Commercial pilot student preparing for a training flight at Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles
Published Prices · Van Nuys Airport · Updated August 2026

How Much Does It Cost To Become A Pilot?

It costs $10,900 to become a private pilot at Van Nuys, and $89,000 to go the whole way from zero to an airline job. You do not pay either of those at once. Becoming a pilot is a series of separate certificates bought over several years, each with its own published price. Sport is $8,400. Instrument is $11,700. Here is what every stage buys.

Call (818) 290-8249
Five stages, five published pricesPrivate pilot $10,900Zero to airline $89,0005.0★ · 100+ Google reviews

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.

A student's hands on the control stick and a kneeboard in a training aircraft, the instrument panel lit in front of them Most Given The Hollywood sign on its ridge seen past the wing of a light aircraft, with the San Fernando Valley beyond Two Seats A Cirrus SR22 Turbo parked on the ramp with both gullwing doors raised, showing the leather interior and glass cockpit The Nice One The flight school's Piper Seminole twin-engine training aircraft parked inside the hangar at Van Nuys 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.

The Downtown Los Angeles skyline under an overcast sky, seen from a small airplane on a flight with LA Flight School, from the Google review by Marc Bolanos SAFETY FIRST
Marc BolanosJAN 2026 Google
★★★★★
Very safety and detail oriented. Pre-flight briefing explained everything there was. To my knowledge, this flight school is exceptional in their ability.
The view from the pilot seat of a small training airplane, with the instrument panel beside the window and Los Angeles below, from the Google review by Diego Gutierrez DISCOVERY FLIGHT
Diego GutierrezOCT 2024 Google
★★★★★
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...
The sun setting over the hills past the wing of a small airplane on a sunset flight from Van Nuys, from the Google review by Ethan Pilon SUNSET CIRRUS
Ethan PilonOCT 2024 Google
★★★★★
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...
A yellow and white Piper training airplane, registration N6312C, parked on the ramp at Van Nuys Airport under a clear blue sky, from the Google review by Mia Bompat FLYING LESSON
Mia BompatJUN 2026 Google
★★★★★
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...
Sunset over the Santa Monica Mountains and the Malibu coastline, seen from a small airplane above Santa Monica Bay, from the Google review by Sanaz Diba KIDS LUXURY FLIGHT
Sanaz DibaAUG 2024 Google
★★★★★
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...
Pink and orange sunset clouds over the ridgelines of the Santa Monica Mountains, photographed from a small airplane, from the Google review by Rakkad Alhouqani HONEYMOON SURPRISE
Rakkad AlhouqaniJUL 2024 Google
★★★★★
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...
A row of yellow and white LA Flight School training airplanes parked on the ramp at Van Nuys Airport at dusk, from the Google review by Niyousha Aslejafari FULL-MOTION SIM
Niyousha AslejafariNOV 2025 Google
★★★★★
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...
A student and an instructor in headsets in the front seats of a small airplane, flying toward the sunset over the Pacific, from the Google review by Bruce Guido DISCOVERY FOR TWO
Bruce GuidoNOV 2024 Google
★★★★★
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...
A smiling LA Flight School student standing in front of a white training airplane outside the hangar at Van Nuys Airport, from the Google review by George Attallah SIMULATORS
George AttallahAPR 2024 Google
★★★★★
Very professional and great airplanes. I love the flight simulators. The pricing is very fair compared to any other flight school
