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.
Hands-On Introductory Flight · Chatsworth
Discovery Flights Over Chatsworth
You fly the airplane yourself on a discovery flight, and from Chatsworth the obvious route runs northwest over Stoney Point and the sandstone ridges toward Santa Susana Pass.
2,000+Discovery flights flown safely
5.0★Our Google rating, 100+ reviews
17 minFrom Chatsworth to the flight line
9AM–9PMSeven days a week at KVNY
Discovery Flight · Chatsworth, Los Angeles County
Your First Hour Actually Flying
A discovery flight is not a sightseeing ride with a pilot pointing things out. You sit in the left seat, the instructor handles the takeoff, and once we are clear of Van Nuys the airplane is yours: turns, climbs, descents, all of it with your own hands. From Chatsworth most people ask to fly over their own street first, and it is almost never quite where they expect it to be.
The route northwest is one of the better ones in Los Angeles. You cross Northridge in about three minutes and then the ground changes character: Stoney Point, the dry basin of the Chatsworth Reservoir, the pass, and the whole ridge of the Santa Susanas standing up on your right. People who have hiked Chatsworth Park South for twenty years still go quiet when they see the rock laid out flat beneath them.
The hour counts for something, too. Discovery flight time is loggable and goes toward a license, so this is genuinely lesson one rather than a ride at a fair. If you enroll within 24 hours, 100% of what you paid is credited toward your training. We have flown more than 2,000 discovery flights safely and hold a 5.0 star rating on Google across 100+ reviews.
How It Works
How The Day Goes — Start To Certificate
Set aside roughly two hours at the airport for a 60-minute flight.
1
Arrive And Check In
Come to 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A, on the west side of the airport just south of Roscoe. Parking is free and directly outside. Bring ID and a pair of sunglasses, and nothing else. There is nothing to prepare beforehand.
2
Route Briefing
Twenty minutes at the table. Your instructor covers what each control does, how the hour is going to unfold, and asks where you want to point the airplane. The rocks and the pass, over the top of your own neighborhood, or west to the coast at Malibu.
3
Walkaround
You do the preflight inspection with the instructor rather than watching it happen. Fuel, oil, control surfaces, tires. It is the same check every pilot on this field runs before every flight, and doing it yourself is half of what makes the day feel real.
4
The Flight
The takeoff is the instructor's. Somewhere over the Sepulveda Basin or on the turn northwest the controls become yours and stay yours. Sixty minutes is $229 for one person, ninety is $299 and 120 minutes is $399.
5
After You Land
You get a logbook entry signed for the time you flew, which is yours whether or not you ever come back. If it hooked you, and it usually does, we can walk through what training would look like over a free consultation while you are still at the airport.
Transparent Pricing
Discovery Flight Pricing For Chatsworth Students
Every figure below is the real, published price. No "call for a quote," no hidden block-time minimums.
Redbird Simulator
Full-motion simulator with an instructor. Never weather-canceled.
$1891 hour
- ✓Full-motion Redbird, hands on
- ✓No weight limit, no medical
- ✓Pause and repeat as you like
Most Popular
Discovery Flight For One
You in the pilot's seat, instructor beside you, LA underneath.
$22960 min
- ✓You fly the airplane, hands-on
- ✓Loggable time toward your license
- ✓90 min $299 · 120 min $399
- ✓100% credited if you enroll in 24 hrs
Discovery Flight For Two
One flies, one rides along. The most-gifted flight we offer.
$29960 min
- ✓Bring a partner, friend or parent
- ✓90 min $399 · 120 min $499
- ✓Gift certificates available
Luxury Discovery Flight
Premium Cirrus SR22 glass cockpit. The anniversary flight.
$49960 min
- ✓Cirrus SR22 Turbo, glass cockpit
- ✓90 min $699 · 120 min $949
- ✓Add a passenger +$100
Multi-Engine Discovery
Twin-engine Piper Seminole. A real taste of the professional path.
$49960 min
- ✓Twin-engine Piper Seminole
- ✓Real multi-engine fundamentals
- ✓90 min $699 · 120 min $899
Every discovery flight is 100% credited toward your training if you enroll within 24 hours. For a Chatsworth student going on to the $10,900 private pilot program, that makes the first flight effectively free.
Getting Here From Chatsworth
17 Minutes And 9 Miles From Chatsworth
The 118 east from Chatsworth, off at Balboa Blvd, then south about four miles past Devonshire, Nordhoff, Plummer and Roscoe. Roughly nine miles and seventeen minutes. From the Topanga Canyon Blvd end of town, Roscoe Blvd east is the simpler surface route; from around De Soto and Devonshire, Nordhoff St east runs straight into Balboa.
Give yourself a little slack in the morning peak, when the 118 eastbound tightens around Tampa and again at the 405. We are at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A, and parking is free on site, which matters if you are bringing family along to watch. We fly 9 AM to 9 PM seven days a week, so a late afternoon slot is bookable, and the low light on the Chatsworth sandstone at that hour is worth planning around.
Book A Discovery Flight
Book Your Discovery Flight From Chatsworth
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
Pick The Airplane You Fly
The usual airplanes for this are the Cessna 162 Skycatcher, the Diamond DA20 and the Piper Warrior. Flying alone, the prices run $229 for 60 minutes, $299 for 90 and $399 for 120. Bring somebody and it becomes $299, $399 and $499 for those same three lengths, with the passenger riding along for the whole thing.
