Cessna Or Piper
The Cessna 162 or the Piper Warrior: the trainers our Standard and Comprehensive programs fly.
- Aboard
- You + instructor
- Weight limit
- 180 lb
$349Book
Introductory Flight Lesson · Van Nuys Airport (KVNY)
Your First Flight Lesson, Over Malibu
Two hours with a flight instructor: ground school, your own preflight, about 70 minutes flying the Malibu practice area, then a debrief and your first logbook entry.
From$349Credited in full if you enroll within 24 hours
- ★ 5.0 on Google, 120+ reviews
- Logged as dual instruction
- Open 9 AM–9 PM, 7 days
What It Is
A Real First Lesson, Taught Like Every Lesson After It
There are two ways to start flying with us. A discovery flight is an hour over Los Angeles's landmarks with time at the controls, and it's a great introduction. An introductory flight lesson is the other way in: lesson one of pilot training, planned and taught the way your instructor would teach lesson ten or lesson thirty.
You'll spend half an hour in ground school learning how the airplane flies and what each control does. You'll check the airplane yourself before you get in. Then you'll fly about 70 minutes over our Malibu practice area, working on the four basics every pilot learns first: straight and level, climbs, descents and turns. Back on the ground, your instructor debriefs you and signs your logbook.
It's for people who already know they want to learn: future private pilots, career changers looking at the airline path, and anyone who has done a discovery flight and wants the real thing. You don't need any experience, and you don't need a medical certificate to fly with an instructor.
Pick the airplane you'd like to learn in, from the Cessna and Piper trainers at $349 to the Cirrus SR22 Turbo at $749, or take the whole lesson in our full-motion Redbird simulator for $249. Enroll in a program within 24 hours and the full price comes off it.
2 hrsstart to finish, one student
~70 minflying the Malibu practice area
$349to $749, depending on the airplane
100%credited if you enroll within 24 hours
The Lesson Plan
Two Hours, Start To Finish
Same plan in every airplane. The clock starts when you sit down with your instructor.
-
0:00 · 30 MIN
Ground School And Briefing
At a desk with your instructor: how a wing makes lift, what the yoke or stick, the rudder pedals and the throttle do, the six instruments in front of you, today's maneuvers, and the radio calls you'll hear on the way out.
How the airplane controls work → -
0:30 · 10 MIN
Your Preflight
Out on the ramp, you check the airplane yourself with your instructor: a fuel sample, the oil, the tires, the propeller and every control surface. Pilots do this before every flight.
What to wear and bring → -
0:40 · ABOUT 70 MIN
Fly The Malibu Practice Area
Your instructor takes off from Van Nuys and hands you the controls in the climb. Over the Santa Monica Mountains and out to the coast, you fly straight and level, climbs, descents and turns, and learn to trim. Your instructor flies the landing.
About the practice area → -
1:50 · 10 MIN
Debrief And Logbook
What went well, what to work on, and what lesson two would look like. Your instructor signs your first logbook entry.
How it differs from a discovery flight →
Why We Teach It This Way
Every lesson at LA Flight School follows the same rhythm: brief it on the ground, fly it, then talk it through. Your first lesson gets the full version. You know what you're about to do before you do it, so the 70 minutes in the air go into flying, and you leave knowing what you did and what comes next.
It's also the honest way to find out whether learning to fly is for you. You'll see how we teach, meet an instructor, and fly a real lesson before you spend anything on a program.
Where You Fly
Over The Mountains, Out To The Malibu Coast
From Van Nuys you climb out over the San Fernando Valley and cross the Santa Monica Mountains. On the other side is the Malibu coastline, and that's our practice area: open sky over the coast, with the shoreline and the mountains as landmarks to keep you oriented while you work.
Your instructor handles the radio and the traffic around Los Angeles. Your job is to fly the airplane.
- Van Nuys Airport (KVNY)Your instructor takes off; the controls come to you in the climb.
- The San Fernando Valley And The Santa Monica MountainsClimbing, holding a heading, your first turns.
- The Malibu Practice AreaStraight and level, climbs, descents, turns and trim.
- Back To Van NuysYour instructor flies the approach and the landing.
Packages
Choose Your Airplane
The lesson is the same two hours in every airplane. What changes is the cockpit you learn in and how it feels in your hands.
Piper + Guest
Bring one person. They ride in the back seat of the four-seat Piper Warrior and watch you fly.
- Aboard
- You + instructor + 1
- Weight limit
- 180 lb each, 360 total
$449Book
Diamond DA20
A bubble canopy, a control stick instead of a yoke, and a low composite wing. Two seats.
- Aboard
- You + instructor
- Weight limit
- 180 lb
$549Book
Glass Cockpit
Cirrus SR22 Turbo
Full glass instruments and the Cirrus parachute overhead. Our Premium program is flown in it.
- Aboard
- You + instructor
- Weight limit
- 200 lb
$749Book
A Separate Program · $249
First Lesson In The Redbird Simulator
The same two-hour first lesson, taught in our FAA-approved Redbird MCX full-motion simulator instead of an airplane. Same ground school and briefing, same maneuvers, same debrief. There's no weather to wait for, and your instructor can pause and repeat anything.
- 30 minGround school
- 10 minCockpit setup
- ~70 minIn the Redbird
- 10 minDebrief
It's booked as its own program, separate from the airplane lessons, and it's credited in full if you enroll within 24 hours.
Giving it as a gift? First lesson gift cards, from $249. They never expire.
Which One Should I Pick?
Starting a private pilot program?Learn in the Cessna or Piper you'd train in on the Standard or Comprehensive program.
Want someone there?The Piper + Guest lesson puts one person in the back seat for $100 more.