A student pilot in a headset sitting in a Cirrus with the door raised, parked outside a hangar at Van Nuys Airport, from the Google review by Tania Anders TEEN FIRST LESSON
Tania AndersJUN 2025 Google
★★★★★
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...
A white Cirrus being moved out of its hangar at Van Nuys Airport before a flight, from the Google review by Meghan Klien FIRST-TIME FLYER
Meghan KlienOCT 2024 Google
★★★★★
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...
The Downtown Los Angeles skyline under an overcast sky, seen from a small airplane on a flight with LA Flight School, from the Google review by Marc Bolanos SAFETY FIRST
Marc BolanosJAN 2026 Google
★★★★★
Very safety and detail oriented. Pre-flight briefing explained everything there was. To my knowledge, this flight school is exceptional in their ability.
The view from the pilot seat of a small training airplane, with the instrument panel beside the window and Los Angeles below, from the Google review by Diego Gutierrez DISCOVERY FLIGHT
Diego GutierrezOCT 2024 Google
★★★★★
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...
The sun setting over the hills past the wing of a small airplane on a sunset flight from Van Nuys, from the Google review by Ethan Pilon SUNSET CIRRUS
Ethan PilonOCT 2024 Google
★★★★★
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...
A yellow and white Piper training airplane, registration N6312C, parked on the ramp at Van Nuys Airport under a clear blue sky, from the Google review by Mia Bompat FLYING LESSON
Mia BompatJUN 2026 Google
★★★★★
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...
Sunset over the Santa Monica Mountains and the Malibu coastline, seen from a small airplane above Santa Monica Bay, from the Google review by Sanaz Diba KIDS LUXURY FLIGHT
Sanaz DibaAUG 2024 Google
★★★★★
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...
Pink and orange sunset clouds over the ridgelines of the Santa Monica Mountains, photographed from a small airplane, from the Google review by Rakkad Alhouqani HONEYMOON SURPRISE
Rakkad AlhouqaniJUL 2024 Google
★★★★★
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...
A row of yellow and white LA Flight School training airplanes parked on the ramp at Van Nuys Airport at dusk, from the Google review by Niyousha Aslejafari FULL-MOTION SIM
Niyousha AslejafariNOV 2025 Google
★★★★★
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...
A student and an instructor in headsets in the front seats of a small airplane, flying toward the sunset over the Pacific, from the Google review by Bruce Guido DISCOVERY FOR TWO
Bruce GuidoNOV 2024 Google
★★★★★
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...
A smiling LA Flight School student standing in front of a white training airplane outside the hangar at Van Nuys Airport, from the Google review by George Attallah SIMULATORS
George AttallahAPR 2024 Google
★★★★★
Very professional and great airplanes. I love the flight simulators. The pricing is very fair compared to any other flight school
A student pilot in a headset sitting in a Cirrus with the door raised, parked outside a hangar at Van Nuys Airport, from the Google review by Tania Anders TEEN FIRST LESSON
Tania AndersJUN 2025 Google
★★★★★
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...
A white Cirrus being moved out of its hangar at Van Nuys Airport before a flight, from the Google review by Meghan Klien FIRST-TIME FLYER
Meghan KlienOCT 2024 Google
★★★★★
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...
$10,900private pilot, the certificate most people mean
$89,000zero to airline, every rating included
5.0★100+ reviews on Google
$179/hrsingle-engine wet, package rate for enrolled students
The Short Answer

