Every private pilot in the United States followed the same seven steps, and every one of them is written in 14 CFR Part 61 rather than left to a school's discretion. Here is the order, the regulation behind each step, and the two places where doing things in the wrong sequence costs you money.
Book It Or Gift It
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
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 Or Gift
Same Price
Two Seats
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 WarriorHeadsets For Both
Flight Length
$299Book Or Gift
Same Price
The Nice One
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
$499Book Or Gift
Same Price
Twin Engine
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 Or Gift
Same Price
Gift It issues a real gift certificate, emailed within minutes, which never expires and credits in full toward training. Flights are limited to 200 lb for one flyer, or 360 lb combined for both flyers, not counting your instructor (200 lb per person in the Cirrus and multi-engine). Questions: (818) 290-8249, 9 AM–9 PM, seven days.
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...
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...
You get a US private pilot certificate — the license everybody abbreviates to PPL — by holding a student pilot certificate, obtaining an FAA medical certificate, logging at least 40 hours of flight time under 14 CFR 61.109, passing a 60-question knowledge test and passing a practical test with an FAA examiner. 14 CFR 61.103 sets the minimum age at 17 to hold the certificate and 14 CFR 61.83 sets 16 as the minimum age to fly an airplane solo. There is no degree requirement and no aptitude test.
The word license is not the FAA's. The FAA issues certificates and ratings, and the certificate does not expire. What does expire is currency: 14 CFR 61.56 requires a flight review every 24 calendar months to keep acting as pilot in command, and 14 CFR 61.57 sets the recent experience needed to carry passengers. Everything a PPL permits and forbids afterwards is in our full private pilot license guide.
Two sequencing mistakes cost real money. The first is leaving the written exam until the flying is nearly done, which turns the airplane into the place where you learn airspace and weather. The second is booking lessons a fortnight apart, which means paying aircraft time to rebuild what decayed. Both are avoidable and neither is about talent. The cheapest first move is a discovery flight close to you in Los Angeles: one hour of dual instruction, logged, and it counts toward the 40.
In order, with the regulation that creates each one.
An hour in the left seat with an instructor, $229 at Van Nuys. No license, medical certificate or experience is required, because the certificated instructor is pilot in command. The hour is logged as dual instruction and counts toward the 40 hours in 14 CFR 61.109, and the full price is credited against any program if you enroll within 24 hours.
A sport pilot certificate needs 20 hours under 14 CFR 61.313 and can be flown on a valid US driver's license in place of a medical under 14 CFR 61.23(c)(1), subject to the conditions in 14 CFR 61.303(b). A PPL needs 40 hours under 14 CFR 61.109 and opens the whole system: unrestricted night flying, more capable aircraft, and every advanced rating. Most students choose private.
14 CFR 61.83 requires you to be at least 16 for airplanes and to read, speak, write and understand English. Your instructor submits the application through IACRA and the certificate arrives by post. It does not expire.
14 CFR 61.23 requires at least a third-class medical certificate to exercise private pilot privileges. You need it before you fly solo, not before your first lesson, so training starts while it is in progress. A third-class medical is valid for 60 calendar months if you are under 40 on the date of the exam and 24 calendar months if you are 40 or over.
Ground school covers airspace, weather, regulations, navigation, aerodynamics and systems; flight lessons build the hands. Under 14 CFR 61.35 you need an instructor endorsement or other authorized evidence of ground training before you can sit the knowledge test. The private pilot airplane test is 60 questions in 2 hours with a passing score of 70, per the FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix.
14 CFR 61.87 requires a pre-solo knowledge test, training in every listed maneuver, demonstrated proficiency and a make-and-model endorsement given within the preceding 90 days. After solo comes the experience in 14 CFR 61.109: 3 hours of cross-country training, 3 hours of night training including one flight over 100 nautical miles and 10 full-stop landings, 3 hours of instrument training, and 10 hours of solo including a 150-nautical-mile solo cross-country with full-stop landings at three points. The routes we fly for each of those are on the cross-country requirements page.
14 CFR 61.39 sets the prerequisites: the knowledge test passed, the required training received, and an instructor endorsement given within the preceding 2 calendar months. The practical test itself is an oral examination followed by a flight, and 14 CFR 61.43 requires every task to be performed to the published standard. Our students fly mock checkrides before the real one, and the day itself is set out step by step on the private pilot checkride page.
