A structured route from no flight time to airline-ready, flown from Van Nuys twenty-two miles south of Valencia, at $89,000 with financing and the full cost set out first.
The Airline Pilot Program starts at no flight time and finishes with every certificate and rating a first officer job asks for: private, instrument, commercial, multi-engine, and the instructor certificates on top. It is $89,000. That figure is the program, not a deposit or a starting point, and we will sit down and take you through exactly what it buys before you commit anything.
Santa Clarita sends a particular kind of candidate. It is a young city with good incomes and a lot of people in their late twenties and thirties who have already worked out that the job they have is the job they will still have in 2040. College of the Canyons students weighing aviation against a four-year degree. CalArts graduates who would rather be flying than freelancing. People with a mortgage in Saugus who need the arithmetic to hold up.
Be clear-eyed about the shape of it. Full time, the flying takes roughly twelve to eighteen months, and then you instruct to build toward the 1,500 hours an airline wants. Twenty-two miles each way is a real cost when you drive it five days a week, so plan around the Newhall Pass rather than through it. Financing runs through Stratus Financial or an in-house payment plan, and the consultation costs nothing.
Five stages, each one ending in a certificate or rating that is genuinely yours.
The foundation and roughly the first four to six months, finishing with a checkride flown out of Van Nuys. This is where the actual stick-and-rudder skill gets built, and everything after it is layered on top.
Flying on instruments alone, in cloud and low visibility. A real share of it happens in the Redbird MCX simulator, which is cheaper and lets you repeat an approach into Burbank or Camarillo until it is clean. As a standalone rating this is $11,700.
Tighter tolerances, higher standards, and the certificate that makes it legal to be paid to fly. Complex time in the Piper Arrow II, plus long cross-country legs up and down California, often out over the Grapevine and into the Central Valley.
Two engines, and the specific discipline of managing one that has quit. Flown in the Piper Seminole. On its own the add-on is $5,100; inside the Airline Pilot Program it is part of the $89,000.
CFI and CFII. You teach, which is how almost every airline pilot in America built their first 1,500 hours, and it is the point at which you finally understand what you were taught. Van Nuys is one of the busiest general aviation airports in the world, so the work exists on this field.
Every figure below is the real, published price. No "call for a quote," no hidden block-time minimums.
Everything from your first lesson to the flight hours and ratings an airline wants to see. One program, one price.
Prefer to pay as you progress? The same ratings, priced individually.
Before committing to a career, find out whether you love the flying.
Full time means making this drive most days, so plan it properly. From Valencia and Saugus it is the 5 south; from Canyon Country the 14 down to meet it. Both go through the Newhall Pass interchange, which is the bottleneck. After it, either the 118 east to Balboa Blvd and five miles south, or the 405 south and west along Roscoe Blvd. Twenty-two miles, thirty minutes clear, closer to fifty in the morning peak.
The students who make this work shift their day early or late rather than fighting the middle of it. We are open 9 AM to 9 PM seven days a week, and a 10 AM lesson with ground work in the evening is a common pattern. We are at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A, in the hangar complex on the field, and parking is free and on site, which matters more than it sounds when you are here five days a week for a year.
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.
Full-motion simulator with an instructor. No weight limit, no medical needed.
Reserve →You in the pilot's seat over Los Angeles, hands on the controls the whole way.
Book Now →One of you flies hands-on, the other takes in the skyline. Share the story.
Book Now →Premium Cirrus SR22 glass cockpit and extended air time over the LA basin.
Book Now →Twin-engine Piper Seminole and a genuine look at the professional path.
Book Now →The fleet steps up as the ratings stack. Early hours go in the Cessna 162 Skycatcher, the Diamond DA20 or the Piper Warrior. The Piper Arrow II carries the complex and commercial work. Instrument and cross-country flying in the Cirrus SR22 Turbo, whose glass panel is the closest thing in a light aircraft to what you will meet again in a jet.
