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.
$500 off every Private Pilot Program and $5,000 off the Airline Pilot Course — applied automatically at checkout.
See Back to School Prices →
Most air tours over LA put you in the back with a headset and a window. Ours put you in the pilot's seat. You take off from Van Nuys, fly the Hollywood Sign, downtown, Santa Monica Bay and the Malibu coast with your own hands on the controls — and an FAA-certified flight instructor in the seat beside you the entire time.
Our Courses
Ten programs flown out of Van Nuys Airport, with real pricing on every one. Start with an hour at the controls, or go straight through to airline-hireable qualifications — it is the same ladder either way.
5.0 Average Rating
100+ Google Reviews
Start Here
The first hour at the controls, over Los Angeles, with an instructor beside you. It is the entry point to every course below — and the cheapest way to find out whether flying is actually for you.
From$229
Open 9 AM–9 PM, Seven Days · (818) 290-8249
CertificateMost Popular
The one most people mean by “learn to fly.” Fly with an instructor, fly alone, then carry passengers on your own certificate.
Fly With An Instructor Fly Solo Carry Passengers $10,900 Enroll Now
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 Course
Bundle
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
Rating
The rating after Private. Turns a fair-weather pilot into a useful one who can file, launch and land in cloud.
$11,700 View Course
Rating
For pilots already certificated who are adding a twin. Trained in our own Piper Seminole.
$5,100 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 FleetThe Full Route
Zero experience to airline-hireable qualifications, in one continuous program rather than nine separate ones. Financing is available, and every hour of it is flown out of Van Nuys.
$89,000Financing Available
Free In-Person Tour Before You Commit
The Route You Fly
About an hour from Van Nuys Airport: Universal Studios, the Hollywood Sign, Griffith Observatory and a full circle around Downtown LA, then west just north of SoFi Stadium and LAX to the coast, from Venice Beach up to Malibu. Your instructor takes off and lands. You fly 50–80% of it.

01Instructor Takeoff
Wheels Up From Van Nuys
Your instructor takes off from one of the busiest general aviation airports in the world and talks you through every step. Once you are clear of the field, the controls are yours.

02You’re Flying
The Backlot From Above
The studio lots turn out to be far bigger than they look on TV, with the soundstages lined up like a small town.

03You’re Flying
Nine Letters On Mount Lee
The most famous sign in the world, seen from where almost nobody gets to see it: level with the hilltop.

04You’re Flying
The Domes On The Ridge
The white domes of Griffith Observatory on the slope of Mount Hollywood, with the whole Los Angeles basin laid out beyond them.

05You’re Flying
A Full Circle Around Downtown
In on the south side, then a full counterclockwise circle around the towers: up the east side, over the top and back around. The San Gabriel Mountains stand behind the skyline.

06You’re Flying
The Roof You Know From TV
We pass just north of the stadium and never fly over it. Its huge translucent roof, home of the Rams and the Chargers, sits right off your left wing.

07You’re Flying
Airliners On Final, Off Your Left Wing
Jets lining up for one of the busiest airports on Earth, off your left wing. We stay north of LAX and never fly over it.

08You’re Flying
Right Turn Up The Coast
The boardwalk, the skate park and the sand, then a right turn up the coast with all of Santa Monica Bay opening up ahead of you.

09You’re Flying
The Pier And The Ferris Wheel
The pier, the Ferris wheel and the beach, straight out of a thousand films.

10You’re Flying
The Mountains Meet The Pacific
Up the coast past the Palisades to Malibu, where the Santa Monica Mountains drop straight into the ocean.

11You’re Flying
Over The Hills To Warner Center
North over the Santa Monica Mountains to Warner Center in Woodland Hills, then east across the San Fernando Valley with Van Nuys straight ahead.
12Instructor Landing
Your Instructor Lands, Then A Quick Debrief
Have your own pilot logbook? Bring it and your instructor will be happy to sign it. Enroll within 24 hours of landing and 100% of what you paid is credited toward your training.
Book Your Flight · From $229Typical route. Weather and air traffic control set the final path on the day.

