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.
Back to School · Ends Oct 31
$500 off every Private Pilot Program and $5,000 off the Airline Pilot Course — applied automatically at checkout.
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Van Nuys Airport · KVNY
Flight School At Van Nuys Airport, 7900 Balboa Blvd
We are on the Balboa side of the field, seven days a week, with the trainers, the twin, the Cirrus and the simulator all parked within sight of the door.
5.0★100+ reviews on Google
2,000+discovery flights flown safely
15+ yearsfor each FAA-certified instructor
$0for an in-person consultation
Local
Where We Are And What Actually Happens Here
LA Flight School operates from Suite 108A at 7900 Balboa Boulevard, on the western edge of Van Nuys Airport. It is a shared hangar complex with a lot of aviation businesses in it, so the suite number matters more than the street number when you arrive. Walk in and you are a short distance from the aircraft: no shuttle, no separate ramp on the far side of the field, no waiting in one building for an airplane parked in another. The whole operation sits in one place.
A first visit is a conversation and a walk outside. You meet an instructor, look at the airplanes, and get straight answers about money, medical certificates and how long any of this takes for someone with your particular schedule. It costs nothing and takes about thirty minutes. Most people follow it with a discovery flight, which is a real lesson rather than a ride: you handle the controls from shortly after takeoff, the flight goes in a logbook, and it counts toward a certificate later.
After that, training runs to an FAA syllabus rather than an improvised sequence of lessons. Ground instruction pairs with each flight, simulator sessions in the Redbird MCX cover the procedures that are expensive to practice in the air, and every stage finishes with a check before the next one begins. Instructors here are FAA-certified with fifteen years or more behind them, which shows up less in stories about their own flying and more in how quickly they spot the habit you are about to form.
The program ladder is priced plainly. A Solo Certificate is $5,500 if all you want is the moment the instructor climbs out and you go around alone. The Standard Private Pilot certificate is $10,900. Instrument is $11,700, a multi-engine add-on is $5,100, and the full zero-to-airline program is $89,000. Discovery flights start at $229 for one person, or $189 for a sixty-minute session in the full-motion simulator. Nothing above is a starting figure that grows quietly.
Courses & Pricing
Every Course 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.
Start Here
Discovery Flight
The First Hour At The Controls. Credited Toward Your Training If You Enroll Within 24 Hours Of Landing.
From$229
Book A Discovery Flight
01
Discovery Flight
The first hour at the controls; credits toward training if you enroll within 24 hours of landing.
From$229
02
Teen Flight Training Ages 10–15
Starting before it is legal to solo.
$4,200
03
Multi-Engine Rating
For existing pilots adding a twin.
$5,100
04
Solo Certificate
Enough training to take an aircraft around the pattern alone.
$5,500
05
Sport Pilot
A real certificate, fewer hours, narrower privileges.
$8,400
06
Private Pilot Most Enrolled
The one most people mean by “learn to fly.”
$10,900
07
Instrument Rating
Turns a fair-weather pilot into a useful one.
$11,700
08
Comprehensive Private Pilot
Private with flight time, ground instruction and materials bundled.
$15,900
09
Premium Private Pilot
The most flight time before your checkride - 80 logged hours.
$22,500
10
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
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, 360 lb combined. Questions: (818) 290-8249, 9 AM–9 PM, seven days.
Getting Here
Reaching 7900 Balboa From Any Direction
From the 405, leave at Roscoe or Victory and head west; both put you on Balboa within a mile or so of the gate. From the 101, take the Balboa Boulevard exit in Encino and drive north through Ventura, Burbank and Victory. From the 118 across the top of the Valley, take Balboa and come south past Devonshire, Nordhoff and Roscoe. The airport fence appears alongside you before Saticoy, and our building is on the western side of the field.
Balboa itself is a straightforward road with lights rather than surprises, and the Valley grid means there is almost always a parallel escape a block away if something is blocked: Woodley to the east, Hayvenhurst and Sepulveda beyond that. The genuinely slow times are the 405 through the Sepulveda Pass at rush hour and the 101 through Woodland Hills in the afternoon, neither of which you have to touch if you plan around them from your own side of the Valley.
Parking is free in our own lot immediately outside Suite 108A. There is no structure, no barrier arm and nothing to validate, and a car can sit there through a long block lesson or a ground school session without any trouble. Because the complex holds a number of unrelated aviation businesses, it is worth looking for the suite number rather than the building name on your first visit. Call (818) 290-8249 if anything is unclear and someone will walk out to meet you.
Why Van Nuys
What This Particular Airport Gives A Student
1
Two Parallel Runways
A main runway of just over eight thousand feet and a shorter parallel of about four thousand. Two runways means training traffic and faster aircraft can be separated, so a lesson rarely dissolves into a long queue for a single strip. It also means a landing practice session actually delivers landings rather than a slow tour of the circuit.
2
Real Air Traffic Control From Day One
Van Nuys is one of the busiest general aviation airports in the world, with a control tower, a Class B shelf overhead and Burbank close by. You learn to talk on the radio while flying the airplane from the first lesson. That is harder at the start and much easier for the rest of your flying life.
3
Every Category Of Aircraft On One Apron
Two-seat trainers, a complex retractable single, a turbocharged glass-cockpit Cirrus, a twin-engine Seminole and a full-motion simulator, all in one place under one maintenance operation. You never reach a rating that requires moving to another school, and your training records stay in a single file instead of being scattered across three of them.
