nuys Airport. Bring your goal and your questions.
Start With A Flight Or A Lesson
Fly once before you sign up for anything. The $229 discovery flight is credited in full toward training if you enroll within 24 hours, and the two-hour first lesson is $349.
Discovery Flight For One
Credited in full toward your training if you enroll within 24 hours.
One seat, one instructor, no audience. You take the controls once we are clear of the Van Nuys pattern, and your instructor signs the time into your logbook if you bring one.
- ✓ Hands-on stick time
- ✓ Pre-flight briefing and walk-around
- ✓ Hollywood Sign and downtown
- ✓ One-on-one with an FAA-certified instructor
- ✓ Bring your logbook, we sign it
Weight limit 180 lb for the person flying.
Book ThisDiscovery Flight For Two Over Downtown
Logged as dual instruction toward the 40-hour minimum for a private license.
One of you flies while the other rides on the intercom and ends up as the photographer. The route runs past the Hollywood Sign and around the downtown towers.
- ✓ Two seats in the Piper Warrior
- ✓ Headsets for both of you
- ✓ Hollywood Sign and the downtown towers
- ✓ Hands-on flying for one of you
- ✓ Pre-flight briefing and walk-around
Weight limit 360 lb combined.
Book ThisTwo-Hour Beginner Flying Lesson
Credited in full toward your training if you enroll within 24 hours.
Half an hour on the ground learning what the yoke, the pedals and the throttle do, then about seventy minutes in the air over Simi Valley with your instructor beside you.
- ✓ 30-minute ground lesson first
- ✓ About 70 minutes at the controls
- ✓ Simi Valley and the Santa Susana Mountains
- ✓ Cessna 162 or Piper Warrior
- ✓ Debrief and a signed logbook entry
Weight limit 180 lb for the person flying.
Book ThisTwo-Hour Beginner Flying Lesson In The Diamond DA20
A stick instead of a yoke, and a canopy you can see straight out of.
Lighter on the controls than the Cessna, and quicker to show you when your feet are lazy on the rudder. A good first lesson if you already think you want the certificate.
- ✓ Diamond DA20-C1, two seats
- ✓ Stick and bubble canopy
- ✓ 125 hp Continental IO-240
- ✓ 30-minute ground lesson first
- ✓ About 70 minutes at the controls
Weight limit 200 lb for the person flying.
Book ThisPlan Your Training With An Instructor
A free consultation covers the hours, the cost and the order of the ratings for your goal. If you would rather fly first, the discovery flight is $229 and the two-hour first lesson is $349.
See Yourself In The Left Seat.
Our fleet, our instructors and the view over Los Angeles — every discovery flight and every course starts right here on the ramp.
