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.
Twin access at Van Nuys
Multi-Engine Aircraft At Van Nuys: Access, Checkouts And Currency
Aircraft are available to qualified pilots who have checked out with us — call (818) 290-8249 for availability. We do not publish a rate card for the twin or for anything else, and this page is about what a twin checkout actually involves rather than about a price list.
Checkout requiredCall for availability$5,100 rating add-onVan Nuys Airport (KVNY)
61.31(e)the complex endorsement a Seminole requires
3takeoffs and landings in 90 days for passenger currency, per 61.57(a)
$5,100the multi-engine add-on, if you do not hold the rating yet
5.0 ★85 Google reviews
The short answer
Can you fly a twin at Van Nuys without owning one?
Yes, if you hold the multi-engine class rating, you are current, and you have completed a checkout with us. Aircraft are available to qualified pilots who have checked out with us — call for availability. We do not advertise hourly aircraft rental and we publish no hourly figure for the Seminole.
That is a deliberate position rather than a coy one, so here is the reasoning. A light twin is the aeroplane in the general aviation fleet where currency matters most and decays fastest. The margin between a well-handled engine failure and a very bad afternoon is measured in seconds and in habits, and habits fade. Publishing an hourly number invites people to treat a twin like a hire car, and it is not one.
What we do instead is talk to you. If you hold the rating, are current, and want twin access, the conversation is about your logbook and a checkout, and it takes about ten minutes on the phone. If you do not hold the rating, the route to twin access is the multi-engine add-on at $5,100, which includes the checkout by definition.
The rest of this page is the useful part: what a twin checkout contains, what insurance actually asks for, and what currency means in a multi-engine airplane. It is written to be useful even if you end up flying somebody else's twin.
The checkout
What a multi-engine checkout usually contains
A checkout is not a formality and it is not a second checkride. It is a school satisfying itself that you can handle this specific aeroplane on its worst day.
| Element | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Documents | Certificate with the airplane multiengine land class rating, current medical, logbook, flight review currency under 14 CFR 61.56. |
| Complex endorsement | A Seminole has retractable gear, flaps and controllable-pitch propellers. 14 CFR 61.31(e) requires ground and flight training plus a one-time logbook endorsement before you act as pilot in command of a complex airplane. |
| Systems oral | Fuel and crossfeed, electrical and load shedding, propeller governors, feathering, the unfeathering accumulator, gear including emergency extension. |
| Performance | Weight and balance, accelerate-stop and accelerate-go for the day, single-engine service ceiling, and what blue line will actually buy you off runway 16R at gross weight in August. |
| Normal operations | Takeoffs, landings, steep turns, slow flight, and enough circuits that the sight picture is yours rather than borrowed. |
| Engine-out handling | Identify, verify, feather. Simulated failures at altitude, single-engine approaches, and a VMC demonstration above 3,000 feet AGL if you have not flown one recently. |
| Currency plan | What you will do to stay current, because a twin checkout that is not followed by regular flying is a checkout you will repeat. |
How long that takes depends entirely on how recently you last flew a twin. A current multi-engine pilot might need a short session. Somebody who last flew a twin in 2019 is, realistically, doing most of a refresher course, and we would rather say that at the start than discover it at 400 feet.
Currency
What does currency actually mean in a twin?
The legal floor is the same as any other class. 14 CFR 61.57(a) requires three takeoffs and three landings within the preceding 90 days, as sole manipulator of the controls, in an aircraft of the same category, class and type, before you may carry passengers. For a twin that means three in a twin, not three in your Warrior.
The practical floor is higher, and every insurer knows it. Engine-out handling is a set of motor responses and they decay quickly. A pilot who has not simulated a failure in a year still holds a valid multi-engine rating and does not, in any useful sense, still hold the skill.
The honest recommendation from every multi-engine instructor we employ is the same: fly a simulated failure with somebody in the right seat at least twice a year, even when nothing requires it. It is a short flight and it is the difference between a rating and a capability.
Insurance is the other constraint and it is usually stricter than the FAA. Underwriters typically ask for total time, multi-engine time, time in make and model, and a dual checkout within a stated period. Those numbers vary by policy and by year, so we will not print any of them here — ask the underwriter, and ask before you plan the trip.
Why schools are careful
Four reasons twin access has conditions on it
None of them are about money, and all of them are about the same thing.
1
The performance cliff
The FAA Airplane Flying Handbook states that losing 50 percent of power reduces climb performance 80 to 90 percent. A twin with one engine out is not a single — it is a much heavier, draggier aeroplane with a single's power and none of a single's glide.
2
Asymmetry is unforgiving
Below VMC the aeroplane rolls toward the dead engine and no amount of rudder stops it. The recovery is to reduce power on the good engine, which is the opposite of every instinct a single-engine pilot has built.
