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.
Published Price · Van Nuys Airport · August 2026
Instrument Rating Cost In Los Angeles
$11,700 for the instrument rating at Van Nuys, published and fixed at enrollment. It is the rating that turns a fair-weather license into a usable one, and in a city where the marine layer sits on the coast most mornings from May to July, that is not an abstract benefit.
$11,700 program price40 hours under FAR 61.655.0★ from 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.
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.
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...
$11,700our instrument rating program, all in
40 hrsinstrument time required by FAR 61.65
5.0★100+ Google reviews
$189Redbird MCX full-motion simulator, per session
The Short Answer
$11,700, And It Is The Best Value Rating In Aviation
The instrument rating is $11,700 with us. One published number, fixed on the day you enroll, with instruction, ground school, briefings, charts and checkride preparation inside it rather than billed alongside it. We can price it that way because we own the aircraft, we fly 355 days a year, and enrolled students train at $179 an hour wet.
What you are buying is permission to fly in cloud and inside the airway system, and the skill to do it without frightening yourself. Most private pilots describe the instrument rating as the point where they stopped being a person who could operate an airplane and started being a pilot. That is not marketing. Ask any of them.
There is a practical Los Angeles argument on top of that. The marine layer rolls in overnight and burns off around eleven most mornings between May and July. A VFR-only pilot loses those mornings entirely — and the coastal flights, which are the good ones. An instrument-rated pilot files, departs into it, and is on top at two thousand feet.
Line By Line
What The $11,700 Includes
Everything inside the program price, and the hours FAR 61.65 asks you to log before the checkride.
| Item | Included or hours |
|---|---|
| Instruction and ground | |
| Instrument flight instruction | included |
| Ground school and briefings | included |
| Approach plates and charts | included |
| Mock oral and checkride preparation | included |
| Program price | $11,700 |
| The hours FAR 61.65 requires | |
| Total instrument time | 40 hrs |
| With an instrument instructor | 15 hrs minimum |
| Cross-country PIC prerequisite | 50 hrs |
| Long IFR cross-country | 250 nm, 3 approaches |
| Typical calendar time | three to six months |
| The simulator, which you should use | |
| Redbird MCX, standalone session | $189 |
| Enrolled student package rate, wet | $179/hr |
| FAA approved | yes |
| Weather cancellations | none |
| Approaches per hour versus the aircraft | roughly triple |
If you are heading for a commercial certificate, do the instrument rating first. A commercial certificate without it carries a limitation barring you from carrying passengers for hire beyond 50 nautical miles or at night, which makes it close to unemployable. The rating is also inside the $89,000 zero-to-airline program.
The Three Parts
What The Program Actually Contains
The same three groups as the table, described properly.
Instruction And Ground
The rating is more of a classroom qualification than the private certificate was. Approach plates, holds, clearances, the whole language of the system. All of that ground time is inside the $11,700 rather than billed alongside the flying.
The Hours FAR 61.65 Requires
Two sets of numbers matter. The 50 hours of cross-country pilot-in-command time is a prerequisite you mostly already hold from your private certificate and the flying you did after it. The 40 hours of instrument time is the training itself.
The Simulator, Which You Should Use
This is the rating the Redbird was built for. You can fly the same approach into Burbank six times in forty minutes, pause it halfway down to talk about what just went wrong, and reposition instantly. No airplane can do any of that.
Controlling The Number
Three Things That Decide How Quickly You Finish
The price is fixed at $11,700. What you control is how many months it takes and how much of it sticks.
01
Frequency, Again
Instrument flying is a perishable skill in a way that private flying is not. Scan, cross-check and the mental picture of where you are in a hold degrade within a fortnight. A pilot flying twice a week finishes near the 40-hour minimum. A pilot flying twice a month does not.
02
How Much You Use The Simulator
The real advantage of the Redbird is not the hourly figure, it is that you fly roughly three times as many approaches per hour, so you learn the procedure in a third of the time. Pilots who lean on the simulator for the procedural work and use the aircraft for real-world flying finish faster and fly better.
03
Whether You Know The Book Before You Fly
There is more to memorize here than at any other stage. Holding entries, alternate minimums, lost communications procedures. Learn them on your sofa for free, or spend instrument hours learning them with an instructor watching. People genuinely choose the second one.
The Fleet
The Aircraft You Will Fly The Approaches In
Every airplane here is owned by the school and inspected on our schedule. For instrument work that matters more than usual: an avionics fault on an IFR flight is not an inconvenience, it is the lesson canceled.
Enrolled students fly single-engine aircraft at $179 an hour wet. The Premium private pilot program and much of the instrument work are flown in the Cirrus SR22 Turbo with its full glass cockpit.
Redbird MCX
The Rating This Simulator Was Built For
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, which on an instrument syllabus is the whole point.
A standalone Redbird session is $189. Simulator hours are also built into every private pilot program — 2 hours on Standard and Premium, 5 hours on Comprehensive.
Your Instructor
Instrument Instructors Who Fly In The System Themselves
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 the instrument rating that matters differently than it does elsewhere: you will spend a great deal of the syllabus with your eyes inside the cockpit, and the person keeping you clear of the traffic in one of the busiest airspace systems on earth is your instructor.
There are 11 instructors on the team, so an instrument syllabus does not stall because one person is on holiday. That is not a small point when the skill you are building degrades within a fortnight of not flying.
