Three steps, and a slightly longer briefing than usual
You have booked a twin, which means a bit more ground time before the wheels leave the runway.
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Your confirmation arrives in writing
An email with your date and time. Keep hold of it.
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We call the day before — and we will ask about your flying background
Weather, timing, and one extra question: have you flown before, and how much? A student with fifty hours and someone who has never touched a control column both enjoy this flight, but the instructor plans it differently for each, so it helps to know in advance.
Please arrive 15 minutes before your booked time. If you are running late, call us — more than 30 minutes late has to be treated as a no-show and the flight is charged in full, because the aircraft and the instructor are held for your slot either way.
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You arrive at Suite 108A and go through the aircraft on the ground first
The Seminole gets a longer pre-flight briefing than a single. There is simply more to explain — two throttles, two propeller controls, two mixtures, retractable gear, and a set of engine instruments in pairs.
Where to find us
LA Flight School7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A
Van Nuys, CA 91406 Suite 108A
Getting to the right door
7900 Balboa Blvd is a shared multi-tenant hangar complex on the field at Van Nuys with a number of unrelated aviation businesses in it. The street number alone lands you in the car park; the suite number lands you at the right door.
Head for Suite 108A — come inside rather than trying to find the airplane yourself.
Parking is out front. If you cannot find the entrance, call (818) 290-8249 and someone will come out.
7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A, Van Nuys, CA 91406 — use the Directions button for turn-by-turn.
The usual list, plus one thing if you already fly
Nothing technical — the aircraft and the headsets are ours.
Photo ID
Anyone 18 or over taking part in the US needs a valid federal or state photo ID — a driver license is ideal. Anyone taking part from outside the US needs a valid passport.
Closed-toe shoes
The Seminole is a low-wing aircraft and you step up onto the wing to board. Proper shoes, no exceptions.
Layers
You will be outside for a longer walkaround than usual — there is twice as much airplane to check.
Sunglasses
Non-mirrored if you have them.
Your logbook, if you have one
If you already fly, bring it. Your instructor can talk to you about where a multi-engine rating would sit in your training rather than talking in general terms.
No experience is needed for this flight. Complete beginners fly the Seminole and enjoy it — the instructor simply pitches the briefing differently.
The Seminole takes up to three of you. The $499 you have paid covers two people; a third person is an extra $100. Tell us on the day-before call and we will add them.
The weight limits. This flight is limited to 200 lbs per person and 600 lbs combined. It is a safety limit rather than a preference — the aircraft has to be loaded inside its weight and balance envelope, and fuel is planned around it. If anyone is over the limit at check-in we cannot fly, and the booking is charged in full and forfeited, the same as a cancellation inside 24 hours. That is not a conversation anyone wants at the desk, so if any of the figures are close please call us on (818) 290-8249 first and we will sort it out in advance.
Who can fly. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, and we are not able to carry children under 5.
What is different about flying a twin
If you have flown a single before, almost every step below will feel familiar and slightly bigger. If you have not, you are simply starting at the deep end and that is fine.
A longer briefing, because there is more to brief
Two engines means two throttles, two propeller levers and two mixture controls in one quadrant, plus engine instruments in pairs. Your instructor will explain what each one does before you go anywhere near it, and what you will be handling versus what they will.
The walkaround takes twice as long — deliberately
Two engines, two propellers, two nacelles, and landing gear that retracts. You will check it all with your instructor. This is the part where people start to realize how much airplane they have booked.
Counter-rotating propellers, and why that matters
Look at the two propellers on a Seminole and they turn in opposite directions. Most twins have both turning the same way, which makes one engine more critical than the other if it quits. Counter-rotating props take that asymmetry out. It is one of the reasons the Seminole is such a common multi-engine trainer, and your instructor will show you the difference on the ground.
Starting, taxiing and taking off with two of everything
Engines are started one at a time. The aircraft feels heavier taxiing than a trainer does, because it is. On the takeoff roll you have both hands busy and a lot more thrust in front of you, and the gear comes up once you are climbing away.
You fly it
Away from the pattern the instructor gives you the controls. Turns, climbs, levelling off, feeling how much more inertia there is in a heavier aircraft — it does not dart about like a two-seat trainer. Most people describe it as feeling substantial.
Approach, landing, and a logbook entry
Gear down, back into a busy Van Nuys, and on the ground. Then a debrief with your instructor and a logbook entry for the flight.
If a multi-engine rating is somewhere in your plans, this is the moment to ask what the route to it looks like from where you are now.
Weather, and one aircraft to schedule around
Low cloud, strong wind or poor visibility and the flight does not go — the same standard we apply to every aircraft on the field.
As with any twin, there is one Seminole and a queue of people who want it, including students working through a multi-engine rating. If we have to move you, we are matching an aircraft and an instructor at the same time, so being flexible on the replacement date genuinely helps.
We call you the day before with a straight answer, and again on the morning if it is borderline. If we cancel for weather, maintenance, airspace or any other safety reason we move you to another day at no cost. Reach us any time on (818) 290-8249, 9 AM to 9 PM.
Rescheduling is free with 48 hours notice or more. Inside 48 hours there is a $50 rebooking fee, and a cancellation inside 48 hours or a no-show is charged in full. All sales are non-refundable — but the booking is transferable to someone else free of charge with 48 hours written notice, so it never has to go to waste.
Ask about the aircraft, or about the rating
Whether you are here for the experience or sizing up a multi-engine rating, it is worth a two-minute conversation before the day.
Call the school
(818) 290-8249Best if you want to talk through where a multi-engine rating fits for you.
Call nowAnswered 9 AM – 9 PM, 7 days
Send a text
(818) 290-8249Good for the practical stuff — timing, parking, what to wear.
Text usUsually the quickest during the day
Email us
alex@laflightschool.comBest for a longer question, or if you want to send over your hours.
Open emailSame-day reply, most days
The small print, if you want it: Discovery Flight Terms & Conditions · Return & Refund Policy · Terms of Service · Privacy Policy
A twin is a serious airplane, and this is a serious question
If the Seminole flight has you thinking about a multi-engine rating or a commercial path, sit down with us for half an hour at Suite 108A. We will map out what it takes from your actual hours — free, in person, and with nothing to sign.
No obligation. 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A, Van Nuys, CA 91406 · 9 AM – 9 PM, 7 days.