SAFETY FIRST
★★★★★
Very safety and detail oriented. Pre-flight briefing explained everything there was. To my knowledge, this flight school is exceptional in their ability.
Zero Time To Airline Ready · Malibu
Airline Pilot Program For Malibu And The Coast
From no license at all to airline-ready, at a field that opens seven days a week, forty-five minutes inland from Malibu over Malibu Canyon or Kanan Dume.
2,000+Discovery flights flown safely
5.0★Our Google rating, 100+ reviews
45 minFrom Malibu to the flight line
9AM–9PMSeven days a week at KVNY
Airline Pilot Program · Malibu, Los Angeles County
A Professional Track, Costed As One Number
The Airline Pilot Program is $89,000, quoted as a single number because nobody can plan a career change against an open-ended hourly tab. Everything from the first lesson to a multi-engine commercial pilot sits inside that figure, flown in a fixed order, since you cannot hold an instrument rating without a license or a commercial certificate without either. You get the stage-by-stage breakdown at a free consultation, well before anybody asks you for a deposit.
Two sorts of people ask about this from Malibu. Pepperdine students and recent graduates weighing a flight deck against another four years of tuition. And people already deep into a career, often in production, property or law, who have spent an evening with an airline seniority list and concluded that a start at thirty-eight still leaves a long run behind it. Neither group wants a brochure. They want a schedule and a number.
The thing to be straight about is the commute. Full-time training means being at the field most days, and forty-five minutes each way over a canyon road is real time out of your week. Some students from the coast take a room in the Valley for the intensive stretches. Most simply take the earliest slots, drive against the traffic and are back by early afternoon. Stratus Financial does the lending side, and there are in-house payment plans too.
How It Works
The Ladder, Rung By Rung — Start To Certificate
Nothing here can be skipped or taken out of order, and the only real variable is how often you get to the field.
1
Private Pilot Certificate
Forty to sixty hours in the air, a written exam, a phase of solo flying, and a checkride with an FAA designated examiner. Flying most days out of Van Nuys, three to four months is normal. It is also the stage that answers cheaply, and early, whether you actually want the four that follow it.
2
Instrument Rating
Flying in cloud and at night with the instruments as your only reference. This is the rating employers care about. Most of the approach and holding work begins in the Redbird MCX full-motion simulator, where being wrong repeatedly costs almost nothing. On its own, away from the program, the instrument rating is $11,700.
3
Commercial Certificate And Hour Building
Tolerances tighten and the airplane stops forgiving approximation, and alongside that you accumulate the cross-country hours the FAA wants to see. This is the long, unglamorous middle: Camarillo, Santa Barbara, Bakersfield, the desert fields, and enough coastal legs that Point Dume stops being scenery and turns into a waypoint.
4
Multi-Engine Rating
Flown in the Piper Seminole. Asymmetric thrust, engine failures, Vmc demonstrations, approaches on one engine. Bought separately the multi-engine add-on is $5,100. No airline operates a single, so nobody gets through this track without it.
5
Instructing And The Road To 1,500 Hours
An airline transport pilot certificate needs 1,500 hours, or fewer if you qualify under the restricted rules. Most people build the difference by instructing, and teaching a thing turns out to be the quickest way to finally understand it. Assume a year or more at this stage, and be wary of anyone promising less.
Transparent Pricing
Airline Pilot Program Pricing For Malibu Students
Every figure below is the real, published price. No "call for a quote," no hidden block-time minimums.
Complete Career Track
Zero To Airline Ready
Everything from your first lesson to the flight hours and ratings an airline wants to see. One program, one price.
$89,000complete
- ✓Private Pilot Certificate
- ✓Instrument Rating
- ✓Commercial Pilot Certificate
- ✓Multi-Engine Rating
- ✓Time-building toward ATP minimums
- ✓Financing available through Stratus
Or Build It Stage By Stage
Prefer to pay as you progress? The same ratings, priced individually.
$10,900stage one
- ✓Private Pilot — $10,900
- ✓Instrument Rating — $11,700
- ✓Multi-Engine Rating — $5,100
- ✓Commercial & time-building quoted on your hours
Start With One Hour
Before committing to a career, find out whether you love the flying.
