SAFETY FIRST
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Very safety and detail oriented. Pre-flight briefing explained everything there was. To my knowledge, this flight school is exceptional in their ability.
FAA Multi-Engine Add-On · Calabasas
Multi-Engine Rating For Calabasas Pilots
A short add-on rating in the Piper Seminole for pilots who already hold a certificate, flown out of Van Nuys, thirteen miles east of Calabasas.
2,000+Discovery flights flown safely
5.0★Our Google rating, 100+ reviews
22 minFrom Calabasas to the flight line
9AM–9PMSeven days a week at KVNY
Multi-Engine Rating · Calabasas, Los Angeles County
The Add-On Rating, Done In A Week Or Two
You already know what this is. Around ten hours in a light twin, a handful of ground sessions and a practical test, with no written exam because you are adding a rating to a certificate you already hold. It is $5,100 as an add-on, and the Seminole rents at $649 an hour afterwards. Most pilots get it done inside a week or two of concentrated flying rather than dragging it across a season.
The pilots who come to us from Calabasas for this are usually flying already and thinking about the next airplane. A Baron, a 310, a share in something with two engines that will carry the family over the mountains with reserves intact. A few are commercial pilots ticking the box before an airline application. Either way you know what Vmc means and roughly what a drag demonstration feels like, which changes how these lessons are run.
There is a good local argument for the second engine and it lives just south of Calabasas. Ridge, then canyon, then water. A single crossing the Santa Monica Mountains at night, or heading out toward Catalina, leaves you a short list of options if things go quiet. Training here means you do the engine-out work over precisely the terrain that made you want the rating, which is not something you get flying out of a flat valley somewhere.
How It Works
The Syllabus, Stage By Stage — Start To Certificate
Four stages, and the third one is effectively the whole rating in miniature.
1
Ground And Systems
The Seminole's fuel system, electrics, the counter-rotating propellers and why that matters, plus performance charts and the accelerate-stop and accelerate-go numbers. Two or three sessions, and you can get most of the reading done before you make the drive over.
2
Normal Twin Operations
Takeoffs, climbs, cruise, descents and landings on two engines, getting used to a second throttle quadrant and a gear lever that actually has to be moved. Short-field and soft-field work flown to whichever standard matches the certificate you are adding the rating to.
3
Engine-Out Work And Vmc
The core of the rating. Identify, verify, feather. Drag demonstrations, single-engine climb performance that will disappoint you exactly as much as it should, single-engine approaches and go-arounds, and the Vmc demonstration itself. Most of it flown in the practice area or out toward the coast.
4
Checkride Preparation And The Practical Test
An oral covering systems, performance and single-engine aerodynamics, then the flight with a designated examiner. There is no FAA written exam for an added rating. We will not put you up for it until the engine-out flow is automatic rather than recalled.
Transparent Pricing
Multi-Engine Rating Pricing For Calabasas Students
Every figure below is the real, published price. No "call for a quote," no hidden block-time minimums.
Add-On Rating
Multi-Engine Rating
Add multi-engine privileges to your existing private or commercial certificate, in our twin-engine Piper Seminole.
$5,100complete
- ✓Piper Seminole twin-engine trainer
- ✓Engine-out procedures & Vmc demos
- ✓Ground instruction included
- ✓Checkride preparation
- ✓Typically finished in 2–3 weeks
Already Rated And Current?
Aircraft are available to qualified pilots who have checked out with us — call for availability.
Callfor availability
- ✓Piper Seminole, wet
- ✓Checkout with one of our instructors required
- ✓Available 9AM–9PM daily
Fly The Twin First
Not rated yet? Take a Multi-Engine Discovery Flight and fly the Seminole hands-on.
$49960 min
- ✓Hands-on in the Seminole
- ✓Real multi-engine fundamentals
- ✓90 min $699 · 120 min $899
The multi-engine rating is the cheapest serious step in aviation — at $5,100 it is roughly half the cost of the private pilot certificate and it is the rating that unlocks the professional path. If you already hold a private or commercial certificate, this is the highest-return two weeks you can spend.
Getting Here From Calabasas
22 Minutes And 13 Miles From Calabasas
It is thirteen miles from Calabasas: 101 east from Las Virgenes Road, Lost Hills Road or Parkway Calabasas, off at Balboa Blvd, then north past Victory and Vanowen. About twenty-two minutes. If you already fly out of Camarillo or Santa Monica, the drive to Van Nuys is comparable to what you are doing now, and the Seminole is here on the field.
We are at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A, with free parking on site. Because the add-on works best flown intensively, and most people finish it in a week or two of near-daily lessons, the drive matters more here than it does for a certificate spread over months. Morning eastbound runs clean; the westbound trip home between four and seven is the one to plan around. Open 9 AM to 9 PM, seven days a week.
Book A Discovery Flight
Book Your Discovery Flight From Calabasas
Pick your aircraft, pick a date and time, and you are on the schedule. You fly the airplane yourself with an FAA-certified instructor beside you — and every flight is 100% credited toward training if you enroll within 24 hours.
No Weather Cancellations
Redbird Simulator
$189
1 hour
Full-motion simulator with an instructor. No weight limit, no medical needed.
Reserve →
Most Popular
Discovery Flight For One
$229
60 minutes
You in the pilot's seat over Los Angeles, hands on the controls the whole way.