$8,400 To Fly For Fun. $89,000 To Fly For A Living.

The question has two answers, because there are two very different destinations, and most of what you find online blurs them into one meaningless figure.

If you want to fly yourself and three friends to Santa Barbara on a Saturday, you want a private pilot certificate. That is $10,900 with us on the Standard program, and what a private pilot license costs breaks it down in full. Then you are done. There is no next stage unless you decide you want one.

If you want to be paid to fly, you need the private certificate, then an instrument rating at $11,700, then a commercial certificate, then almost certainly a flight instructor certificate so you can build the 1,500 hours 14 CFR 61.159 requires before an airline will hire you. Bought as one program that path is $89,000.

The sections below price each stage on its own, because that is how you will actually pay for it: one certificate at a time, deciding after each whether to keep going. Pilot training cost puts every fee we publish on a single table.

Student pilots and instructors beside the training fleet at LA Flight School Van Nuys
Stage By Stage

What Each Pilot Certificate Costs, And How Many Hours It Takes

Every stage on the path with its FAA hour minimum and our published program price. Each price includes flight instruction, ground school, briefings and training materials.

Stage and itemHours or price
1. Sport Pilot
FAA minimum, FAR 61.31320 hours
Our Sport Pilot program$8,400
FAA medical certificatenot required
2. Private Pilot
FAA minimum, 14 CFR 61.10940 hours
Standard program, 40 hrs logged$10,900
Comprehensive program, 60 hrs logged$15,900
Premium program, Cirrus SR22 Turbo$22,500
3. Instrument Rating
Instrument time, FAR 61.6540 hours
Cross-country PIC prerequisite50 hours
Our Instrument Rating program$11,700
Redbird MCX simulator session$189
4. Commercial Pilot
Total time, FAR 61.129250 hours
Complex or TAA time required10 hours
Multi-Engine add-on rating$5,100
Inside the zero-to-airline program$89,000
5. Flight Instructor
Prerequisitecommercial certificate
Hours before an airline will hire, 14 CFR 61.1591,500 hours
Inside the zero-to-airline program$89,000

Two programs sit outside this ladder. The Solo Certificate program is $5,500 and takes you to the point of flying the aircraft alone, which is the milestone most people are really chasing. The teen course for ages 10 to 15 is $4,200. Enrolled students fly single-engine aircraft at $179 an hour wet, and that package rate is what every program price above is built from.

The Five Stages

What Each Certificate Actually Gets You

The same five stages as the table, in plain language.

Sport pilot student beside a light sport aircraft at Van Nuys Airport

1. Sport Pilot — $8,400

The cheapest legal way into a cockpit as pilot in command. Day VFR, one passenger, light aircraft only. If your goal is weekend flying and your budget is the binding constraint, start here and stop here.

Private pilot student running a preflight checklist at Van Nuys Airport

2. Private Pilot — $10,900

The one almost everybody wants. Night, cross-country, passengers, any aircraft you are checked out in. Roughly four out of five people who walk through our door are buying this certificate and nothing else.

Instrument rating student flying under the hood at LA Flight School Van Nuys

3. Instrument Rating — $11,700

Not a certificate, a rating added to the one you already hold. It lets you fly in cloud and in the airway system. In Los Angeles the practical value is the marine layer that shuts VFR pilots out of the coast most mornings from May to July.

Commercial pilot student beside a training aircraft at Van Nuys Airport

4. Commercial Pilot

The certificate that makes it legal to be paid, and it sits inside the $89,000 zero-to-airline program. The training itself is short. The 250 hours FAR 61.129 requires is the long part, and continuity is what decides how quickly you get there.

Flight instructor candidate teaching from the right seat at Van Nuys Airport

5. Flight Instructor

Nearly everyone who wants an airline job gets one, for a reason that has little to do with teaching: it is the only way to build 1,500 hours while being paid rather than paying. You will also learn more in your first year instructing than in all your own training combined.

Redbird MCX full-motion FAA-approved simulator at LA Flight School Van Nuys

Outside The Ladder

The Solo Certificate program is $5,500 and the teen course for ages 10 to 15 is $4,200. A Redbird MCX session at $189 is the cheapest useful hour in aviation at every one of the five stages above.

What Moves The Number

Three Decisions That Change Your Total

None of them is the hourly figure. All three are about how you train.

01

How Often You Fly

Two lessons a week and the skills compound. One lesson a month and you buy the same lesson four times. This is why the Comprehensive Private Pilot Program at $15,900 exists: it builds in 60 hours of logged flight time so a student with an unpredictable diary can still finish inside a fixed price.

02

Whether You Do The Reading

Ground knowledge is free to acquire and expensive to be taught. A student who arrives already understanding the maneuver they are about to fly needs fewer repeats in the air. Every program includes ground school — 3 hours on Standard and Premium, 10 on Comprehensive — but the reading between lessons is on you.

03

Where You Stop

This is the one people forget. The stages are optional and cumulative. You can take the private certificate at $10,900 and never spend another dollar on training, and a very large number of happy pilots do exactly that.

The Fork

Decide Which Pilot You Are Before You Pay For Anything

There is a decision worth making in your first month, and getting it wrong is the most expensive mistake available to you. Are you buying a hobby or a career?

If it is a hobby, buy the route to the privileges you want and stop there. The Standard Private Pilot Program at $10,900 is that route. Add the instrument rating at $11,700 later if the weather starts limiting you, and ignore everything past that.