Hands-On From The Left Seat
Your instructor takes off and lands. Almost everything in between is yours: turns, climbs, descents, holding a heading over Los Angeles. How much depends on you and the conditions on the day.
Your instructor flies the takeoff from Van Nuys and talks you through it while you listen to the tower in your headset.
You fly the airplane. Turns, climbs, descents and holding a heading over Los Angeles, for roughly 50–80% of the flight depending on you and the conditions. Your instructor has an identical set of controls and handles the radio.
Your instructor lands and narrates the approach. Have your own logbook? Your instructor will be happy to sign it. Want to fly less and look more? Say so at the briefing.
Tap Takeoff, You Fly or Landing to see who is flying.
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...
There are a lot of ways to get above Los Angeles. Helicopters out of Long Beach, champagne plane tours from Santa Monica, doors-off photo flights over the Hollywood Hills. Every one of them has the same thing in common: you are cargo. Somebody else flies, and you look out of the window.
What we operate is different, and the difference is the entire point. A discovery flight is a real introductory flying lesson. You do the walkaround with your instructor. You sit in the left seat. Once you are clear of the airport, the instructor says the words that surprise everybody — 'your airplane' — and you fly it. Turns over the Valley. A descent toward the coast. The Hollywood Sign off your wingtip while you, personally, are the one holding the airplane straight.
You get the tour. You also get an hour of logged flight instruction, a signed logbook entry, and the answer to a question most people never seriously ask themselves: could I actually do this? Roughly one in four of our discovery-flight guests comes back to start training. The other three still describe it as the best hour they have spent in Los Angeles. If you would rather fly the aircraft than ride in it, book a discovery flight where you fly it yourself instead.
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.
Your instructor will plan the route with you on the day, based on weather, traffic and how long you have booked. These are the five people ask for most.

Ten minutes from the runway. Over the Cahuenga Pass, past Universal, Warner Bros and the Bowl, with the Sign on the hillside below you.

Out through the canyons to the water, then low along the shoreline past the Pier, Malibu and Point Dume.

The DTLA skyline, the Coliseum, SoFi. Book after sunset and the whole basin turns into a grid of light.

South along the coast to the cliffs at Palos Verdes, the Queen Mary and the container cranes of Long Beach.

Twenty-two miles across open water to the island, with the option of landing at the Airport in the Sky.