Book Now →
Most Gifted
Discovery Flight For Two
$299
60 minutes
One of you flies hands-on, the other takes in the skyline. Share the story.
Book Now →
The Showstopper
Luxury Discovery Flight
$499
60 minutes
Premium Cirrus SR22 glass cockpit and extended air time over the LA basin.
Book Now →
The Pro Move
Multi-Engine Discovery
$499
60 minutes
Twin-engine Piper Seminole and a genuine look at the professional path.
Book Now →
The Aircraft You'll Fly
The Seminole, And What Else Is On The Field
The rating is flown in the Piper Seminole, a conventional light twin with counter-rotating propellers, retractable gear and honest, predictable behavior on one engine. It rents at $649 an hour once you are rated. It is the standard training twin for good reason: what you will meet later in a Baron or a 310 is all here, in a more forgiving form.
The rest of the fleet is worth knowing about if you plan to stay with us. The Cirrus SR22 Turbo is $649 an hour with a full glass cockpit, the Piper Arrow II is $349 with retractable gear and a constant-speed propeller, and the Redbird MCX full-motion simulator is where instrument approaches get rehearsed without burning fuel. If your instrument currency has lapsed, the simulator is the cheap way to get it back.
What You'll See From The Air
The Engine-Out Country South Of Calabasas
Where the single-engine work happens, and why the terrain is rather the point.
⛰️
Castro Peak And The Back Canyons
The high, roadless ground between Calabasas and the sea. Look down during a single-engine drill over this and the case for a second engine rather makes itself.
🛣️
The Malibu Canyon Tunnel
Las Virgenes Road disappearing into rock on its way down to PCH. A precise, unambiguous visual fix on the ridge line, and a useful one when the practice area to the north is busy.
⛳
Calabasas Country Club
Green fairways wrapped around the houses at Calabasas Park, unmistakable from a few thousand feet and a handy way to point out where you live to a passenger.
🏛️
Old Town Calabasas And The Leonis Adobe
The short strip of old buildings on Calabasas Road, with the 1844 adobe and its enormous oak at one end. Easy to miss from the freeway, easy to pick out from above.
Questions From Calabasas
Multi-Engine Rating FAQ
Most pilots finish inside a week or two, flying most days. The usual figure is around ten hours in the Seminole plus the ground sessions, but it depends on how current you are and which certificate you are adding it to. If you have not flown much lately, budget an extra session or two rather than fighting the airplane.
The Multi-Engine Rating as an add-on is $5,100. After that the Seminole rents at $649 an hour if you want to stay current or take it somewhere. There is no FAA written exam for an added rating, so there is no test fee at that stage, though the designated examiner charges their own fee for the practical test.
A private or commercial certificate and a current medical. That is genuinely it. Bring your logbook to a free in-person consultation at Suite 108A and we will tell you where you stand, how many hours it is likely to take you, and whether a refresher session in a single would be money well spent first.
It is thirteen miles and about twenty-two minutes on the 101, with free parking at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A. More to the point, a Class D field with real traffic and the mountains and coast ten minutes away means the single-engine work happens over the terrain you actually fly in, not over flat farmland where an engine failure is an academic exercise.
Yes. The Multi-Engine Discovery Flight is $499 for 60 minutes, $699 for 90 and $899 for 120, and you fly it yourself. It is a sensible way to find out whether you like the airplane before booking the whole rating, and the time is loggable. If you enroll within 24 hours, 100% of it is credited toward your training.
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.
Courses & Pricing
The Rest Of What We Teach
★★★★★
5.0 Rating
100+ Google Reviews
Course prices are packages, not hourly rates - the aircraft, your instructor, ground school and simulator time are all in the figure. Van Nuys Airport, KVNY. Financing Available Through Stratus & In-House Plans.
Start Here
Discovery Flight
The First Hour At The Controls. Credited Toward Your Training If You Enroll Within 24 Hours Of Landing.
From$229
Book A Discovery Flight
01
Discovery Flight
The first hour at the controls; credits toward training if you enroll within 24 hours of landing.
From$229
02
Teen Flight Training Ages 10–15
Starting before it is legal to solo.
$4,200
03
Solo Certificate
Enough training to take an aircraft around the pattern alone.
$5,500
04
Sport Pilot
A real certificate, fewer hours, narrower privileges.
$8,400
05
Private Pilot Most Enrolled
The one most people mean by “learn to fly.”
$10,900
06
Instrument Rating
Turns a fair-weather pilot into a useful one.
$11,700
07
Comprehensive Private Pilot
Private with flight time, ground instruction and materials bundled.
$15,900
08
Premium Private Pilot
The most flight time before your checkride - 80 logged hours.
$22,500
09
Airline Pilot Program
Zero experience to airline-hireable qualifications.
$89,000
All Prices In USD. 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A, Van Nuys, CA 91406 · Open 9 AM–9 PM, Seven Days. Free In-Person Tour Of The School
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
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.
Talk To A Real Instructor
Add Your Multi-Engine Rating, 22 Minutes From Calabasas
If you are in Calabasas and the next airplane you want has two engines, this is a week or two of work and $5,100. Call (818) 290-8249 or bring your logbook to 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A for a free consultation, any day between 9 AM and 9 PM.
Or Send Us A Message And We'll Come Back To You The Same Day →Multi-Engine Rating
$5,100
Complete Add-On Rating
Book A Discovery Flight
Full Multi-Engine Rating Details