Flight School In Los Angeles At Van Nuys Airport

The Quick Answer: Where, What And How Much

Our flight bookings carry no sales tax and no booking fee, so the price on the card is the price on your statement. Packages include the airplane, the fuel, the instructor, the simulator hours, the ground lessons and the books listed for them.

The cards below book a discovery flight or a first lesson directly. Either one is credited in full toward a program if you enroll within 24 hours.

How To Start, Step By Step

Most people who walk onto our ramp have never touched the controls of an airplane. That is the normal starting point here. You need no license, no medical and no paperwork for the first flight, because the instructor beside you is the pilot in command. Here is the order we use with every new student.

Step 1 of 6

Book A Discovery Flight Or A First Lesson

Two ways in. A discovery flight is $229 for 60 minutes over Los Angeles with you flying the Piper Warrior. The two-hour first lesson is $349: half an hour on the ground, about seventy minutes in the air over the Simi Valley practice area, then a debrief.

Step 2 of 6

Sit Down For A Free Consultation

Half an hour at Van Nuys with an instructor, standing next to the airplanes, with nothing to pay and nothing to sign. You leave with our real prices, what sits outside them, and a timeline built on how often you can actually fly. Pick a consultation time or call (818) 330-1318.

Step 3 of 6

Get Your Medical And Student Pilot Certificate

Before you fly solo you need at least a third-class FAA medical (14 CFR 61.23) and a student pilot certificate, which requires you to read, speak, write and understand English (14 CFR 61.83). The certificate is a free online application; our IACRA student pilot certificate guide explains it. If the airlines are the goal, get a first-class medical before you spend money on training. The medical classes are compared here.

Step 4 of 6

Learn The Airplane, Lesson By Lesson

Private training runs in the Cessna 162, the Piper Warrior or the Diamond DA20, and our recent graduates split almost evenly between the three. The run-up at Charlie, the read-backs to Van Nuys tower and the 9 AM weather call stop being new. Before solo your instructor gives you a written pre-solo knowledge test and goes through every answer you missed (14 CFR 61.87).

Step 5 of 6

Fly Your First Solo

Your instructor endorses you for solo only after training you on the required maneuvers and judging you safe, and that endorsement must be dated within the previous 90 days (14 CFR 61.87). The private certificate then needs at least 10 hours of solo, including 5 hours of solo cross-country. It also needs three full-stop landings at a towered airport, which Van Nuys gives you on every flight home (14 CFR 61.109).

Step 6 of 6

Pass The Written Test And The Checkride

The FAA knowledge test is a two-hour exam at a PSI testing center and costs about $175. The checkride is an oral exam and a flight with an FAA examiner, whose fee runs roughly $800 to $1,000. Our students who passed between 2023 and 2026 averaged 90% or better on the written, and 95% or more passed the checkride on the first attempt.

Programs And Prices

Every package is priced before you start. The hours below are what each package contains, not a promise that you will need exactly that many. The FAA minimum for a private certificate is 40 hours (14 CFR 61.109), and our private pilot graduates averaged 50 to 60 including simulator time. Dual hours are your instructor's time in the airplane or the simulator, so they sit inside the airplane and simulator hours rather than on top of them.

Three things sit outside every package: the FAA exam fees, your medical and a headset of your own. Flying outside a package is billed at the retail rates in the fleet table below. For the line-by-line view, read how much flight school costs in Los Angeles or run your own numbers in the flight training cost calculator.

The Fleet: Tail Numbers And Hourly Rates

Twenty airplanes fly from our ramp. Rates are wet, so the fuel is in the number. The package rate is what an hour costs inside a course; the retail rate is pay-as-you-go. Instruction is $110 an hour on top of either.

Cessna 162 Skycatcher

Six of them, two seats under a high wing, with a 100 hp Continental O-200-D and a Garmin G300 glass panel. It cruises at about 118 knots. The Sport Pilot airplane, and a private trainer at the same $179 package rate as the Warrior. Specs and POH guide.

Piper Warrior PA-28-161

Four seats, a low wing and 160 hp, about 128 knots, equipped for instrument flight. Discovery flights go up in it, and it carries private and instrument students. Specs and POH guide.

