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 · Glendale
Discovery Flights For Glendale, From Van Nuys Airport
A discovery flight is an hour in the left seat with your own hands on the controls, flown out of Van Nuys and pointed east over the Verdugos toward Glendale.
2,000+Discovery flights flown safely
5.0★Our Google rating, 100+ reviews
25 minFrom Glendale to the flight line
9AM–9PMSeven days a week at KVNY
Discovery Flight · Glendale, Los Angeles County
An Hour In The Left Seat, Sixteen Miles From Home
This is not a sightseeing ride. You sit in the left seat, the instructor sits in the right with a full set of controls, and after the first minute or two the airplane is yours. You do the climb, the turns, the level off, and usually a good part of the approach back into Van Nuys. The instructor handles the radio and takes over for the landing. Most people are surprised how quickly it stops feeling strange.
Glendale books these for the usual good reasons. A birthday, a graduation from Hoover or Crescenta Valley High, a father who has talked about flying for thirty years, an anniversary that needed to be better than another dinner at the Americana. It also gets booked by people who are quietly serious and want to test the idea before spending real money on training. We have flown more than 2,000 discovery flights safely, and we hold a 5.0 star rating on Google.
Prices start at $229 for sixty minutes for one person, and $299 for two, which means the whole thing costs less than most people assume. Every minute of it is loggable time that counts toward a license, and if you decide to carry on and enroll within twenty-four hours, 100% of what you paid comes off the cost of training. Nobody will lean on you at the end. It works or it does not.
How It Works
What Actually Happens On The Day — Start To Certificate
From the moment you park on Balboa to the moment you leave with a logbook, allow about two hours.
1
Arrive And Park
Come to 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A, and give yourself twenty minutes of margin, mostly because the 134 decides its own schedule. Parking is free in the lot outside the door. Bring photo ID, wear something you can climb into a small airplane in, and skip sunglasses that are too dark to read an instrument panel through.
2
The Brief
Fifteen minutes at the table with your instructor. What the controls do, what the airplane will feel like, what you will be flying, and where you want to go. This is the moment to say Glendale, and to name your cross streets. It is easier to build the route on the ground than to negotiate it at 2,500 feet.
3
Preflight Walkaround
You go out to the airplane with the instructor and do the inspection together: fuel, oil, control surfaces, tires, the things that get checked every single time before every single flight. It takes about ten minutes and it is the part that tends to reassure people most, which is the correct reaction.
4
You Fly It
Hands on the yoke from the takeoff roll. The instructor is on the controls with you until you are settled, then progressively lets go. Depending on traffic and on what Burbank tower is willing to give us, you get either a run east along the hills toward Glendale or a loop north over the Verdugos, with the Crescenta Valley opening up on the far side.
5
Landing, Logbook And No Pressure
The instructor lands, you taxi back in, and your time gets entered in a logbook that is yours to keep. That time counts toward a certificate whenever you start. If you want to go further, enrolling within twenty-four hours puts 100% of what you paid toward training, and the standard private pilot program is $10,900.
Transparent Pricing
Discovery Flight Pricing For Glendale 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 Glendale student going on to the $10,900 private pilot program, that makes the first flight effectively free.
Getting Here From Glendale
25 Minutes And 16 Miles From Glendale
From downtown Glendale it is the 134 west, past the studio lots in Burbank and Hollywood Burbank Airport, then north where the 134 meets the 170 and off at Sherman Way or Victory Boulevard. Both of them run straight west across the Valley to Balboa. Turn north on Balboa and 7900 is a short way up on the right hand side, with the airport fence behind it. Sixteen miles, about twenty-five minutes.
If you are booking a flight as a surprise, the weekday mid morning slots are the kindest to the drive and usually the smoothest air, especially in summer when the afternoon gets bumpy over the hills. Evening and weekend slots exist too, we are open 9 AM to 9 PM every day, but the 134 eastbound afterwards between four and seven is genuinely slow. Parking is free in the lot at 7900 Balboa, directly outside Suite 108A, so nobody is circling the block with a nervous passenger in the car.
Book A Discovery Flight
Book Your Discovery Flight From Glendale
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
What You Can Choose To Fly
The standard discovery flight is flown in a Cessna 162 Skycatcher, a Piper Warrior or a Diamond DA20. For One is $229 for sixty minutes, $299 for ninety, $399 for two hours. For Two is $299, $399 and $499 for the same durations, which is the one couples and parent and child pairs usually take. The Warrior seats four, so it is the choice when someone else is coming along to watch.
There are three upgrades. The Luxury Cirrus For Two is flown in the SR22 Turbo with a full glass cockpit, at $499 for an hour, $699 for ninety minutes and $949 for two hours. The Multi-Engine Discovery Flight in the Piper Seminole is $499, $699 and $899. And an hour in the Redbird MCX full motion simulator is $189, which is worth knowing about for anyone nervous, or for a day when the weather is not cooperating.
What You'll See From The Air
What You Will See Out Of The Window
Ten minutes east of the airport, the city you know from street level turns into a map.
🛒
The Americana At Brand And The Galleria
Two big blocks side by side in the middle of downtown. The Americana gives itself away by the green of its lawn and the pale ring of the fountain, sitting right next to the Galleria's flat expanse of roof and parking structure.
🏰
Brand Library And Brand Park
El Miradero is a white mansion with domes and arches parked at the mouth of a canyon on the north edge of the city. It is unmistakable from above, and it belonged to a man who used to invite guests to his estate on the condition that they arrived by airplane.
⛳
Chevy Chase Canyon And Oakmont
A green ribbon of golf course laid into the fold between the ridges on the east side of Glendale. From the air it explains the shape of the neighborhood around it better than any map does.
🏞️
Deukmejian Wilderness Park
Cross the Verdugo ridge and the far side opens onto the Crescenta Valley, with the old Le Mesnager stone barn and the wilderness park below the San Gabriel front. It is city of Glendale land, and a completely different place from the one you took off toward.
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 Glendale
Discovery Flight FAQ
Discovery Flight For One is $229 for sixty minutes, $299 for ninety and $399 for two hours. For Two is $299, $399 and $499. The Luxury Cirrus For Two starts at $499 and the Multi-Engine Discovery Flight in the Seminole starts at $499. An hour in the Redbird MCX simulator is $189.
Yes, from the left seat, with an instructor beside you on a duplicate set of controls. You do the climbing, the turning and most of the straight and level, and the instructor takes the takeoff and landing and works the radio. The time is loggable and counts toward a license if you ever go on to train.
Usually yes, and it is worth telling your instructor the cross streets during the brief. The airspace between Van Nuys and Glendale includes Hollywood Burbank's Class C, so the exact route depends on what the controllers give us that day. Either we transit through with a clearance or we go around and over the Verdugos, which is its own kind of good.
Sixteen miles and about twenty-five minutes, west on the 134 and then across the Valley on Sherman Way or Victory. Parking is free in the lot at 7900 Balboa Blvd, right outside Suite 108A. Arrive twenty minutes before your slot so the brief is not rushed, especially if you are driving in during the evening peak.
All of it, provided you enroll within twenty-four hours of the flight. 100% of what you paid for the discovery flight is credited toward training. From there the solo certificate is $5,500 and the standard private pilot program is $10,900, and the free in person consultation at Suite 108A is where we work out which of those you actually want.
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, 25 Minutes From Glendale
If you have spent years looking up at airplanes on the way down Brand and wondered what the other side of that looks like, this is the twenty-five minute version of finding out. Call (818) 290-8249 and we will usually have you in the left seat within the same week.
Or Send Us A Message And We'll Come Back To You The Same Day →