Want something sportier?The Diamond has a stick, a bubble canopy and the best view on the ramp.
Thinking about the Premium program?The Cirrus SR22 Turbo is the airplane it's flown in, glass from day one.
Compare all four airplanes →
Every First Lesson Includes
- An FAA-certified flight instructor
- The airplane and its fuel
- 30 minutes of ground school
- Your own preflight inspection
- A headset to use
- Logged as dual instruction
- A debrief and your lesson-two plan
- 100% credited if you enroll within 24 hours
Lesson Or Discovery Flight?
Built For Different Days
Both put you at the controls and both go in your logbook. A discovery flight is built around the view. A first lesson is built around what you learn.
Discovery Flight
First Flight Lesson
Where you fly
The landmark route: the Hollywood Sign, Downtown LA, the coast
The Malibu practice area
What you do
Time at the controls along the route
Climbs, descents, turns and trim, taught as a lesson
Before you fly
A short briefing
30 min of ground school, then you learn to preflight
After you land
Your logbook entry
A full debrief, your logbook entry and a lesson-two plan
Time
60, 90 or 120 min in the air
2 hours, about 70 min in the air
Price
From $229
From $349
What It Costs
One Price, And It Comes Off Later
Each price covers your instructor, the airplane and its fuel, the ground school, the preflight and the debrief. The price changes with the airplane; the lesson is the same in each.
Enroll in any program within 24 hours of your lesson, from Sport Pilot to Private Pilot, and 100% of what you paid comes off the program price.
By the hour, it would cost more. At our enrolled-student rates ($179 an hour for a single-engine trainer, $110 an hour for instruction), the same two hours in a Cessna or Piper come to about $435: roughly 1.2 hours in the airplane and 2 hours with your instructor.
| Cessna Or PiperYou + instructor | $349 |
|---|---|
| Piper + GuestOne guest in the back seat | $449 |
| Diamond DA20You + instructor | $549 |
| Cirrus SR22 TurboYou + instructor | $749 |
| Redbird Simulator LessonSeparate program, same two hours | $249 |
Every first lesson is credited in full if you enroll within 24 hours.
After Your First Lesson
Where It Goes From Here
At the debrief your instructor tells you honestly how it went and what lesson two would cover. Then it's your call.
Keep Going
Private PilotThree programs, from 40 to 80 hours. Your first lesson counts toward the hours, and its price comes off if you enroll within 24 hours.
See private pilot programs →Fly For Fun
Sport PilotA lighter certificate for flying for fun, trained in our two-seat Cessna 162. $8,400, and your first lesson counts toward it.
See the sport pilot course →Talk It Through
Free ConsultationSit down with an instructor about your schedule, your budget and the certificate that fits. No cost, no pressure.
Book a free consultation →From Our Students
What A First Lesson Feels Like
★★★★★
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.
★★★★★
Very safety and detail oriented. Pre-flight briefing explained everything there was.
★★★★★
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…
★ 5.0 on Google from 120+ reviews
Questions
Before You Book
Do I need any experience?
None. The 30 minutes of ground school cover what you need before you touch anything, and your instructor has a full set of controls on their side.
Do I need a medical certificate?
Not for a lesson with an instructor. You'll need an FAA medical certificate before you fly solo, which comes later in training.
Does it count toward a pilot license?
Yes. Your instructor logs the airplane lesson as dual instruction toward the 40 hours the FAA requires for a private pilot certificate (14 CFR 61.109). Simulator time is logged too; up to 2.5 hours of approved simulator time can count toward those 40 hours.
Can I bring someone?
One guest, in the Piper, for $100 more: $449 in all. They ride in the back seat. Children under 5 can't be carried, and anyone under 18 comes with a parent or legal guardian.
What are the weight limits?
180 lb per person in the Cessna, Piper and Diamond (360 lb combined with a guest) and 200 lb in the Cirrus. The limits come from the aircraft; you confirm them before the calendar opens.
How is the simulator lesson different from the $189 simulator session?
The $189 session is one hour in the simulator with an instructor. The $249 Simulator First Lesson is the full two-hour lesson: ground school and briefing, cockpit setup, about 70 minutes in the Redbird and a debrief.
How early should I arrive?
15 minutes before your time, with a government photo ID. The address is 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A, Van Nuys, with free parking.
What if the weather is bad?
If we cancel for weather, maintenance or safety, we reschedule at no cost and your purchase never expires.
Can I reschedule?
Yes. It's free with 48 hours' notice and $50 inside 48 hours.
Is the price credited if I sign up?
Yes. 100% of it comes off any program if you enroll within 24 hours of your lesson.
First Lesson Guides
Everything Else You Might Want To Know
Short guides to the questions people ask before their first lesson.
CompareFirst Flight Lesson Vs Discovery FlightWhich one to book, and why the lesson costs more.Read →
CostIntro Flight Cost In Los AngelesEvery price, what's included and what comes off later.Read →
PrepareWhat To Wear And Bring To Your First Flight LessonA short checklist for the day.Read →
LearnAirplane Controls ExplainedLift, the primary flight controls, the six instruments, the radio.Read →
WhereThe Malibu Practice AreaWhere it is, how you get there and what you do.Read →
ChooseCessna Vs Piper, Diamond Or Cirrus?Which airplane to pick for your first lesson.Read →
SimulatorSimulator Flying Lessons In The RedbirdThe full lesson, on the ground, for $249.Read →
ExpectYour First Flight Lesson: What To Expect, Hour By HourThe day, minute by minute, from parking to debrief.Read →
Your First Lesson Is Two Hours Away
Pick your airplane and a time that works. The calendar is live, seven days a week.