For something closer to an event, the SR22 Turbo and its full glass panel goes out as the Luxury Cirrus For Two at $499, $699 and $949. Two engines in the Piper Seminole costs $499, $699 or $899. And if the weather turns, an hour in the Redbird MCX full-motion simulator is $189 and still teaches you a great deal.
What You'll See From The Air
What You Will See Over Chatsworth
Four things that only really make sense once you have seen them from above.
🧗
Stoney Point
The sandstone block at Topanga Canyon Blvd and the 118 where half of Los Angeles learned to climb. From the air it looks like a piece of desert shoved up through flat suburbia, and it is the easiest visual fix in the northwest Valley.
🎬
The Old Iverson Ranch Rocks
The outcrops off Santa Susana Pass Road that stood in for the American West in hundreds of films and serials. They are recognizable from 2,500 feet in a way they are not from any road.
🐎
The Horse Properties North Of Devonshire
Big irregular lots with arenas, trailers and dirt rings pushed up against the hills. From the air, the line between them and the tract grid to the south looks like it was drawn with a ruler.
🌄
Santa Susana Pass And Rocky Peak
The gap the freeway and the rail line both use to get out of the Valley, with Rocky Peak's boulder field on the north side. Fly toward it and Simi Valley opens up in front of you within a minute.
The Route You Fly
Your Discovery Flight Route Over Los Angeles
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.
- About 1 Hour From Van Nuys
- You Fly 50–80%
- From $229 All-In
- No Experience Needed
Stop 01 Of 11Van Nuys Airport
Loading The Map
You’re FlyingInstructor: Takeoff & LandingWe Stay North Of LAX & SoFi
The San Fernando Valley Over The Wing 01Instructor Takeoff
Van Nuys Airport
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.
Universal Studios Hollywood From The Air 02You’re Flying
Universal Studios
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.
The Hollywood Sign On Mount Lee 03You’re Flying
Hollywood Sign
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.
Griffith Observatory From The Air 04You’re Flying
Griffith Observatory
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.
Circling The Downtown Towers 05You’re Flying
Downtown LA
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.
SoFi Stadium From Just North 06You’re Flying
SoFi Stadium
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.
LAX From The North Side 07You’re Flying
LAX
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.
Venice Beach Over The Wing 08You’re Flying
Venice Beach
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.
Santa Monica Pier From The Air 09You’re Flying
Santa Monica Pier
The Pier And The Ferris Wheel
The pier, the Ferris wheel and the beach, straight out of a thousand films.
The Malibu Coast At Sunset 10You’re Flying
Malibu
The Mountains Meet The Pacific
Up the coast past the Palisades to Malibu, where the Santa Monica Mountains drop straight into the ocean.
Heading Back Across The San Fernando Valley 11You’re Flying
Warner Center
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
Back At Van Nuys
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 $229
Typical route. Weather and air traffic control set the final path on the day.
Hands-On From The Left Seat
You Fly The Airplane. Not A Ride Along.
50–80%Of the flight is flown by you
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.
- No license, experience or medical certificate needed
- Bring your own logbook and your instructor will be happy to sign it
- 100% credited toward training if you enroll within 24 hours of landing
Questions From Chatsworth
Discovery Flight FAQ
About seventeen minutes for nine miles: the 118 east, exit Balboa Blvd, then south to 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A. Allow a little more in the morning peak. Parking is free and right outside the door, and there is somewhere for family to wait while you fly.
Yes, that is the whole point. The instructor does the takeoff and the landing; the flying in between is yours, with them next to you on a second set of controls. No experience is needed and nothing is expected of you beforehand. The time is loggable and counts toward a license.
Solo, it is $229 for an hour, $299 for 90 minutes and $399 for two hours. With a second person along, $299, $399 and $499. The Cirrus SR22 for two runs $499, $699 or $949, and a Redbird simulator hour is $189. Start training within 24 hours of flying and the whole amount comes off your tuition.
Almost always. Give your instructor the cross streets during the briefing and they will build the route around it, traffic and weather allowing. Chatsworth sits under a straightforward departure from Van Nuys, so it is an easier ask than some parts of Los Angeles are.
It is one of the better ones, and it does not go stale the moment it is unwrapped. You can book a specific date or leave the date open for the recipient to choose. Teenagers can fly one too, and if it sticks, the Teen Flight Training Package is $4,200.
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
Multi-Engine Rating
For existing pilots adding a twin.
$5,100
03
Solo Certificate
Enough training to take an aircraft around the pattern alone.
$5,500
04
Sport Pilot
A real certificate, fewer hours, narrower privileges.
$8,400
05
Private Pilot Most Enrolled
The one most people mean by “learn to fly.”
$10,900
06
Instrument Rating
Turns a fair-weather pilot into a useful one.
$11,700
07
Comprehensive Private Pilot
Private with flight time, ground instruction and materials bundled.
$15,900
08
Premium Private Pilot
The most flight time before your checkride - 80 logged hours.
$22,500
09
Airline Pilot Program
Zero experience to airline-hireable qualifications.
$89,000
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
Take The Controls Yourself, 17 Minutes From Chatsworth
Call (818) 290-8249 or come to 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A and we will find you a slot, usually within the same week. Ask for late afternoon if you can: the light coming off the Chatsworth sandstone at that hour is the version of this flight people talk about afterwards.
Or Send Us A Message And We'll Come Back To You The Same Day →