The most requested slot of the day. Take off an hour before sunset and watch the light come off the water.
Meet your instructor at 7900 Balboa Blvd, walk out to the aircraft together and do a real preflight inspection. You will learn what makes an airplane fly, what every control does, and exactly what you are going to do in the air. Questions encouraged.
Your instructor handles the takeoff. Once you are clear of the Van Nuys pattern the airplane is yours: straight and level, turns, climbs, descents, all of it over the best scenery in Southern California. The instructor talks you through it and can take control instantly at any point.
Instructor lands. Then you get your first entry in a real pilot logbook, signed — that time counts toward a private pilot certificate if you ever decide to go for one. No sales pitch attached; take the logbook and go, or ask about training. Entirely up to you.
Aircraft used to give flight instruction for hire are held to a stricter maintenance standard than privately owned aircraft, and every one of our flights is commanded by a professional instructor. That is not marketing — it is the regulation.
Under FAR 91.409(b), an aircraft used for flight instruction for hire must have a full inspection every 100 flight hours, on top of its annual. Privately owned aircraft only need the annual.
Every flight is commanded by an FAA-certified flight instructor holding a commercial or airline transport pilot certificate and a current FAA medical.
Our aircraft have a full second set of controls. Your instructor can take the airplane back in under a second, and does the takeoff and landing regardless.
The SR22T carries CAPS — a rocket-deployed parachute for the whole airframe, not just the occupants. It is the only aircraft type in general aviation with one as standard.
Van Nuys is a controlled Class D field beneath the Los Angeles Class B shelf, with air traffic control separating you from other traffic from engine start to shutdown.
If the weather is marginal we do not fly. You reschedule at no cost, or move to the Redbird simulator. Nobody at this school has ever been pressured into launching.
Almost anybody. There is no license, no experience and no medical certificate required to take a discovery flight — your instructor is the pilot in command, so the legal requirements sit with them, not with you.
Very little. Headsets, the aircraft, fuel and the instructor are all included.
Los Angeles is flyable most days of the year, but the hour you pick changes the experience completely. Early morning gives you glass-smooth air and the sharpest visibility, which is why we recommend it for anyone nervous about turbulence. Late afternoon gives you the light everybody wants for photographs. After dark gives you the city as a grid of light from Santa Monica to the San Gabriels.
Marine layer along the coast is the one genuine constraint, and it is most likely in May and June — the 'May Gray, June Gloom' pattern. It usually burns off by late morning, and it rarely affects the inland routes at all.
Van Nuys is the busiest general aviation airport in the world, and it sits in the middle of the San Fernando Valley — which puts almost everything worth seeing in Los Angeles inside a fifteen-minute flight. The Hollywood Sign is about eight miles from the end of the runway. The coast is twelve. Downtown is eighteen.
That geography is why a one-hour flight from Van Nuys covers more of Los Angeles than a one-hour flight from anywhere else in the basin. Tours leaving from Long Beach or Torrance spend a third of their time getting into the interesting airspace and a third getting back out of it.
We are based at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A, with free parking on site and a five-minute walk to the aircraft. From the 405 it is two exits north of the 101.
Legally and practically, it is a flying lesson — an introductory flight lesson, usually called a discovery flight. You are not a passenger on a tour; you are a student at the controls with a certified instructor. The route happens to take in the best scenery in Los Angeles, which is why people book it as an experience. If you want to be flown around as a passenger, a Part 135 air tour operator is what you are looking for; we are a flight school.
Yes. Your instructor handles the takeoff and landing, and you fly essentially everything in between — typically 60 to 80 percent of the total flight time. Nobody is pretending; your hands are on the yoke and the airplane goes where you point it.
From $229 for one person for 60 minutes, or $299 for two people for 60 minutes. The luxury Cirrus SR22T for two is $499 for 60 minutes and the multi-engine Piper Seminole is $499. Longer 90- and 120-minute flights are available on every aircraft. Prices are per flight, not per person.
Yes. The $299 Discovery Flight For Two includes a second seat, and the Cirrus and Seminole can carry a third person from $499. Your guest wears a headset and hears everything, including you flying the airplane.
You choose 60, 90 or 120 minutes of flight time. Add about 40 minutes on the ground either side for the briefing, preflight and debrief. Sixty minutes is enough for the Hollywood Sign and the coast; 120 minutes gets you to Catalina.
Instructional flying has an excellent safety record, and aircraft used for instruction for hire are inspected every 100 flight hours rather than annually. Every flight is commanded by a professional instructor with dual controls, departing a towered airport inside controlled airspace. We have flown more than 2,000 of these safely.
We reschedule at no cost, or you can switch to the Redbird full-motion simulator instead. We never fly a discovery flight in marginal conditions, and the decision is always the instructor's.
Yes — every flight has a matching gift certificate, from $189 for the simulator session to $899 for two hours in the twin. They are open-dated, so the recipient books whenever suits them.
It does. It is logged as dual instruction received with a certified flight instructor, and it counts toward the 40-hour minimum for a private pilot certificate. It is the first line in your logbook.
Book online in two minutes, or call and we will talk you through which route and which aircraft suits what you want out of it. Morning flights have the smoothest air; late-afternoon flights have the best light.
The three private pilot packages, what each one includes, the financing options and a realistic timeline built around how often you can actually fly. Sent to you in one email. Nobody will pressure you.
Loved 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.
Aviation News
Notes from the flight line at Van Nuys — weather, regulation changes, checkride questions and the cost of training, written up as they come.
Open 7 days · 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Los Angeles Flight School