$229discovery flight
- ✓You fly it yourself, hands-on
- ✓Loggable toward the program
- ✓100% credited if you enroll in 24 hrs
$89,000 is a career investment, not a hobby purchase — and it is why we publish it openly. Financing is available through Stratus Financial and in-house payment plans, and a free in-person consultation at Van Nuys will map the whole timeline against your budget before you commit a dollar.
Getting Here From Malibu
45 Minutes And 26 Miles From Malibu
From the Civic Center or the Colony it is Malibu Canyon Road up to Las Virgenes and the 101 at Calabasas. From Point Dume, Zuma or Trancas, Kanan Dume Road to Agoura Hills. From Las Flores and the eastern beaches, Topanga Canyon Blvd across to Ventura Blvd. All of them finish with the 101 east and the Balboa Blvd exit. Twenty-six miles and about forty-five minutes from the middle of Malibu, nearer thirty-five from the eastern end.
Repeating that drive most days across a couple of years is the real cost of training from this coast, and it deserves thinking about before you sign anything. In its favor: eastbound in the morning is the empty direction, we are open 9 AM to 9 PM every day so slots are not scarce, and you leave the car outside Suite 108A for nothing. The canyons and PCH do close after storms and fires, so keep a second route in your head and call us rather than write the day off.
Book A Discovery Flight
Book Your Discovery Flight From Malibu
Pick your aircraft, pick a date and time, and you are on the schedule. You fly the airplane yourself with an FAA-certified instructor beside you — and every flight is 100% credited toward training if you enroll within 24 hours.
No Weather Cancellations
Redbird Simulator
$189
1 hour
Full-motion simulator with an instructor. No weight limit, no medical needed.
Reserve →
Most Popular
Discovery Flight For One
$229
60 minutes
You in the pilot's seat over Los Angeles, hands on the controls the whole way.
Book Now →
Most Gifted
Discovery Flight For Two
$299
60 minutes
One of you flies hands-on, the other takes in the skyline. Share the story.
Book Now →
The Showstopper
Luxury Discovery Flight
$499
60 minutes
Premium Cirrus SR22 glass cockpit and extended air time over the LA basin.
Book Now →
The Pro Move
Multi-Engine Discovery
$499
60 minutes
Twin-engine Piper Seminole and a genuine look at the professional path.
Book Now →
The Aircraft You'll Fly
The Aircraft You Work Through
The early hours are flown in the Cessna 162 Skycatcher, the Piper Warrior or the Diamond DA20, all at $179 an hour wet for enrolled students. The Piper Arrow II is where you meet retractable gear and a constant-speed propeller. A good deal of the instrument work starts in the Redbird MCX full-motion simulator, which is the only reason that phase does not become the expensive one.
The twin is the Piper Seminole, and on its own that rating is the $5,100 add-on. The Cirrus SR22 Turbo is the glass-cockpit airplane, flown on the $22,500 Premium program; its panel has more in common with an airliner's than with anything full of round dials. All of it is based here at Van Nuys. Nothing in the program asks you to travel to a second field, which counts for more than usual when you are already driving in from the coast.
What You'll See From The Air
The Ground You Will Come To Know Cold
After two years based here, these stop being landmarks and turn into furniture.
🛣️
Kanan Dume Road And Its Tunnels
Your own approach road, reduced from above to a pale line stitching through three tunnels between Agoura Hills and the sea. A clean north-south reference across the Santa Monica Mountains, and a useful one when the coast is under cloud.
🛩️
Camarillo Airport
Twenty minutes northwest, and the field you will use more than any other for cross-countries, pattern work and stage checks. From the air it is one long runway on flat farmland with the Oxnard plain spread out either side of it.
🏝️
Anacapa And The Channel Islands
On a clear day the islands sit off the end of the coastline like a low gray fence. They are the first thing that makes the training area feel genuinely large, and the first over-water decision most students have to think through properly.
🎖️
The Airspace Off Point Mugu
Naval Base Ventura County sits at the western end of this coast with its own airspace and a range offshore beyond it. Learning where the boundaries are, and listening to how it gets worked, is part of growing up as a pilot here.