You are matched to an instructor when you enroll, and if the fit is wrong you can change without it costing you anything. The debrief is where an instrument lesson is actually taught, and it is included in the $11,700 rather than metered.
What People Say
5.0 Stars, 100+ Reviews
On Google, the same three things come up again and again.
★
Instructors Who Actually Teach
The most repeated compliment in our reviews is not the aircraft or 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.
Published Prices
The Instrument Rating And What Sits Either Side Of It
One fixed price for the rating, and the programs before and after it on the same path.
Private Pilot, Standard
$10,900
The prerequisite. 40 hours logged, 30 hours dual, 3 hours ground school, books and materials included.
Most chosen
Instrument Rating
$11,700
The rating itself, fixed at enrollment. The best value qualification in general aviation.
- Instrument flight instruction included
- Ground school and briefings included
- Approach plates and charts included
- Mock oral and checkride prep included
- Instrument time, FAR 61.65 40 hrs
- Price fixed at enrollment yes
Zero To Airline Program
$89,000
The whole career path in one fixed price, with the instrument rating, commercial, multi-engine and CFI included.
Also published: Comprehensive Private Pilot $15,900 · Premium Private Pilot $22,500 · Multi-Engine add-on $5,100 · Sport Pilot $8,400 · Redbird simulator session $189. Financing from $2,500 down with monthly plans available.
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.
An Honest Caveat
Who Should Not Spend $11,700 On This
If you fly six hours a year on clear Saturday afternoons out to Camarillo and back, the instrument rating will not repay you. It is a demanding rating to earn and a demanding one to stay current in — six approaches, holding and intercepting within the preceding six months, or you lose the privileges. Pilots who earn it and then stop flying regularly end up with an expensive line in a logbook.
It is worth $11,700 if you fly at least monthly, if you use the airplane to actually go places, or if you are on the professional path where it is effectively compulsory. It is also worth it if the reason you do not fly more is that you keep getting weathered out, which in coastal Los Angeles is a real pattern rather than an excuse.
We would rather tell you this now than take the deposit. If you are not sure which group you are in, come in for a free consultation and be honest about how often you actually fly. We will tell you what we think.
Try Before You Commit
An Hour In The Simulator Will Tell You If You Want This Rating
Instrument flying feels nothing like visual flying. The cheapest possible way to find out whether you enjoy it is an hour in the Redbird with an instructor putting you in cloud on the first minute.
Best for instrument
Redbird Simulator Session
$189 / 1 hr
Full motion, FAA approved. Fly an approach into Burbank in weather you would never launch into. Never canceled.
Discovery Flight For One
$229 / 60 min
If you are not yet a pilot at all, start here. Real dual instruction, credited in full on enrollment within 24 hours.
Free Consultation
$0
Bring your logbook. We will tell you how close you already are to the 50 hours of cross-country PIC and what the realistic timeline is.
Already hold a private certificate? Bring the logbook to the consultation. Most pilots are further along the FAR 61.65 prerequisites than they think, and that changes how long the $11,700 program takes to finish.
Related Reading
Next Step
Fly An Approach Before You Buy Forty Hours Of Them
An hour in the Redbird MCX is $189 and it is the closest thing to a free trial the instrument rating has. If you are not a pilot yet, start with a $229 discovery flight instead — credited in full if you enroll within 24 hours. Call (818) 290-8249, 9am to 9pm, seven days.
Instrument Rating
$11,700
Fixed at enrollment · instruction, ground school and charts included
FAQ
Instrument Rating Cost Questions
$11,700 in our program at Van Nuys Airport, fixed on the day you enroll. That includes instrument flight instruction, ground school, briefings, approach plates and charts, and checkride preparation. The rating is also included inside the $89,000 zero-to-airline program.
$11,700 with us at Van Nuys, published in text rather than quoted on request. Enrolled students fly single-engine aircraft at $179 an hour wet, which is the package rate the program price is built from, and a standalone Redbird MCX simulator session is $189.
Three to six months for a pilot flying twice a week. The regulation requires 40 hours of instrument time and 50 hours of cross-country pilot-in-command time, most of which you already hold. Pilots who fly less than weekly take considerably longer, because instrument scan degrades within about two weeks.
Under FAR 61.65 you need a private pilot certificate, 50 hours of cross-country time as pilot in command, 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument time including at least 15 hours with an instrument instructor, a 250 nautical mile IFR cross-country flying three different kinds of approaches, and a passing score on the instrument written exam.
Yes. Our Redbird MCX is a full-motion FAA-approved simulator and a portion of the 40 hours of instrument time can be logged in it with an authorized instructor. Because you can reposition instantly you fly roughly three times as many approaches per hour as you would in the aircraft, and it is never canceled for weather.
Mentally, yes. Physically, no. There is far more to memorize, the tolerances are tighter, and the checkride oral is longer. Most students find the flying itself easier than the private certificate because you are following procedures rather than judging things visually, and there are no landings to be embarrassed about.
Not legally, but effectively yes. A commercial certificate held without an instrument rating carries a limitation barring you from carrying passengers for hire on cross-countries beyond 50 nautical miles or at night. At $11,700 the rating is the cheapest thing standing between you and an employable certificate.
Yes. Programs start from $2,500 down with monthly payment plans available, through aviation lenders or an in-house plan. Because the $11,700 is fixed at enrollment, your monthly figure is calculated against a number that will not move while you train.
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
★★★★★
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...
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