Hold a private or commercial certificate already and the Seminole add-on is $5,100, a week or two of concentrated work at a field nine miles down the 118 from Chatsworth.
You already know what this is. Five to eight hours in the Piper Seminole, a solid block of ground on Vmc, single-engine performance and systems, and a checkride. $5,100 as an add-on to a private or commercial certificate. Most pilots book it as a concentrated run over one to two weeks rather than dragging it across a couple of months, and it goes distinctly better that way.
Chatsworth pilots have a real scheduling advantage here. Nine miles on the 118 and you are on the ramp, so an eight o'clock brief and a mid-morning finish still leaves most of a working day intact. A good number of the people we run through this rating live out this way and work in the aerospace and machining blocks off Nordhoff, and they book the whole course as two weeks of half days.
The engine-out work happens in the practice area northwest and north of the Valley, over the Santa Susanas and out toward the Santa Clarita side. That is your home ground seen from the other direction: high, empty, and with a lot of clear air underneath when the instructor pulls one back. You spend the course looking down at Stoney Point and the pass rather than at the same square of Valley floor.
Ground plus four flying stages, typically five to eight hours of Seminole time across one to two weeks.
Fuel and electrical systems, the counter-rotating propellers and what they do to the critical engine question, the performance charts, and the theory you will be asked to defend on the oral: Vmc against stall speed, accelerated slipstream, zero sideslip. It is the shortest stage and it sets the tone for everything after it.
Two-engine handling first. Starts, taxi, takeoff and landing profiles, cruise power management, and the discipline of running everything twice. The aim is to be comfortable and ahead of the airplane before anything gets taken away from you.
Vmc demonstrations, failures on the roll, after rotation and in cruise, drift-down performance, and feathering, including a genuine shutdown and air restart at altitude over the Santa Susanas. This is the heart of the rating and where most of the hours end up going.
Asymmetric approaches and landings back into Van Nuys with real traffic around you, and go-arounds where the decision has already been made for you. If you hold an instrument rating, this is the stage where the instrument privileges get added in the twin.
A practice oral run against the ACS, a polish flight, then the practical test. The $5,100 covers the course, and we book the examiner when you are flying to standard rather than to a date. Staying current on the twin afterwards is worth planning before you finish, not after.
Every figure below is the real, published price. No "call for a quote," no hidden block-time minimums.
Add multi-engine privileges to your existing private or commercial certificate, in our twin-engine Piper Seminole.
Aircraft are available to qualified pilots who have checked out with us — call for availability.
Not rated yet? Take a Multi-Engine Discovery Flight and fly the Seminole hands-on.
Balboa Blvd south off the 118, four miles down past Devonshire, Nordhoff, Plummer and Roscoe, and we are on the west side of the field at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A. Seventeen minutes from most of Chatsworth. On surface streets, Nordhoff St east is the cleanest run when the freeway is stacked, and Roscoe Blvd east works from the Topanga Canyon end.
Because this course is best flown in a block, a short drive is worth more here than it is on a longer program: two weeks of early starts is a very different proposition from nine miles than it is from thirty. Parking is free and directly outside the building. We are open 9 AM to 9 PM seven days a week, and the Seminole's schedule is the real constraint, so call ahead and we will tell you where the gaps are.
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.
Full-motion simulator with an instructor. No weight limit, no medical needed.
Reserve →You in the pilot's seat over Los Angeles, hands on the controls the whole way.
Book Now →One of you flies hands-on, the other takes in the skyline. Share the story.
Book Now →Premium Cirrus SR22 glass cockpit and extended air time over the LA basin.
Book Now →Twin-engine Piper Seminole and a genuine look at the professional path.
Book Now →Training happens in the Piper Seminole, and the add-on course is $5,100. It is the usual airplane for this rating and deserves to be: predictable single-engine manners, a Vmc demonstration that shows you the thing you came to see, and systems plain enough that your attention stays outside rather than on the panel.
The rest of the fleet is open to you as a rated pilot: the Cessna 162, the Piper Warrior, the Diamond DA20 and the Piper Arrow II at $179 an hour wet for enrolled students, and the Cirrus SR22 Turbo on the $22,500 Premium program. The Redbird MCX full-motion simulator is worth an hour or two before the checkride for the abnormal drills you would rather not meet for the first time in the airplane.
The practice area northwest of the field puts you above ground most Chatsworth pilots already know from underneath.
The highest ground on the north rim of the Valley, antenna masts along the top, sitting above Chatsworth and Porter Ranch. A clean altitude reference and a hard edge to the practice area.
Dirt roads and a dry wash cutting north out of Chatsworth into the hills. Open ground with very few people under it, which is the point on a morning of shutdowns and restarts.
Rock and chaparral running west from Oat Mountain toward Simi. It gives you an honest sense of terrain clearance, which is the part of drift-down performance that charts never quite convey.
On a clear morning you can see the flat farmland and Camarillo's runway from the practice area. Knowing where your nearest long, quiet runway sits changes how the engine-out work feels.
A private or commercial certificate and a current medical. There is no minimum hour requirement in the regulations for the add-on; the standard is set on the checkride. Most pilots arrive with somewhere north of 100 hours single-engine. If you are instrument rated, we can add the instrument privileges in the twin while you are here.
$5,100 for the add-on course. Most pilots need five to eight hours in the Seminole plus the ground work, and finish inside one to two weeks flying most days. If you only want the twin experience without the course, a Multi-Engine Discovery Flight is $499 for 60 minutes.
In the practice area northwest and north of the Valley, over the Santa Susana Mountains and out toward Santa Clarita. It is five to ten minutes from the field, high, sparsely populated and quiet on the radio, which is exactly what Vmc demonstrations and in-flight shutdowns call for.
The 118 east to Balboa Blvd, then south to 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A. About nine miles and seventeen minutes. Nordhoff St and Roscoe Blvd east are the surface options if the freeway is heavy. Parking is free and directly outside the building, with no meters and no structure to deal with.
Yes. Once you are checked out and current you can take the twin away on trips. Plenty of pilots finish the rating and then use the twin for Mammoth, the Owens Valley or a run down to Baja. Ask us about currency if you expect to fly it only occasionally.
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.
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
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 Warrior Or ArcherHeadsets 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
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.
Our Courses
Real pricing on every program we teach at Van Nuys Airport, beyond the pricing already shown above.
5.0 Average Rating
100+ 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 $10,900 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.
$15,900 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 $22,500 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
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.
$89,000Financing Available
Free In-Person Tour Before You Commit
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.
If the twin is the next line in your logbook, this is a two-week piece of work nine miles from your front door. Ring (818) 290-8249 and we will look at the Seminole schedule with you and pick a start date.
Or Send Us A Message And We'll Come Back To You The Same Day →