Multi-engine training is in the Piper Seminole. Underneath all of it is the Redbird MCX full-motion simulator, where approaches, engine failures and system malfunctions get repeated until the response is automatic and no fuel is burned doing it. Outside the program the Seminole and the Cirrus rent at $649 an hour, the Arrow at $349, the DA20 at $329, and the Cessna and Warrior at $269. Our instructors are FAA certified with more than fifteen years of experience.
Most of your early hours happen between Van Nuys and the hills above Santa Clarita, so this becomes familiar quickly.
The stacked junction of the 5 and the 14. From the air it is the clearest gateway between the Valley and Santa Clarita, and it becomes an obvious mental checkpoint on every flight north.
The high ground between the field and home. Airwork happens out this way: steep turns, stalls and slow flight, clear of the traffic and with a horizon you can trust.
Impossible to mistake for anything else on the ground below. On a cross-country north it is the checkpoint you find yourself using whether or not you planned to.
The 5 climbing out of Castaic toward 4,100 feet. Your first real mountain flying lesson tends to happen right here, and it teaches density altitude better than any textbook does.
The program is $89,000, zero hours through to airline-ready. Financing is available through Stratus Financial, and we also run in-house payment plans, so most people fund it in stages rather than in one payment. The free consultation at Suite 108A includes a line-by-line breakdown of where the money actually goes.
Full time, roughly twelve to eighteen months for the certificates and ratings. After that comes building toward the 1,500 hours an airline requires, most commonly by instructing. Part time is possible but stretches the timeline considerably, and it usually costs more overall, because slower progress means more re-learning.
Most people do. Twenty-two miles is a real commute but a manageable one if you keep off the Newhall Pass at peak. The 5 or the 14 south, then the 118 east to Balboa Blvd or the 405 to Roscoe. Parking is free on site. Between that and a 9 AM to 9 PM schedule, staying in Valencia or Canyon Country is entirely workable.
Not for the certificates, and it is not an FAA requirement for an airline job. Some carriers still prefer one. Plenty of people start at College of the Canyons and finish a degree while they are instructing. What actually decides the job is flight hours, a first-class medical and a clean record.
Come and look before you spend anything. The consultation is free, the fleet and the simulator are on site to be walked around, and our instructors are FAA certified with more than fifteen years of experience each. We hold a 5.0 star rating on Google. Call (818) 290-8249 and we will find you a time.
Book It Or Gift It
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
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 Or Gift
Same Price
Two Seats
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 Or Gift
Same Price
The Nice One
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
$499Book Or Gift
Same Price
Twin Engine
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 Or Gift
Same Price
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.
Our Courses
Real pricing on every program we teach at Van Nuys Airport, beyond the pricing already shown above.
5.0 Average Rating
100+ Google Reviews
Youth Program
Ages 10–15. For young people who want to start before they can legally solo.
$4,200 View Course
Milestone
Enough training to take an aircraft around the pattern alone. The day everything changes.
$5,500 View Course
Certificate
A real certificate with fewer hours and narrower privileges. The shortest honest route to flying yourself.
$8,400 View Course
Bundle
Private Pilot with flight time, ground instruction and study materials bundled into one price.
$15,900 View CourseBundle
The same certificate as Private, with the most flight time before your checkride. Eighty logged hours, ground instruction and materials, all in one price.
80 Logged Hours Ground School Included Materials Included $22,500 View Course
Our Fleet
Diamond DA20, Cessna 162, Piper Arrow II and our Piper Seminole twin — all on the field at Van Nuys.
View The FleetLoved On Google
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
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...
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...
Reviews shown verbatim, exactly as each reviewer published them.
If you are in Santa Clarita and seriously costing out a pilot career, the sensible next move is a conversation rather than a deposit. Call (818) 290-8249 and book a free consultation at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A, where we will show you the whole number and the whole timeline.
Or Send Us A Message And We'll Come Back To You The Same Day →