Questions From Malibu
Airline Pilot Program FAQ
It is the program price from zero experience through to airline-ready, quoted up front rather than accrued hour by hour. Stratus Financial can finance it and we run payment plans of our own. If you would rather buy the ratings one at a time, $11,700 covers the instrument rating and $5,100 the multi-engine add-on, with private pilot programs starting at $10,900.
Full-time, the certificates and ratings usually land inside twelve to eighteen months. The 1,500 hours behind an airline transport pilot certificate take longer than that, and most people close the gap by instructing. Anybody who gives you a timeline before asking how often you can get over the hill from Malibu is guessing at it.
A number of people do, though it pays to be honest with yourself first. Full-time means most days at the field and forty-five minutes each way. The early slot is the trick: up the canyon at seven, flying by nine, home by two. Some students take a room in the Valley for the intensive months and go back to the coast at weekends.
An FAA airline transport pilot certificate has no degree requirement at all. A qualifying aviation degree can pull the hour minimum down under the restricted rules, and there are carriers that still like seeing a degree of some sort, but finishing at Pepperdine in something else entirely and training alongside it is a well-worn route. You can begin the private certificate while you are still enrolled.
Go flying first. Discovery Flight For One is $229 for sixty minutes, or the Redbird simulator is $189 a session if you would rather stay on the ground. You are the one flying either way, the time is loggable, and starting a program inside 24 hours puts 100% of the cost against it. Nobody should commit $89,000 on the strength of an idea.
Book It Or Gift It
Fly It Yourself, Or Give The Flight To Someone Else
Every discovery flight below can be booked for yourself in the next few minutes, or bought as a gift certificate that is emailed within minutes and never expires. Same flight, same price, either way.
Most Given
Two Seats
The Nice One
Twin Engine
Discovery Flight For One
One person, one instructor, and no audience. Hands on the controls from the left seat, briefed before you go and debriefed after you land.
Hands-On Stick TimePre-Flight BriefingLoggable Flight Time
Flight Length
$229Book It Or Gift It
Same Price Either Way
Discovery Flight For Two
The same flight with a passenger in the back seat, briefed and on the intercom. Couples book it; so do parents who would rather watch than hear about it.
One Passenger SeatPiper Warrior Or ArcherHeadsets For Both
Flight Length
$299Book It Or Gift It
Same Price Either Way
Luxury Discovery Flight
The nicest airplane we put a first-time flyer in. Glass cockpit, air conditioning, leather seats, and a parachute built into the airframe rather than strapped to the person.
Turbocharged Cirrus SR22Air ConditioningWhole-Airframe Parachute
Flight Length
Bring A PassengerInstructor + 2 is our maximum+$100
$499Book It Or Gift It
Same Price Either Way
Multi-Engine Seminole
Two engines, and the airplane instrument-rated pilots move into when they start thinking about a career. Flown from the left seat with a multi-engine instructor.
Piper Seminole TwinMulti-Engine DepartureCareer-Track Instructor
Flight Length
$499Book It Or Gift It
Same Price Either Way
Gift It issues a real gift certificate, emailed within minutes, which never expires and credits in full toward training. Flights are limited to 180 lb per person, 370 lb combined. Questions: (818) 290-8249, 9 AM–9 PM, seven days.
Courses & Pricing
The Rest Of What We Teach
★★★★★
5.0 Rating
100+ Google Reviews
Course prices are packages, not hourly rates - the aircraft, your instructor, ground school and simulator time are all in the figure. Van Nuys Airport, KVNY. Financing Available Through Stratus & In-House Plans.
01
Teen Flight Training Ages 10–15
Starting before it is legal to solo.
$4,200
02
Solo Certificate
Enough training to take an aircraft around the pattern alone.
$5,500
03
Sport Pilot
A real certificate, fewer hours, narrower privileges.
$8,400
04
Comprehensive Private Pilot
Private with flight time, ground instruction and materials bundled.
$15,900
05
Premium Private Pilot
The most flight time before your checkride - 80 logged hours.
$22,500
All Prices In USD. 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A, Van Nuys, CA 91406 · Open 9 AM–9 PM, Seven Days. Free In-Person Tour Of The School
Loved On Google
Over 100 Reviews. 5.0 Stars.
Every review below is real and shown verbatim, in the reviewer’s own words — written by the people who learned to fly here, not by us.