Everything the FAA asks for, with the section that asks for it. Nothing else on this list is negotiable and nothing has been left out.
| Requirement | Regulation | The standard |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum age to solo an airplane | 14 CFR 61.83 | 16 |
| Minimum age to hold a private certificate | 14 CFR 61.103 | 17 |
| Language | 14 CFR 61.103 | Read, speak, write and understand English |
| Medical certificate | 14 CFR 61.23 | At least third class, before solo |
| Total flight time | 14 CFR 61.109 | 40 hours minimum |
| Flight training from an instructor | 14 CFR 61.109(a) | 20 hours |
| Solo flight time | 14 CFR 61.109(a)(5) | 10 hours, including 5 hours solo cross-country |
| Night training | 14 CFR 61.109(a)(2) | 3 hours, one flight over 100 nm, 10 full-stop landings |
| Instrument training | 14 CFR 61.109(a)(3) | 3 hours by reference to instruments |
| Knowledge test | FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix | 60 questions, 2 hours, pass mark 70 |
| Practical test prerequisites | 14 CFR 61.39 | Endorsement within the preceding 2 calendar months |
| Staying current afterwards | 14 CFR 61.56 | Flight review every 24 calendar months |
Not on the list, because the FAA does not ask for it: a college degree, a maths qualification, uncorrected 20/20 vision, or any aptitude screening. 14 CFR 67.303 asks for distant visual acuity of 20/40 or better in each eye separately, with or without corrective lenses.
Two decisions decide whether this costs you the package price or considerably more.
The most common expensive mistake is enrolling in a program before ever sitting in a light aircraft. A $229 discovery flight answers the question that matters at the start — whether you actually enjoy this — and the money comes back off the program price if you enroll within 24 hours. There is no version of that arithmetic where flying first costs you anything.
Ground knowledge is cheap and aircraft hours are not. A student who passes the knowledge test before first solo arrives at every subsequent lesson already knowing the airspace, so the lesson is spent flying rather than explaining. A student who leaves it until the end pays aircraft rates to learn things that could have been learned at a kitchen table.
There is no regulatory reason to do it late. 14 CFR 61.39 only requires the knowledge test to be passed within the 24 calendar months preceding the month of the practical test, not before anything else.
14 CFR 61.109 sets 40 hours as the floor and AOPA puts what students actually need at between 50 and 70. Where you land in that band is decided by frequency. Two or three lessons a week and skills compound; one lesson a fortnight and the first part of every lesson rebuilds what decayed.
This is why our package prices are fixed rather than metered. An hourly meter charges a slow student more; a package does not. What each PPL program contains, and the five things that move the total, are set out on the PPL cost page.
All 120+ are on Google. We do not aggregate a rating from anywhere else and we do not publish a figure we cannot point at.
The compliment that repeats is about the twenty minutes at the table before the engine starts. People remember being told what was going to happen before it happened.
Eleven instructors and a fleet we own outright. Reviewers mention scheduling more often than they mention the aircraft, which tells you what most people find hard about learning to fly.
You enroll at $10,600 and you finish at $10,600. Nobody writes a five-star review about a surprise invoice, and the absence of one comes up constantly.
Our Courses
Ten programs flown out of Van Nuys Airport, with real pricing on every one. Start with an hour at the controls, or go straight through to airline-hireable qualifications — it is the same ladder either way.
5.0 Average Rating
120+ Google Reviews
Start Here
The first hour at the controls, over Los Angeles, with an instructor beside you. It is the entry point to every course below — and the cheapest way to find out whether flying is actually for you.
From$229
Open 9 AM–9 PM, Seven Days · (818) 290-8249
CertificateMost Popular
The one most people mean by “learn to fly.” Fly with an instructor, fly alone, then carry passengers on your own certificate.
Fly With An Instructor Fly Solo Carry Passengers $10,600 Enroll Now
Youth Program
Ages 10–15. For young people who want to start before they can legally solo.
$4,200 View Course
Milestone
Enough training to take an aircraft around the pattern alone. The day everything changes.
$5,500 View Course
Certificate
A real certificate with fewer hours and narrower privileges. The shortest honest route to flying yourself.
$8,400 View Course
Bundle
Private Pilot with flight time, ground instruction and study materials bundled into one price.
$14,900 View CourseBundle
The same certificate as Private, with the most flight time before your checkride. Eighty logged hours, ground instruction and materials, all in one price.
80 Logged Hours Ground School Included Materials Included $21,300 View Course
Rating
The rating after Private. Turns a fair-weather pilot into a useful one who can file, launch and land in cloud.
$11,700 View Course
Rating
For pilots already certificated who are adding a twin. Trained in our own Piper Seminole.
$5,100 View Course
Our Fleet
Diamond DA20, Cessna 162, Piper Arrow II and our Piper Seminole twin — all on the field at Van Nuys.
View The FleetThe Full Route
Zero experience to airline-hireable qualifications, in one continuous program rather than nine separate ones. Financing is available, and every hour of it is flown out of Van Nuys.
$82,000Financing Available
Free In-Person Tour Before You Commit
A $229 discovery flight from Van Nuys is a real lesson. You fly the aircraft, the hour is logged as dual instruction toward the 40 hours in 14 CFR 61.109, and the full price comes off any program if you enroll within 24 hours. Call (818) 290-8249 or book a free consultation instead.
Hold a student pilot certificate under 14 CFR 61.83, obtain at least a third-class FAA medical certificate under 14 CFR 61.23, log at least 40 hours of flight time under 14 CFR 61.109, pass the 60-question private pilot knowledge test at a score of 70 or better, and pass a practical test with an FAA examiner under 14 CFR 61.39 and 14 CFR 61.43.