If it is a career, the arithmetic inverts. Every hour you fly counts toward the 1,500 an airline needs, so continuity matters more than comfort, and stopping and restarting is what kills career timelines. The zero-to-airline program is $89,000 and takes eighteen months to two years, with a year or more of instructing in the middle of it.

What you should not do is buy career-grade training for hobby-grade goals. We talk people out of that most weeks.

Piper Warrior trainers lined up on the ramp at Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles
The Honest Part

The Airline Route Is A Long, Lean Few Years

This is the part the brochures skip, so here it is plainly. Between paying the $89,000 and earning an airline salary there is a stretch of two to four years in which you will not be well paid, and for part of it you will not be paid at all.

The sequence runs like this. You train for eighteen months to two years. You come out with a commercial certificate and a flight instructor certificate and somewhere around 250 hours. An unrestricted ATP needs 1,500 under 14 CFR 61.159. You close that gap by instructing, which pays, but which pays like instructing.

Weather, aircraft availability and student cancellations all decide how fast you build hours, so the honest answer to how long that phase takes is that it varies and nobody can promise you a date. What we can tell you is that instructing in Los Angeles builds hours faster than instructing somewhere it rains, which is the whole point of the flyable days study and its 355 days at Van Nuys.

Nobody in aviation can promise you a job, including us, and you should distrust anyone who does. What is true is that the certificates are portable, the hours are yours, and the industry is hiring at a rate it was not ten years ago. Our read on the hiring outlook is deliberately measured, and what flight instructors actually earn covers the lean middle in more detail.

If that sounds discouraging, it is meant to be clarifying. People who start the career path knowing what year three looks like tend to finish it. People sold a smooth eighteen-month glide to a jet tend not to.

Airline pilot in uniform beside a jet, the destination of the zero to airline program
The Fleet

Whichever Stage You Are At, The Aircraft Are Ours

Five certificates, one ramp. Every airplane you will train in at any stage is owned by the school, inspected on our schedule and flown by our instructors every day.

Cirrus SR22 Turbo with glass cockpit at Van Nuys Airport
Cirrus SR22 Turbo — the Premium private pilot program
Piper Seminole twin-engine trainer at Van Nuys Airport
Piper Seminole — the multi-engine add-on at $5,100
Piper Arrow II complex aircraft with retractable gear at Van Nuys
Piper Arrow II — the complex time FAR 61.129 requires
Piper Warrior trainers on the ramp at Van Nuys Airport
Piper Warrior — where private pilot training happens
Diamond DA20 trainer with bubble canopy at Van Nuys Airport
Diamond DA20 — bubble canopy, superb visibility
Cessna trainer parked on the ramp at Van Nuys Airport
Cessna — simple systems, ideal for early lessons

Single-engine training on the Standard and Comprehensive programs is flown in the Cessna, Piper and Diamond aircraft. The Premium program is flown in the Cirrus SR22 Turbo with its full glass cockpit.

Redbird MCX

A Full-Motion Simulator, And It Is Not A Toy

FAA-approved, fully enclosed, and it moves. Procedures, instrument scan, radio work and emergencies all transfer straight to the aircraft, and it is never canceled for weather.

Simulator hours are built into every private pilot program — 2 hours on Standard and Premium, 5 on Comprehensive — and the Redbird earns its keep hardest on the instrument rating.

Your Instructor

The Same Instructors Take You Through Every Stage

Every instructor here holds a commercial or ATP certificate plus a CFI and a current medical, and is legally pilot in command on every flight you make together. On a path that can run from a first lesson to an airline interview, that continuity is worth more than any single line on a price list.

There are 11 instructors on the team, so your progress is not hostage to one person having a free Tuesday. You are matched to an instructor when you enroll, and if the fit is wrong you can change without it costing you anything.

Most of them treat instructing as the career rather than as a waiting room for an airline class date. It shows in the debrief, which is the part of a lesson students remember and the thing our reviews mention most.

Flight instructor and student in the cockpit at Van Nuys wearing headsets
What People Say

5.0 Stars, 100+ Google Reviews

Over 100 reviews on Google, averaging five stars. Three things come up again and again.

★

Instructors Who Actually Teach

The most repeated compliment is not the aircraft and it is not the price. It is the debrief.