SAFETY FIRST
DISCOVERY FLIGHT
★★★★★
I recently had the chance to take my first-ever discovery flight, and it was nothing short of amazing! From the moment I stepped into the cockpit, the...
SUNSET CIRRUS
★★★★★
It was a great flight! I did a sunset flight and Alex let us fly an awesome. Website was easy to book, and the plane itself was really fun to fly...
FLYING LESSON
★★★★★
We had a great flying lesson with Ralph and came away with a much better understanding of both the aircraft and the principles of flight. Ralph is a...
KIDS LUXURY FLIGHT
★★★★★
I got 2 luxury discovery flights for my kids. I wanted them to have the experience of flying. Our instructor Alex was amazing he made sure they feel...
HONEYMOON SURPRISE
★★★★★
Last minute booking to surprise my wife on our honeymoon. She had no experience with flying and was scared of flying, but Alex was very easygoing and knew...
FULL-MOTION SIM
★★★★★
Amazing flight school in van nuys airport. I have been a student here for the past few months and i could not be happier. I started doing a lot of...
DISCOVERY FOR TWO
★★★★★
I booked a Discovery Flight for Two for my girlfriend's birthday and it was the perfect gift for her. She couldn't have been more excited to get to...
SIMULATORS
★★★★★
Very professional and great airplanes. I love the flight simulators. The pricing is very fair compared to any other flight school
TEEN FIRST LESSON
★★★★★
We gifted our teenage son his first flying lesson. He was so excited! Alex greeted us and gave a reassuring brief that made us all feel comfortable and at...
FIRST-TIME FLYER
★★★★★
Flying is my husband's hobby and I was incredibly anxious and apprehensive about the discovery flight. However, I felt completely safe and at ease once we...
SAFETY FIRST
★★★★★
Very safety and detail oriented. Pre-flight briefing explained everything there was. To my knowledge, this flight school is exceptional in their ability.
DISCOVERY FLIGHT
★★★★★
I recently had the chance to take my first-ever discovery flight, and it was nothing short of amazing! From the moment I stepped into the cockpit, the...
SUNSET CIRRUS
★★★★★
It was a great flight! I did a sunset flight and Alex let us fly an awesome. Website was easy to book, and the plane itself was really fun to fly...
FLYING LESSON
★★★★★
We had a great flying lesson with Ralph and came away with a much better understanding of both the aircraft and the principles of flight. Ralph is a...
KIDS LUXURY FLIGHT
★★★★★
I got 2 luxury discovery flights for my kids. I wanted them to have the experience of flying. Our instructor Alex was amazing he made sure they feel...
HONEYMOON SURPRISE
★★★★★
Last minute booking to surprise my wife on our honeymoon. She had no experience with flying and was scared of flying, but Alex was very easygoing and knew...
FULL-MOTION SIM
★★★★★
Amazing flight school in van nuys airport. I have been a student here for the past few months and i could not be happier. I started doing a lot of...
DISCOVERY FOR TWO
★★★★★
I booked a Discovery Flight for Two for my girlfriend's birthday and it was the perfect gift for her. She couldn't have been more excited to get to...
SIMULATORS
★★★★★
Very professional and great airplanes. I love the flight simulators. The pricing is very fair compared to any other flight school
TEEN FIRST LESSON
★★★★★
We gifted our teenage son his first flying lesson. He was so excited! Alex greeted us and gave a reassuring brief that made us all feel comfortable and at...
FIRST-TIME FLYER
★★★★★
Flying is my husband's hobby and I was incredibly anxious and apprehensive about the discovery flight. However, I felt completely safe and at ease once we...
See Discovery Flight Details — $229
Reviews shown verbatim, exactly as each reviewer published them.
Talk To A Real Instructor
Train For The Airlines, 45 Minutes From Malibu
If you are in Malibu and seriously pricing out a flying career, an hour with the actual figures beats any amount of reading about it. Call (818) 290-8249 or come to Suite 108A at 7900 Balboa Blvd; the consultation costs nothing and we are here until 9 PM every night.
Or Send Us A Message And We'll Come Back To You The Same Day →Airline Pilot Program
$89,000
Zero Time To Airline Ready
Book A Discovery Flight
Full Airline Pilot Program Details