3
Complexity
Retractable gear, constant-speed propellers, crossfeed, two of everything. 14 CFR 61.31(e) exists because complex aeroplanes reward familiarity and punish improvisation.
4
Maintenance reality
Under 14 CFR 91.409(b) an aircraft used for instruction for hire needs a 100-hour inspection. We own the twin and we maintain it, which is why availability is a conversation about the schedule rather than about a broker's calendar.
The fleet
What is on the ramp
One twin, and a single-engine fleet that most of our pilots fly far more often.
The Seminole carries no hourly figure. Single-engine training aircraft run at $179 an hour wet for enrolled students, and the Cirrus SR22 Turbo sits on the $22,500 Premium programme.
Redbird MCX
The most efficient way to stay sharp in a twin
The Redbird MCX is full-motion and FAA-approved, and it will fail an engine on you for a fraction of what the aeroplane costs.
A standalone Redbird session is $189. For a rated multi-engine pilot who wants to keep identify-verify-feather fresh between flights, an hour here is the most efficient thing on the field.
What people say
5.0 ★ · 85 Google reviews
Rated pilots who come back for checkouts write about the same thing new students do: somebody explained it properly.
★
The debrief, not the flight
The compliment that comes up most often in our reviews is not the aeroplane and it is not the ramp. It is that somebody sat down afterwards and drew the yaw on a whiteboard until it made sense.
★
Lessons that actually happen
Eleven instructors and a fleet we own and maintain. On a rating you are trying to finish inside two weeks, a school that cancels twice is the difference between done and half-done.
★
The number does not move
What you enrol at is what you finish at. On a $5,100 add-on that promise is most of the point, and reviewers keep writing about it because it is not universal.
Programmes and prices
If you do not hold the rating yet
Twin access starts with the rating. The add-on is $5,100 and includes everything a checkout would have covered.
The rating
Multi-Engine Add-On
$5,100 / complete
The whole rating: Seminole time, dual instruction, ground and systems work, engine-out training and checkride preparation, at a price that is fixed when you enrol.
Multi-Engine Discovery Flight
$499 / 60 min
An hour in the Seminole before you commit $5,100 to it. Book it on the product page — an hour in the left seat settles the question faster than any amount of reading.
Discovery Flight For One
$229 / 60 min
A real lesson in a single. You fly the aeroplane, the time is loggable dual instruction, and the full $229 is credited against any programme if you enrol within 24 hours.
Redbird MCX Session
$189 / session
Full-motion, FAA-approved and never cancelled for weather. Engine failures cost nothing here, which is why the first dozen of yours happen on the ground.
Next step
Call and ask about availability
Aircraft are available to qualified pilots who have checked out with us. Call (818) 290-8249, or book a free consultation and bring your logbook.
Discovery Flight For One
$229
60 minutes · you fly the aircraft · credited in full on enrolment within 24 hours
The multi-engine cluster
Multi-engine rating training at Van NuysThe Piper Seminole as a trainerVMC and engine-out aerodynamicsMulti-engine rating requirementsThe multi-engine checkride
FAQ
Multi-Engine Aircraft Questions
Aircraft are available to qualified pilots who have checked out with us — call (818) 290-8249 for availability. We do not advertise hourly aircraft rental and we publish no hourly figure for the Piper Seminole. If you do not hold the multi-engine rating, the route to twin access is the $5,100 add-on.
A pilot certificate with an airplane multiengine land class rating, a current medical, a flight review current under 14 CFR 61.56, the complex airplane endorsement 14 CFR 61.31(e) requires, and a checkout with one of our multi-engine instructors.
14 CFR 61.31(e) requires ground and flight training from an authorised instructor in a complex airplane, and a one-time logbook endorsement certifying proficiency, before you act as pilot in command of one. A Seminole has retractable gear, flaps and controllable-pitch propellers, so it needs one.
14 CFR 61.57(a) requires three takeoffs and three landings within the preceding 90 days as sole manipulator of the controls, in an aircraft of the same category, class and type. For a multiengine airplane those have to be flown in a multiengine airplane.
It depends entirely on when you last flew one. A current multi-engine pilot may need a short session; somebody several years out of a twin is realistically doing a refresher course. We would rather say that at the start than find out about it in the air.
Because a light twin is the aeroplane where currency matters most and decays fastest, and a published hourly number invites people to treat it like a hire car. We publish one hourly figure anywhere, and it is $179 wet for single-engine training aircraft flown by enrolled students.
Underwriters typically look at total time, multi-engine time, time in make and model, and a recent dual checkout. The specific numbers vary by policy and by year, so ask the underwriter rather than a web page — and ask before you plan a trip around the answer.