★

Scheduling That Works

Eleven instructors and a fleet we own means lessons happen when we say they will.

★

Prices That Do Not Move

The number you enroll at is the number you finish at. Reviewers mention this constantly.

Pricing

Every Stage, With Both Ways To Book It

Ready to commit, or want to talk it through first — both routes sit on every card. Financing from $2,500 down with monthly plans available.

Standard Private Pilot Program

$10,900

The FAA minimum path, flown consistently. Best if you can fly two or three times a week.

  • Single-Engine (Cessna · Piper · Diamond) 38 hrs
  • Redbird full-motion simulator 2 hrs
  • Dual flight instruction 30 hrs
  • Ground school 3 hrs
  • Books and training materials included
  • Total logged flight time 40 hrs
Most chosen

Comprehensive Private Pilot Program

$15,900

Room to finish on a real-life schedule, with more than three times the ground school.

  • Single-Engine (Cessna · Piper · Diamond) 55 hrs
  • Redbird full-motion simulator 5 hrs
  • Dual flight instruction 50 hrs
  • Ground school 10 hrs
  • Books and training materials included
  • Total logged flight time 60 hrs

Premium Private Pilot Program

$22,500

Train from lesson one in the Cirrus SR22 Turbo with its full glass cockpit.

  • Cirrus SR22 Turbo (glass cockpit) 38 hrs
  • Redbird full-motion simulator 2 hrs
  • Dual flight instruction 30 hrs
  • Ground school 3 hrs
  • Books and training materials included
  • Total logged flight time 40 hrs

Sport Pilot Program

$8,400

Stage one for anyone whose budget is the binding constraint. No FAA medical required under FAR 61.23.

Instrument Rating

$11,700

Stage three, and the rating that turns a marine layer morning into a departure rather than a cancellation.

Multi-Engine Add-On

$5,100

Flown in the Piper Seminole. The rating most commercial candidates add before they start applying.

Solo Certificate Program

$5,500

Training to the point of flying the aircraft alone. Stop there, or carry on to the private certificate.

Teens, Ages 10 To 15

$4,200

A structured program for young people below the legal solo age. Real instruction, real logbook entries.

Zero To Airline

$89,000

Private, instrument, commercial, multi-engine and flight instructor in one program. Read the honest section above first.

Redbird Simulator Session

$189 / 1 hr

Full-motion, FAA-approved, on the ground. The sensible option if you are nervous or the weather is poor.

Call first: (818) 290-8249
Most booked

Discovery Flight For One

$229 / 60 min

You fly it, over Los Angeles, hands on the controls. Credited in full on enrollment within 24 hours. 90 min $299, 120 min $399.

Free Consultation

$0

Bring your calendar and your budget. Leave with a written plan and a realistic finish date. No obligation.

Call (818) 290-8249

Discovery flights for two start at $299. The Cirrus SR22 Turbo flight for two is $499 and the Piper Seminole twin is $499. All are credited the same way if you enroll within 24 hours. Discovery flights near you lists every option.

Back to School: $500 off any private pilot program through 30 September 2026. Standard $10,400 · Comprehensive $15,400 · Premium $22,000. Ask when you enroll.
No Cost, No Obligation

Get Every Stage Priced, In One Email

Sport, private, instrument, commercial and the full zero-to-airline path, each with its published price, the financing options and a timeline built around how often you can actually fly. Nobody will pressure you.

  • Every stage priced, itemised
  • Financing from $2,500 down
  • A timeline based on your own diary

One email. Opt out any time.

Next Step

Find Out Whether You Love It Before You Budget For It

Sixty minutes over Los Angeles with your hands on the controls, logged as real dual instruction. Enroll within 24 hours and the whole $229 comes off your program. Call (818) 290-8249, seven days, 9am to 9pm.

Call (818) 290-8249
Discovery Flight For One
$229
60 minutes · you fly the aircraft · loggable dual · credited in full on enrollment
FAQ

Cost Questions People Actually Ask

For a private pilot certificate in Los Angeles, $10,900 on our Standard program at Van Nuys Airport. For a sport pilot certificate it is $8,400. For the complete path to an airline job, including instrument, commercial, multi-engine and flight instructor, it is $89,000.