4
Weather That Lets You Finish
The Valley sits inland behind the Santa Monica Mountains, so the marine layer that stalls coastal fields most mornings from late spring often burns off here first. Consistency is what finishes a certificate. Canceled lessons cost you the slot and the relearning at the start of the next one, and that is where budgets quietly go.
The Fleet
The Aircraft, And What Each One Is For
Primary training uses the Cessna 162 Skycatcher and the Piper Warrior, and the Diamond DA20, all of them covered by your program price. The Skycatcher and DA20 are two-seaters that keep the cockpit simple while you learn to fly rather than to manage systems. The Warrior has four seats and the steadiness that makes a long navigation leg comfortable rather than a wrestling match. Between the three, most students have flown at least two types before the checkride, which is better preparation than it sounds: an airplane you have not flown before stops being an event and becomes a checklist.
The heavier end of the ramp: the Piper Arrow II with retractable gear and a constant-speed propeller, which is the complex time a commercial certificate requires, and the Cirrus SR22 Turbo and twin-engine Piper Seminole. The multi-engine rating flown in the Seminole is a $5,100 package. The Redbird MCX full-motion simulator, $189 for a sixty-minute session, is used at every level here, from somebody's first cautious look at flying through to instrument approaches, engine failures and the other emergencies nobody sensible wants to rehearse in an actual airplane.
From The Air
What You See On Your First Circuit Here
Four things that appear from the pattern before you have learned to land.
🛬
The Two Parallel Runways
Laid out roughly north to south, the long one on the east and the short one on the west, with rows of hangars and business jets between them. From the downwind leg the whole field reads at a glance, which is exactly what a student needs.
🌾
The Sepulveda Basin
The wide green flood plain immediately south of the field, with playing fields, golf and the stepped concrete of the reclamation plant. It is the one large empty space in the Valley and it sits right where you turn crosswind.
🍺
The Brewery On Roscoe
The big industrial plant north-east of the field with its tanks and stacks visible for miles. Students use it as an informal reporting point long before they learn the official ones printed on the chart.
🏔️
The Mulholland Ridge
The Santa Monica Mountains close the Valley off to the south, with Mulholland Drive running along the top and the notch of the Sepulveda Pass cut through it. It is the horizon you fly toward on almost every departure from this field.
FAQ
Common Questions
Suite 108A at 7900 Balboa Boulevard, on the western boundary of the field. The complex is shared with a number of unrelated aviation businesses, so look for the suite rather than the street number when you first arrive. Parking is free and directly outside, and we are open nine to nine every day.
None. Most people begin with a discovery flight at $229, which is a real lesson with your hands on the controls and sixty minutes that go into a logbook. Ground school, medical certification and the written exam are all handled in sequence with an instructor, so nothing needs arranging in advance.
Realistically four to eight months at two lessons a week, or considerably less if you fly more often. The FAA minimum is forty hours; most people take sixty to seventy. Frequency matters far more than natural ability, because time between lessons is spent relearning rather than progressing.
It is harder for the first few weeks and easier forever afterwards. You learn radio work, sequencing and clearances alongside the flying rather than bolting them on later. Pilots trained at quiet fields often find their first entry into busy airspace genuinely stressful, and that is a poor time to learn.
Solo Certificate $5,500, Standard Private Pilot $10,900, Comprehensive $15,900, Premium $22,500, Instrument Rating $11,700, Multi-Engine add-on $5,100 and the Airline Pilot Program $89,000. Financing runs through Stratus Financial and we offer in-house payment plans. The consultation is free and there is no obligation attached to it.
For part of your training, yes. The Redbird MCX is a full-motion simulator, $189 for a sixty-minute session, and time in it counts toward an instrument rating. It is also a sensible first session for anyone nervous about flying, because it never cancels for weather and no medical certificate is required to sit in it.
Nine in the morning until nine at night, seven days a week. Early lessons are usually the smoothest air of the day, and evening flying is worth doing deliberately at some point because the night rating requirement has to be met anyway. There is no weekend-only bottleneck for aircraft here.
Yes, on the same ramp at Van Nuys you trained on. Members of the club fly the Cessna 162, the Piper Warrior, the Diamond DA20, the Piper Arrow II, the Cirrus SR22 and the Piper Seminole, and we will talk the cost through with you in person. A checkout with an instructor comes first, which is shorter when you already know the aircraft.
Talk To Us
Come And See The Field Before You Decide
Walk in to Suite 108A, look at the airplanes on the ramp and ask an instructor anything you like, at no cost and with nothing to sign. Call (818) 290-8249, or book a discovery flight from $229 and fly the aircraft yourself.
Discovery Flight For One
$229
60 minutes, hands on the controls, fully loggable
Book A Discovery Flight
Or Call (818) 290-8249
No Cost, No Obligation
Get The Full Training Plan And Price Sheet
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.
- Every package price, itemised
- Financing from $2,500 down
- A timeline based on your schedule
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.
Aviation News
Latest From The Field
Notes from the flight line at Van Nuys — weather, regulation changes, checkride questions and the cost of training, written up as they come.
Van Nuys Airport · KVNY
(818) 290-8249
7900 Balboa Blvd. Suite 108A
Van Nuys, CA 91406 Get directions →
Open the full contact page
Open 7 days · 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Los Angeles Flight School7900 Balboa Blvd. Suite 108A
Van Nuys, CA 91406 Get directions →
★★★★★
5.0 · 100+ Google reviews