Fly a simulated engine failure with an instructor at least twice a year, even when nothing requires it. The Redbird MCX is a full-motion FAA-approved simulator and a session is $189, which is the most efficient way on this field to keep identify-verify-feather automatic.
Talk to us. Availability, insurance and your currency all bear on the answer, which is exactly why the first step is a phone call rather than a booking form. Call (818) 290-8249.
One Piper Seminole, which we own and maintain in house. Under 14 CFR 91.409(b) an aircraft used for instruction for hire requires a 100-hour inspection, and because the aeroplane is ours that schedule is planned around the students rather than around a broker.
Usually not, and we say so to everyone who asks. Twin hours are expensive hours, and operators care more about the rating and about currency than about a large multi-engine total. Get the rating, keep it live, and build the rest of your time in something cheaper.
7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A, Van Nuys, CA 91406, at Van Nuys Airport (KVNY). We are open 9am to 9pm, seven days a week. Call (818) 290-8249.
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Loved On Google
Seventy Reviews. 5.0 Stars.
Every review below is real and shown verbatim, in the reviewer’s own words — written by the people who learned to fly here, not by us.
SAFETY FIRST
DISCOVERY FLIGHT
★★★★★
I recently had the chance to take my first-ever discovery flight, and it was nothing short of amazing! From the moment I stepped into the cockpit, the...
SUNSET CIRRUS
★★★★★
It was a great flight! I did a sunset flight and Alex let us fly an awesome. Website was easy to book, and the plane itself was really fun to fly...
FLYING LESSON
★★★★★
We had a great flying lesson with Ralph and came away with a much better understanding of both the aircraft and the principles of flight. Ralph is a...
KIDS LUXURY FLIGHT
★★★★★
I got 2 luxury discovery flights for my kids. I wanted them to have the experience of flying. Our instructor Alex was amazing he made sure they feel...
HONEYMOON SURPRISE
★★★★★
Last minute booking to surprise my wife on our honeymoon. She had no experience with flying and was scared of flying, but Alex was very easygoing and knew...
FULL-MOTION SIM
★★★★★
Amazing flight school in van nuys airport. I have been a student here for the past few months and i could not be happier. I started doing a lot of...
DISCOVERY FOR TWO
★★★★★
I booked a Discovery Flight for Two for my girlfriend's birthday and it was the perfect gift for her. She couldn't have been more excited to get to...
SIMULATORS
★★★★★
Very professional and great airplanes. I love the flight simulators. The pricing is very fair compared to any other flight school
TEEN FIRST LESSON
★★★★★
We gifted our teenage son his first flying lesson. He was so excited! Alex greeted us and gave a reassuring brief that made us all feel comfortable and at...
FIRST-TIME FLYER
★★★★★
Flying is my husband's hobby and I was incredibly anxious and apprehensive about the discovery flight. However, I felt completely safe and at ease once we...
SAFETY FIRST
★★★★★
Very safety and detail oriented. Pre-flight briefing explained everything there was. To my knowledge, this flight school is exceptional in their ability.
DISCOVERY FLIGHT
★★★★★
I recently had the chance to take my first-ever discovery flight, and it was nothing short of amazing! From the moment I stepped into the cockpit, the...
SUNSET CIRRUS
★★★★★
It was a great flight! I did a sunset flight and Alex let us fly an awesome. Website was easy to book, and the plane itself was really fun to fly...
FLYING LESSON
★★★★★
We had a great flying lesson with Ralph and came away with a much better understanding of both the aircraft and the principles of flight. Ralph is a...
KIDS LUXURY FLIGHT
★★★★★
I got 2 luxury discovery flights for my kids. I wanted them to have the experience of flying. Our instructor Alex was amazing he made sure they feel...
HONEYMOON SURPRISE
★★★★★
Last minute booking to surprise my wife on our honeymoon. She had no experience with flying and was scared of flying, but Alex was very easygoing and knew...
FULL-MOTION SIM
★★★★★
Amazing flight school in van nuys airport. I have been a student here for the past few months and i could not be happier. I started doing a lot of...
DISCOVERY FOR TWO
★★★★★
I booked a Discovery Flight for Two for my girlfriend's birthday and it was the perfect gift for her. She couldn't have been more excited to get to...
SIMULATORS
★★★★★
Very professional and great airplanes. I love the flight simulators. The pricing is very fair compared to any other flight school
TEEN FIRST LESSON
★★★★★
We gifted our teenage son his first flying lesson. He was so excited! Alex greeted us and gave a reassuring brief that made us all feel comfortable and at...
FIRST-TIME FLYER
★★★★★
Flying is my husband's hobby and I was incredibly anxious and apprehensive about the discovery flight. However, I felt completely safe and at ease once we...
See Discovery Flight Details — $229
Reviews shown verbatim, exactly as each reviewer published them.