At LA Flight School the Standard private pilot program is $10,900, the Comprehensive is $15,900 and the zero-to-airline program is $89,000. We are a Part 61 school at Van Nuys Airport, so you pay for training and nothing else — no degree bundled on top.

Learning to fly starts at $8,400 with the Sport Pilot program, which is 20 hours under FAR 61.313 and does not require an FAA medical certificate. Most people go straight to the private certificate instead: $10,900 for the Standard program and its 40 logged hours. A $229 discovery flight is a real, loggable lesson and is credited in full against any program if you enroll within 24 hours.

$89,000 for the full program with us, covering the private, instrument, commercial, multi-engine and flight instructor certificates. Most people then spend a year or more instructing to reach the 1,500 hours 14 CFR 61.159 requires, and are paid to do it rather than paying for it. Those middle years are financially lean and worth planning for.

Yes, and most people do. The stages are separate programs with separate prices: sport $8,400, private $10,900, instrument $11,700, multi-engine add-on $5,100. You can finish one, fly for a year, and decide later whether to buy the next. Starting with a $229 discovery flight rather than $10,900 is exactly the point.

$10,900 for the Standard program at Van Nuys, which includes 38 hours of single-engine aircraft time, 30 hours of dual instruction, 2 hours in the Redbird simulator, 3 hours of ground school and all materials, building to 40 hours logged. Comprehensive is $15,900 and Premium is $22,500.

Compared with most hobbies, yes. Compared with a professional qualification that leads to a six-figure salary, the $89,000 career path is cheaper than law school. The honest framing is that a private pilot certificate at $10,900 costs about what a used car costs, and takes six to nine months.

Six to nine months for a private certificate flying two or three times a week, and eighteen months to two years for the full airline training path, followed by the hour-building phase. Students who cannot fly that often usually take the Comprehensive program at $15,900, which builds in 60 hours of logged flight time.

Yes. Programs start from $2,500 down with monthly payment plans available, and we work with aviation lenders as well as offering in-house plans. Because the program price is fixed at enrollment, your monthly figure is calculated against a number that will not move while you train.

Three third-party requirements sit outside every flight school price: the FAA medical certificate from an aviation medical examiner, the FAA knowledge test taken at an approved testing center, and the Designated Pilot Examiner who conducts your checkride and is paid directly on the day. Books and training materials are included in all our programs.

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

One email. Opt out any time.

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.

