The Airline Pilot Program takes someone with no flight time to a career-ready commercial multi-engine instrument pilot, and it starts five miles from Ventura Boulevard.
The Airline Pilot Program is $89,000 and takes someone with zero flight time to a commercial pilot with instrument and multi-engine ratings and a flight instructor certificate. That is the whole ladder in one price, not a deposit with a series of surprises behind it. It is a serious number and it deserves a serious conversation, which is why the in-person consultation at Suite 108A is free and unhurried.
Tarzana produces a particular kind of candidate for this. It is a neighborhood of professionals in their thirties and forties, many of them at the medical center on Clark Street or running businesses along Ventura Boulevard, who have already done one demanding career and can read a training contract without flinching. The commute helps: five miles up Balboa is a schedule you can actually sustain across two years of near-daily flying.
Be clear-eyed about the shape of it. Full time, most people are commercial and instrument rated inside twelve to eighteen months, then build hours toward the 1,500 the airlines require, usually by instructing. Financing runs through Stratus Financial or in-house payment plans, and the sequencing matters as much as the total: you are not writing one check, you are funding a two-year project with an income at the end of it.
Five stages, each with its own FAA checkride, flown in order.
The foundation, and the stage where you find out whether you enjoy the work rather than the idea of it. Roughly 60 to 70 hours, a knowledge test and a practical test. Everything after this is built on how well you learned to fly the airplane here, so it is not a box to tick quickly.
Flying by reference to instruments alone, in cloud and at night, on published procedures. Priced at $11,700 as a standalone rating and included in the program. Southern California is an excellent place to learn this: real approaches into busy airspace, a marine layer that produces genuine IMC, and the Redbird MCX simulator for procedures work between flights.
Commercial standards are tighter than private on every maneuver, and the certificate requires 250 hours total time. Much of that is cross-country flying you plan yourself, in the Piper Arrow II as the complex airplane. This is the longest phase in calendar time and the one where scheduling discipline decides how fast you move.
Flown in the Piper Seminole. Asymmetric thrust, Vmc, engine-out procedures and single-engine approaches, typically ten to fifteen hours. It is $5,100 as a standalone add-on and is part of the program price. Every airline job you are aiming at is a multi-engine job, so this is not optional.
Most people build the remaining time toward 1,500 hours by instructing, which pays and which teaches you the material properly for the first time. From there you meet ATP minimums and start applying. We will talk you through the realistic timeline for your situation at the consultation rather than quote you a best case.
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.
For a program you will be driving to four or five times a week, the route matters more than it does for a one-off flight. From Tarzana, take the 101 east one exit to Balboa Boulevard and head north about three and a half miles to 7900 Balboa, Suite 108A, just past Sherman Way. Off-peak it is twelve minutes. Between 7:30 and 9:00 on a weekday the 101 will cost you an extra ten, so most students on this track fly earlier or later than that window.
The surface alternative is Reseda Boulevard north to Victory and east to Balboa, which is more predictable than the freeway even if it is rarely faster. Parking is free and on site, which over two years of near-daily visits is not a trivial detail. We are open 9 AM to 9 PM seven days a week, and evening ground sessions are common for people still working while they train.
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 →You will move through the fleet as the ratings stack up. Cessna 162 Skycatcher, Diamond DA20 and Piper Warrior for primary work at $179 an hour wet for enrolled students. The Piper Arrow II is the complex, retractable-gear airplane the commercial certificate calls for. The Cirrus SR22 Turbo, flown on the $22,500 Premium program, puts you in front of a full glass panel, which is what you will meet again in a jet.
The Piper Seminole covers multi-engine training, and on its own that rating is the $5,100 add-on. The Redbird MCX full-motion simulator carries a disproportionate amount of the instrument phase, and using it well is one of the more effective ways to control the total cost of a program this size. Instructors here are FAA-certified with 15 or more years of experience, which matters most in the phases where the airplane is not the hard part.
Four features you will use for orientation from the day you start until the day you leave.
Two parallel runways and one of the highest general aviation movement counts anywhere. Learning to operate here fluently is an advantage later, because busy towered airspace stops being intimidating early.
The Ventura Freeway cuts across the south of the Valley and is visible from almost anywhere in the practice area. It is the line you will use to describe your position to the tower more often than any other.
The cluster of high-rises in Woodland Hills, a few miles west of Tarzana and the only vertical skyline on this side of the hills. From the air it fixes the west end of the Valley instantly.
The wall of high ground on the northeast horizon, snow-capped in winter. It marks the edge of the local training area and gives you a permanent sense of which way you are pointed.
$89,000, covering the path from zero flight time to a commercial pilot with instrument and multi-engine ratings and a flight instructor certificate. For reference, the same ratings bought separately run $10,900 for private, $11,700 for instrument and $5,100 for multi-engine. Financing is available through Stratus Financial or through in-house payment plans.
Flying full time, most people reach commercial and instrument standard in twelve to eighteen months, then build hours toward the 1,500 required for an ATP, usually by instructing. Part time it stretches out, mostly at the hour-building stage. We will give you a realistic timeline at the free consultation instead of a marketing one.
The opposite. Van Nuys is complex, busy, towered airspace with excellent year-round weather, which means you fly more days per month than students in most of the country and you learn radio work under real pressure. You also live twelve minutes away, and consistency of attendance is the biggest single predictor of how fast someone finishes.
Many people do at the start, particularly those on shift patterns at the medical center or running their own business on Ventura Boulevard. It is realistic through the private and instrument phases with early or evening blocks. The hour-building phase is harder to do around a full-time job, and that is worth planning for before you commit.
Book the free in-person consultation at 7900 Balboa Boulevard, Suite 108A. Bring your questions about money and timeline, because those are the two that decide it. Many people also fly a $229 discovery flight first, and 100 percent of that cost is credited toward training if you enroll within twenty-four hours.
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.
This is a decision worth making slowly and with real numbers in front of you, which is exactly what the free consultation is for. Call (818) 290-8249 and come up Balboa when it suits you, and we will lay out the whole sequence, the financing and the honest timeline before you commit to anything.
Or Send Us A Message And We'll Come Back To You The Same Day →