Diamond DA20-C1

Two seats under a bubble canopy, a stick instead of a yoke and a 125 hp Continental IO-240. It is certified in the utility category, which is why our spin training flies in it. We think it is the better first airplane if you already know you want the certificate: it is lighter on the controls and shows you lazy rudder work faster. Specs.

Piper Arrow PA-28R

Our complex airplane: retractable gear, a constant-speed propeller and a 200 hp Lycoming, about 135 knots. Its automatic gear-extension system is disabled, so you lower the gear yourself on every approach. Commercial students log their complex time here. Specs.

Piper Seminole PA-44-180

Two 180 hp engines turning in opposite directions, about 162 knots. The multi-engine rating runs in it over seven days: classes start on a Monday and the checkride is the same weekend. Specs.

Cirrus SR22 Turbo

310 turbocharged horsepower, about 215 knots, up to FL250, Cirrus Perspective glass, a side-stick and the CAPS whole-airframe parachute. The high-performance endorsement is flown in it, and qualified pilots rent it. Cirrus SR22 rental.

Redbird MCX Full-Motion Simulator

An FAA-approved advanced aviation training device with single-engine and multi-engine profiles. Instrument procedures, engine failures and cross-country planning happen here at $120 an hour inside a package, with no weather call in the morning. The simulator.

Your Flight Instructors

These are the people on our schedule, all flying from the same ramp. The instructors page has more about each of them.

In the front office, Sophia is our student coordinator and Mona is the office manager. We do not print a star rating here; read what students say on our reviews page.

Why Train At Van Nuys Airport

Van Nuys is a towered Class D airport under the Los Angeles Class B shelf, and Los Angeles World Airports calls it one of the world's busiest general aviation airports. You talk to a controller from your first taxi. Students who learn here treat a busy frequency as normal, which pays off the first time they fly toward Burbank's Class C airspace, 11 miles east.

The field has two parallel runways: 16R/34L at 8,001 feet and 16L/34R at 4,000 feet. Parallels teach you to listen for which one you were cleared to, and to read it back. Sherman Way runs through a tunnel under the runways, so if you come in from the 405 you drive beneath the airplanes before you fly one.

The other reason is the calendar. Santa Monica Airport closes on 31 December 2028 under a consent decree, and its runway is already down to 3,500 feet. A student starting a private or instrument course now wants an airport that will still be open at the checkride. What the Santa Monica closure means for training covers the detail.

Air work happens over the Simi Valley practice area. For the pattern, the tower and what a lesson day looks like on the field, read flight training at Van Nuys Airport.

Location, Parking And Directions

We are at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Main Terminal Unit 108, Van Nuys, CA 91406, on the west side of Van Nuys Airport. Put the street address into your phone, not "Van Nuys Airport". The field has several public gates, and the wrong one ends at a locked fence.

• From the 405: take the Sherman Way exit and head west to Balboa Blvd, the big signaled intersection.
• From the 101: exit at Balboa Blvd and drive north past Victory and Vanowen, alongside the airfield fence.
• From the 118: come south on Balboa Blvd, straight down the western edge of the field.
• Parking: there is parking on site.

Arrive about fifteen minutes before your slot. If you cannot find us, call (818) 330-1318 and someone will talk you in. The map is further down this page. The flight school near me page has the drive from each part of the city, from Santa Monica and Burbank to Pasadena and Santa Clarita.

Training Schedules: Full-Time Or Part-Time

We fly 9 AM to 9 PM, seven days a week, so a schedule can be built around a job. How often you fly decides how long the certificate takes, and our records show it plainly.

Our fastest finisher flew five to seven days a week and was done in under four weeks. That pace needs time off work and a medical certificate sorted before you start, so nothing waits on paperwork. Once a week works too: our slowest finishers flew about that often and still got there in 6 to 9 months. Our view is that two lessons a week is the point where you stop spending the first part of each lesson remembering the last one.

More on both routes: part-time training in Los Angeles and training full time.

Part 61 Flight Training, Explained

You Fly LA trains under Part 61 of the FAA rules. We do not hold a Part 141 certificate. Both lead to the same FAA certificate and the same checkride; the difference is how the training is organized.