5.0Google100+ Reviews 355Flyable DaysA Year At Van Nuys 9–9Open Daily9 AM To 9 PM, 7 Days
The Downtown Los Angeles skyline under an overcast sky, seen from a small airplane on a flight with LA Flight School, from the Google review by Marc Bolanos SAFETY FIRST
Marc BolanosJAN 2026 Google
★★★★★
Very safety and detail oriented. Pre-flight briefing explained everything there was. To my knowledge, this flight school is exceptional in their ability.
The view from the pilot seat of a small training airplane, with the instrument panel beside the window and Los Angeles below, from the Google review by Diego Gutierrez DISCOVERY FLIGHT
Diego GutierrezOCT 2024 Google
★★★★★
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...
The sun setting over the hills past the wing of a small airplane on a sunset flight from Van Nuys, from the Google review by Ethan Pilon SUNSET CIRRUS
Ethan PilonOCT 2024 Google
★★★★★
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...
A yellow and white Piper training airplane, registration N6312C, parked on the ramp at Van Nuys Airport under a clear blue sky, from the Google review by Mia Bompat FLYING LESSON
Mia BompatJUN 2026 Google
★★★★★
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...
Sunset over the Santa Monica Mountains and the Malibu coastline, seen from a small airplane above Santa Monica Bay, from the Google review by Sanaz Diba KIDS LUXURY FLIGHT
Sanaz DibaAUG 2024 Google
★★★★★
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...
Pink and orange sunset clouds over the ridgelines of the Santa Monica Mountains, photographed from a small airplane, from the Google review by Rakkad Alhouqani HONEYMOON SURPRISE
Rakkad AlhouqaniJUL 2024 Google
★★★★★
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...
A row of yellow and white LA Flight School training airplanes parked on the ramp at Van Nuys Airport at dusk, from the Google review by Niyousha Aslejafari FULL-MOTION SIM
Niyousha AslejafariNOV 2025 Google
★★★★★
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...
A student and an instructor in headsets in the front seats of a small airplane, flying toward the sunset over the Pacific, from the Google review by Bruce Guido DISCOVERY FOR TWO
Bruce GuidoNOV 2024 Google
★★★★★
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...
A smiling LA Flight School student standing in front of a white training airplane outside the hangar at Van Nuys Airport, from the Google review by George Attallah SIMULATORS
George AttallahAPR 2024 Google
★★★★★
Very professional and great airplanes. I love the flight simulators. The pricing is very fair compared to any other flight school
A student pilot in a headset sitting in a Cirrus with the door raised, parked outside a hangar at Van Nuys Airport, from the Google review by Tania Anders TEEN FIRST LESSON
Tania AndersJUN 2025 Google
★★★★★
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...
A white Cirrus being moved out of its hangar at Van Nuys Airport before a flight, from the Google review by Meghan Klien FIRST-TIME FLYER
Meghan KlienOCT 2024 Google
★★★★★
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...
The Downtown Los Angeles skyline under an overcast sky, seen from a small airplane on a flight with LA Flight School, from the Google review by Marc Bolanos SAFETY FIRST
Marc BolanosJAN 2026 Google
★★★★★
Very safety and detail oriented. Pre-flight briefing explained everything there was. To my knowledge, this flight school is exceptional in their ability.
The view from the pilot seat of a small training airplane, with the instrument panel beside the window and Los Angeles below, from the Google review by Diego Gutierrez DISCOVERY FLIGHT
Diego GutierrezOCT 2024 Google
★★★★★
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...
The sun setting over the hills past the wing of a small airplane on a sunset flight from Van Nuys, from the Google review by Ethan Pilon SUNSET CIRRUS
Ethan PilonOCT 2024 Google
★★★★★
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...
A yellow and white Piper training airplane, registration N6312C, parked on the ramp at Van Nuys Airport under a clear blue sky, from the Google review by Mia Bompat FLYING LESSON
Mia BompatJUN 2026 Google
★★★★★
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...
Sunset over the Santa Monica Mountains and the Malibu coastline, seen from a small airplane above Santa Monica Bay, from the Google review by Sanaz Diba KIDS LUXURY FLIGHT
Sanaz DibaAUG 2024 Google
★★★★★
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...
Pink and orange sunset clouds over the ridgelines of the Santa Monica Mountains, photographed from a small airplane, from the Google review by Rakkad Alhouqani HONEYMOON SURPRISE
Rakkad AlhouqaniJUL 2024 Google
★★★★★
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...
A row of yellow and white LA Flight School training airplanes parked on the ramp at Van Nuys Airport at dusk, from the Google review by Niyousha Aslejafari FULL-MOTION SIM
Niyousha AslejafariNOV 2025 Google
★★★★★
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...
A student and an instructor in headsets in the front seats of a small airplane, flying toward the sunset over the Pacific, from the Google review by Bruce Guido DISCOVERY FOR TWO
Bruce GuidoNOV 2024 Google
★★★★★
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...
A smiling LA Flight School student standing in front of a white training airplane outside the hangar at Van Nuys Airport, from the Google review by George Attallah SIMULATORS
George AttallahAPR 2024 Google
★★★★★
Very professional and great airplanes. I love the flight simulators. The pricing is very fair compared to any other flight school
A student pilot in a headset sitting in a Cirrus with the door raised, parked outside a hangar at Van Nuys Airport, from the Google review by Tania Anders TEEN FIRST LESSON
Tania AndersJUN 2025 Google
★★★★★
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...
A white Cirrus being moved out of its hangar at Van Nuys Airport before a flight, from the Google review by Meghan Klien FIRST-TIME FLYER
Meghan KlienOCT 2024 Google
★★★★★
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...
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Reviews shown verbatim, exactly as each reviewer published them.