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 · Porter Ranch
Discovery Flights Over Porter Ranch, From Van Nuys
You take the controls once we are clear of the field and fly the airplane yourself, up over the Santa Susana slope and back along the 118, instructor in the right seat.
2,000+Discovery flights flown safely
5.0★Our Google rating, 100+ reviews
18 minFrom Porter Ranch to the flight line
9AM–9PMSeven days a week at KVNY
Discovery Flight · Porter Ranch, Los Angeles County
An Hour At The Controls Above Your Own Hillside
People in Porter Ranch spend a lot of time looking at this Valley. That is half of what the address buys you: a long view south from a slope that steps up above Rinaldi St. A discovery flight is the same view, except you are steering it. You drive nine miles down Balboa Blvd, and a little over an hour later you are flying an airplane above your own roof at 2,500 feet.
Takeoff and landing belong to the instructor. Everything between them is yours. Once we are clear of the field you get the controls, and you fly north over Northridge and up the slope toward Porter Ranch Drive with the ridge filling the windscreen. People are always surprised by how unremarkable it feels. We have flown more than 2,000 discovery flights safely, and none of them needed anybody to be brave about it.
It also counts for something. The hour goes into a logbook as real dual instruction toward a pilot certificate, not as a sightseeing ride, and if you decide within 24 hours to carry on we credit 100% of what you paid against your training. Our Google rating is a straight 5.0 across 100+ reviews, and a good share of those were written by people whose first flight was exactly this one.
How It Works
What Happens On The Day — Start To Certificate
Set aside roughly two hours at the field for a 60-minute flight.
1
Arrive And Check In
Find us at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A, on the east side of the field. Parking is free and directly outside the door. Bring photo ID and a pair of sunglasses. There is nothing to prepare and nothing to read beforehand.
2
The Briefing
About twenty minutes at the table. What the controls do, what the flight will look like, and where you would like to go. Most Porter Ranch flights run north up the Balboa corridor and over the slope, but the route is your call.
3
Walking Around The Airplane
You do the preflight inspection alongside your instructor: fuel, oil, control surfaces, tires. It is the same check every pilot runs before every flight, and doing it yourself rather than watching is half the point of the day.
4
The Flight
The instructor flies the takeoff. Somewhere over the Sepulveda Basin the airplane becomes yours, and you climb it north toward the Santa Susanas. You fly for whichever block you booked: sixty, ninety or 120 minutes.
5
Logbook And A Straight Answer
You leave with a signed logbook entry and an honest account of what training would cost and take for you specifically. No pressure either way. Enroll within 24 hours and the full cost of the flight comes off your program.
Transparent Pricing
Discovery Flight Pricing For Porter Ranch 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 Porter Ranch student going on to the $10,900 private pilot program, that makes the first flight effectively free.
Getting Here From Porter Ranch
18 Minutes And 9 Miles From Porter Ranch
From most of Porter Ranch it is Rinaldi St east to Balboa Blvd, then straight south for about five miles. Nine miles door to door, roughly eighteen minutes. From the streets above Sesnon Blvd, Tampa Ave or Corbin Ave south to Roscoe Blvd and then east is the same trip with no freeway in it at all, which is worth having if you are bringing children along.
The 118 east to the 405 south works too, but it is the option that rush hour punishes hardest. Book a morning slot if you can in any case: the air is smoothest before the heat builds, the photographs are better, and the haze has usually not filled the basin yet. We are at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A, parking on site is free, and we fly 9 AM to 9 PM every day.
Book A Discovery Flight
Book Your Discovery Flight From Porter Ranch
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 Want To Fly
Most discovery flights go in the Cessna 162 Skycatcher, the Diamond DA20 or the Piper Warrior. Discovery Flight For One is $229 for 60 minutes, $299 for 90 and $399 for 120. Discovery Flight For Two is $299, $399 and $499, so a partner, a parent or a child can ride along and see everything you see from the back.
Porter Ranch books more than its share of the Luxury Cirrus For Two, flown in the Cirrus SR22 Turbo with its glass cockpit, at $499 for 60 minutes, $699 for 90 and $949 for 120. The Multi-Engine Discovery Flight in the Piper Seminole is $499, $699 and $899. If the weather turns against us, an hour in the Redbird MCX full-motion simulator is $189.
What You'll See From The Air
What You Will See On The Way North
A 60-minute flight out of Van Nuys toward Porter Ranch puts all of this under the wing.
🏘️
The Porter Ranch Terraces
Streets that curve along the contour lines instead of following the grid, stepping up the slope above Rinaldi St. From the air the boundary between hillside and flatland is startlingly clear.
🪨
Stony Point And Rocky Peak
The sandstone outcrops at the western end of the Valley above Chatsworth. Westerns were shot on that rock for decades and it is unmistakable from 3,000 feet.
🛣️
The 118 Corridor
The Ronald Reagan Freeway drawn dead straight across the north Valley below the ridge. It is the cleanest east-west reference line in the basin and the one you will point the nose at.
🏞️
Lake Balboa And The Sepulveda Basin
A green bowl with a lake in it, sitting just off the end of the runway. This is usually the spot where the instructor takes their hands off and the airplane becomes yours.
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 Porter Ranch
Discovery Flight FAQ
Yes. The instructor does the takeoff and the landing and you fly the rest: the climb, the turns, the cruise north over Northridge and up to Porter Ranch. There is a full second set of controls in front of your instructor and they are on them throughout, so there is nothing you can get wrong.
Nine miles and about eighteen minutes. Rinaldi St east to Balboa Blvd, then south to 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A. Allow roughly two hours at the airport for a 60-minute flight. Parking is free and right by the door, so there is no structure to hunt through.
Discovery Flight For One is $229 for 60 minutes, $299 for 90 and $399 for 120. For Two is $299, $399 and $499. The Luxury Cirrus For Two starts at $499, the Multi-Engine Discovery Flight in the Seminole starts at $499, and an hour in the Redbird MCX simulator is $189.
Usually yes, weather and traffic permitting. Nothing about the airspace up here gets in the way, and the hillside streets are easy to pick out from above. Give your instructor the cross streets at the briefing, whether that is Porter Ranch Drive, Mason Ave or Sesnon Blvd, and they will build the route around it.
It is among the better ones anybody gets. A graduation from Granada Hills Charter, a milestone birthday, a retirement, or anyone who has spent twenty years saying they always meant to learn. Call (818) 290-8249 and we will book it around their calendar rather than the buyer's. The time is logged, so if they carry on it counts.
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, 18 Minutes From Porter Ranch
You have been looking down at this Valley from Porter Ranch for years, and this is the hour where you fly across it instead. Call (818) 290-8249 or book at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A, open 9 AM to 9 PM, seven days a week.
Or Send Us A Message And We'll Come Back To You The Same Day →