Under Part 61 your instructor builds the lessons around you, and the private certificate requires at least 40 hours of flight time (14 CFR 61.109). A Part 141 school runs an FAA-approved syllabus with stage checks, and its private course can be built on 35 hours of flight training (14 CFR Part 141, Appendix B). Few students finish near either minimum. Ours averaged 50 to 60.

One limit to know before you plan around us: because we are not a Part 141 school, we do not issue I-20s, so we cannot sponsor an M-1 student visa. Non-US citizens also need TSA clearance before training toward a certificate. See flight training for international students, Part 61 flight school in Los Angeles and Part 61 vs Part 141.

Financing And Payment Plans

Every package can be paid in installments, starting with $2,500 down:

• Private Pilot, Standard: $2,500 down, then the remaining $7,900 over four monthly payments
• Private Pilot, 60 Hours: $2,500 down and six monthly payments of $2,067
• Sport Pilot: $2,500 down, then three monthly payments
• Instrument Rating: $2,500 down and four monthly payments of $2,300
• Multi-Engine Rating: $2,500 down and two monthly payments of $1,300
• Teens Pilot Course: $2,500, then $1,700

Beyond the plans, you can pay us directly and interest-free over up to 12 months, or finance through Stratus Financial over up to 15 years after a soft credit check. The Airline Pilot Career Program can be financed from $2,500 down. Flight training financing has the detail.

Package purchases are final and we do not refund them, but unused credit can go to another student or toward a discovery flight. The full terms are in the refund and enrollment policy.

Flight School In Los Angeles: Questions And Answers

Do I Need Any Experience Or A Medical For My First Flight?

No. Bring photo ID, wear closed-toe shoes and bring sunglasses; we lend you the headset. Anyone under 18 needs a parent or guardian to sign.

Is There A Weight Limit?

Yes, set by each airplane's weight and balance. On a discovery flight or a first lesson it is 180 lb per person in the Cessna 162 and the Piper Warrior, and 360 lb combined for two in the Warrior. The person flying the Diamond DA20 or the Cirrus can weigh up to 200 lb. The simulator has no limit.

How Old Do You Have To Be To Learn To Fly?

The Teens Pilot Course starts at age 10. You can fly solo at 16 and earn a private certificate at 17 (14 CFR 61.83 and 61.103), and there is no upper age limit. Our graduates from 2023 to 2026 ranged from 17 to their 70s. A third-class medical lasts 60 months if you are under 40 and 24 months from 40 on (14 CFR 61.23).

What Happens If The Weather Is Bad On My Lesson Day?

If the weather says no, you do not pay, and you can reschedule a discovery flight or a lesson free up to 24 hours before. In June the marine layer pushes lessons into the afternoon, July to September flies best early or near sunset, and winter is our best flying season.

Can I Start In The Simulator Instead Of An Airplane?

Yes. The full-motion simulator experience is $189 for 60 minutes, and the two-hour beginner simulator lesson is $249. Later in training, up to 50 Redbird hours can count toward the Commercial certificate, and 20 of the 40 dual hours in our instrument course happen in it.

Can I Train In The Evening Or At Night?

Yes, we fly until 9 PM. The private certificate needs 3 hours of night training, including a cross-country flight of more than 100 nautical miles and 10 full-stop landings (14 CFR 61.109). The night discovery flight is $329 if you want to see the city lit up first.

Does A Discovery Flight Count Toward My License?

It can. Bring a pilot logbook and your instructor signs the flight in it, so the time counts toward a private pilot license. We do not supply logbooks, so buy one before you come.

Can I Rent An Airplane From You After I Get My License?

Yes, at the retail rates in the fleet table. Before any solo rental you need renter's insurance with at least $50,000 of coverage. The renter is responsible for damage up to a $5,000 deductible, and overnight trips are billed at a minimum of 3 hours per day. See aircraft rental at Van Nuys.

Keep Reading

• Private Pilot License In Los Angeles, the certificate most students come for
• How Much Flight School Costs In Los Angeles, line by line
• Discovery Flights In Los Angeles, every route and price
• Beginner Flying Lessons At Van Nuys Airport, the two-hour lesson in detail
• Airline Pilot Career Program, zero experience to instructor in about nine months
• Flight Training At Van Nuys Airport, our home field up close