Aviation News


Training aircraft on the ramp at Van Nuys Airport at sunset after a student solo flight
Three circuits, about twenty minutes, and a shirt you should not be fond of. What the first solo actually involves, what it feels like, and why most people reach it between 15 and 25 hours.
Training aircraft on the ramp at Van Nuys Airport with the San Fernando Valley and dry summer hills in the background
Van Nuys sits at 802 feet. On a 100°F September afternoon the airplane performs as though it were at 4,100. Here is the arithmetic, what the loss costs you in ground roll and climb, and when to book your lesson instead.
Flight instructor briefing a student at a table before a multi-engine checkride at LA Flight School in Van Nuys
Plan on 45 to 90 minutes, and expect close to half of it on one number: Vmc. A question-by-question walk through the multi-engine add-on oral, with the Piper Seminole speeds you need cold and the 14 CFR sections examiners actually cite.
Piper Warrior training aircraft owned by LA Flight School parked on the ramp at Van Nuys Airport
Six questions, asked at the airport before you hand over money, will tell you more about a flight school than a week of reading reviews. Here they are, with our own answers to each.