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 · Porter Ranch
Airline Pilot Program For Porter Ranch Career Changers
Porter Ranch to airline-ready, run as one continuous program out of Van Nuys nine miles down the hill, priced at $89,000 with financing and every stage costed before you start.
2,000+Discovery flights flown safely
5.0★Our Google rating, 100+ reviews
18 minFrom Porter Ranch to the flight line
9AM–9PMSeven days a week at KVNY
Airline Pilot Program · Porter Ranch, Los Angeles County
Costing Out A Pilot Career From The 91326
Porter Ranch sits high on the southern slope of the Santa Susanas, which means most people here already spend their evenings looking down at the Valley floor. The Airline Pilot Program is the route from that view to the other one: zero hours through private, instrument, commercial, multi-engine and the instructor certificates, priced at $89,000. That is the whole program, quoted in full, and none of it is a deposit.
This is a neighborhood where the $89,000 conversation is a realistic one rather than a theoretical one. Household incomes across this master-planned hillside rank among the highest in the Valley, and the people who come down to see us have usually already set the figure beside four years of private tuition. Some are parents of students at Sierra Canyon or Granada Hills Charter. Others are mid-career, done with a commute they have stopped believing in.
The calendar deserves the same plainness as the price. Expect the certificates and ratings to occupy twelve to eighteen months at full-time pace, followed by a stretch of instructing to reach the 1,500 hours an airline job asks for. Stratus Financial handles outside lending and our in-house payment plans cover the rest, so nearly everyone pays as they progress. Nothing begins until a free consultation you are free to walk away from.
How It Works
The Path From Zero Hours To The Right Seat — Start To Certificate
Five stages, each ending in a certificate or rating you hold for life.
1
Private Pilot Certificate
Four to six months, and the part of the program that decides how good everything after it feels. Landings, radio work at a towered field, cross-country navigation and a checkride. Every later rating is layered on top of the hand skills built in this stage.
2
Instrument Rating
Flying the airplane on the panel alone, which is exactly what a marine layer morning over this basin demands. A large share of it happens in the Redbird MCX full-motion simulator, where one afternoon can hold six run-throughs of the same approach. Bought separately, this rating is priced at $11,700.
3
Commercial Pilot Certificate
Precision, essentially. Tolerances narrow, cross-countries lengthen, complex time goes into the Piper Arrow II, and you finish holding the certificate the law requires before anyone can pay you to fly.
4
Multi-Engine Rating
The Piper Seminole, and everything that changes when one of two engines stops cooperating. Purchased on its own as an add-on the rating costs $5,100. Inside this program the $89,000 has already covered it.
5
CFI, CFII And Hour Building
You qualify as an instructor and then you instruct. It is the standard American route to a first 1,500 hours, and teaching a maneuver to somebody else is what finally fixes it in your own hands.
Transparent Pricing
Airline Pilot Program Pricing For Porter Ranch 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 Porter Ranch
18 Minutes And 9 Miles From Porter Ranch
The drive starts downhill. Porter Ranch Drive takes you off the slope to Rinaldi St, Rinaldi runs east to Balboa Blvd, and Balboa carries you the last five miles south to the field. Nine miles, roughly eighteen minutes. Tampa Ave and Corbin Ave both work as southbound alternatives when Balboa backs up near the 118, and the freeway route down to the 405 is quick outside the peak and honestly slow inside it.
Suite 108A is on the east side of the airport, inside the hangar row. No structure, no meter, no fee for parking, which stops being a small detail once you are turning up five days a week for a year. Doors are open 9 AM to 9 PM daily. When the Santa Anas come down off the ridge behind the neighborhood in autumn and the air over the Valley turns rough by mid-afternoon, an early slot with ground work after dinner is the pattern that works.
Book A Discovery Flight
Book Your Discovery Flight From Porter Ranch
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 Fleet Across The Whole Program
The aircraft change under you as the ratings accumulate. Early lessons go in the Cessna 162 Skycatcher, the Diamond DA20 or the Piper Warrior. The Piper Arrow II carries the complex and commercial requirements. Longer instrument and navigation work is flown in the Cirrus SR22 Turbo, whose glass panel is the nearest thing on this field to an airline flight deck.
Twin training happens in the Piper Seminole. Beneath the entire program sits the Redbird MCX full-motion simulator, absorbing the failures and malfunctions nobody wants to meet for the first time at altitude. Single-engine time is $179 an hour wet for enrolled students, the twin sits inside the $5,100 multi-engine add-on, and the Cirrus SR22 Turbo is flown on the $22,500 Premium program. Instructors here are FAA certified with more than fifteen years behind them.
What You'll See From The Air
The North Valley From The Training Area
These are the features you will navigate by through your first hundred hours.
💧
Van Norman Lakes Above Granada Hills
The reservoir complex at the top of the Valley reads as bright blue geometry against brown hills. You can see it from almost anywhere in the practice area, in almost any visibility.
🌳
O'Melveny Park
The canyon park at the foot of the Santa Susanas off Sesnon Blvd. The green wedge running up into the hills marks the northern edge of the city as clearly as a drawn line.
✈️
Whiteman Airport In Pacoima
A small uncontrolled field a few miles east. You will fly in there early on, and knowing exactly where it sits relative to Van Nuys and Burbank matters once the radio gets busy.
🛤️
The 118 And 405 Interchange
The knot at Mission Hills where the two freeways cross. From the air it is the single clearest landmark in the north Valley and the quickest way to orient yourself on the way home.
Questions From Porter Ranch
Airline Pilot Program FAQ
The number is $89,000 and it covers the whole route from no flight time to airline-ready. Stratus Financial provides outside financing, and we carry in-house payment plans as well, which is how most students spread the cost across stages. Book the free consultation and we will take the total apart in front of you, line by line.
Twelve to eighteen months of flying at full-time pace for the certificates and ratings. Hour building follows, usually as an instructor, until the logbook reaches 1,500. Part-time study works but drags the calendar out and tends to raise the total, because long gaps between lessons get paid for a second time in relearning.
Yes, and the geography is on your side. Nine miles down Balboa Blvd puts you on the ramp in under twenty minutes off-peak. Many people begin with evening and weekend slots while still working, then switch to full-time around the instrument stage, which is where momentum counts most. Parking on site is free.
The FAA does not require one and neither do the certificates. Certain carriers still express a preference. What genuinely gates the job is logged time, a first-class medical and a clean record. Several of our students have finished a degree while instructing, and CSUN is a short run south for anyone doing both at once.
Three patterns, roughly. Paying per stage out of income as the training progresses. Financing the full amount through Stratus Financial. Or handling it as an education expense the way a family would handle tuition, which is the framing we hear most often from this end of the Valley. In-house plans exist too, and working out which one fits costs nothing.
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, 18 Minutes From Porter Ranch
Porter Ranch already owns the view down over the Valley; this program is how you get the other one. Call (818) 290-8249 to book a free consultation at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A, and we will put the full $89,000 and the full calendar on the table before you decide a thing.
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