Private pilot license. It is the everyday abbreviation for what the FAA formally calls a private pilot certificate, issued under 14 CFR Part 61. The FAA does not use the word license in the regulations, but the abbreviation is universal among pilots and nothing turns on it.
17 to hold a private pilot certificate under 14 CFR 61.103, and 16 to fly an airplane solo as a student pilot under 14 CFR 61.83. There is no maximum age in the regulations. Training itself can start at any age, and our teen program takes students from 10.
Three to six months flying two or three times a week. 14 CFR 61.109 sets a 40-hour minimum and AOPA puts what students actually need at between 50 and 70 hours, so the calendar is decided mostly by how often you fly. Six to eight weeks is achievable flying close to daily.
At Van Nuys the published package prices are $8,400 for the sport pilot certificate and $10,600, $14,900 or $21,300 for the private pilot programs, depending on hours and aircraft. Each package includes the aircraft, the instructor, ground school and Redbird MCX simulator time. Financing starts at $2,500 down.
No. 14 CFR 61.23 requires at least a third-class medical certificate before you fly solo, not before your first lesson, so training can start while the medical is in progress. A discovery flight needs no medical certificate at all, because the instructor is pilot in command.
40 hours minimum under 14 CFR 61.109, made up of at least 20 hours of flight training and 10 hours of solo flight training. Within those, the regulation requires 3 hours of cross-country training, 3 hours of night training, 3 hours of instrument training, 3 hours of practical test preparation, and a 150-nautical-mile solo cross-country with full-stop landings at three points.
No. An FAA pilot certificate does not expire. What has to be maintained is currency: 14 CFR 61.56 requires a flight review with an authorized instructor every 24 calendar months to act as pilot in command, and 14 CFR 61.57 sets the takeoff and landing recency needed to carry passengers.
70. The private pilot airplane knowledge test is 60 questions with a 2-hour allowance and a minimum passing score of 70, per the FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix. Under 14 CFR 61.49 an applicant who fails may reapply only after additional training and an endorsement from an authorized instructor.
Yes. 14 CFR 67.303 requires distant visual acuity of 20/40 or better in each eye separately, with or without corrective lenses, and near vision of 20/40 at 16 inches. If your prescription gets you to 20/40 you meet the standard, and the certificate carries a limitation requiring you to wear the correction.
Carry passengers anywhere in the United States, day or night, in aircraft you are rated and current in. 14 CFR 61.113 prohibits acting as pilot in command for compensation or hire, with limited exceptions listed in that section, and allows a private pilot to share the pro rata operating expenses of a flight with passengers.
Six steps. Get at least a third-class medical (14 CFR 61.23). Get a student pilot certificate through IACRA (14 CFR 61.83). Fly at least 40 hours, 20 with an instructor and 10 solo (14 CFR 61.109). Pass the 60-question knowledge test. Complete your solo cross-country flights. Pass the checkride with an FAA examiner (14 CFR 61.39). Ground study runs alongside the flying from the first week, and a discovery flight is the sensible step zero.
You need to be 16 to solo and 17 for a private pilot certificate, to read, speak, write and understand English, and to hold at least a third-class medical (14 CFR 61.83, 61.103, 61.23). Then you need the training: 40 hours minimum under 14 CFR 61.109, a passed knowledge test and a passed checkride. You do not need a college degree, prior experience or perfect eyesight; vision must correct to 20/40 under 14 CFR 67.303.
Start with a discovery flight. You fly the aircraft with an instructor beside you, and because the instructor is pilot in command you need no certificate or medical. At Van Nuys it is $229 for 60 minutes, the hour is logged toward the 40 that 14 CFR 61.109 requires, and the price is credited if you enroll within 24 hours. Book the medical and the student pilot certificate in the same week you decide to continue.
Earn a private pilot certificate first, because 14 CFR 61.123 requires one. Add an instrument rating, then log 250 hours under 14 CFR 61.129, including 100 hours as pilot in command and 50 hours of cross-country. You must be 18, pass the 100-question commercial knowledge test and pass a checkride, and you need a second-class medical to fly for pay (14 CFR 61.23). Our zero-to-airline program covers commercial, instrument, multi-engine and CFI for $82,000.
Earn the private, instrument and commercial certificates and a multi-engine rating, then build time to an airline transport pilot certificate. 14 CFR 61.159 requires 1,500 hours. 14 CFR 61.160 lowers that to 750 hours for eligible military pilots, 1,000 with a qualifying aviation bachelor's degree and 1,250 with a qualifying associate degree. Most civilian pilots build the gap by working as a flight instructor after the commercial certificate.
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.
Loved On Google
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
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...
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...
Reviews shown verbatim, exactly as each reviewer published them.
Aviation News
Notes from the flight line at Van Nuys — weather, regulation changes, checkride questions and the cost of training, written up as they come.
Open 7 days · 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Los Angeles Flight School
