If you already hold a private or commercial certificate, this is a short and intense add-on in the Piper Seminole at $5,100, flown nine miles from Porter Ranch.
This course assumes you know what Vmc is. There is no ground school from first principles and no revisiting the basics. The hours go on what actually hurts people in light twins: asymmetric thrust, the drag of a windmilling propeller, the gap between blue line and the speed below which the rudder simply runs out, and the discipline of identify, verify, feather until it stops being a decision. The add-on is $5,100.
Pilots come down from Porter Ranch for this because the Seminole sits on this ramp every day and the drive is eighteen minutes on Balboa. Some are stacking ratings toward a professional job. Some have bought into something bigger and need the insurance to make sense. A few simply want two engines turning when the family is aboard and the route crosses the Sierra or the water out to Catalina.
There is a terrain argument for doing this here in particular. Departing Van Nuys to the north puts the Santa Susanas ahead of you within two minutes, and Oat Mountain stands just under 3,750 feet directly above your neighborhood. On an August afternoon with density altitude well past 4,000, a light twin's single-engine climb rate becomes a number you badly want to have met in training, over that exact ground, rather than on a real departure.
Four flying stages plus ground, typically five to eight flight hours across one or two weeks.
Seminole systems, fuel and electrics, performance charts, weight and balance, and the aerodynamics behind Vmc: critical engine, P-factor, accelerated slipstream. The shortest part of the course, and the part that decides how the flying goes.
Starts, taxiing on differential power, takeoff and landing profiles, cruise and power management, and the habit of running two of everything. Getting genuinely comfortable with the airplane before anything is taken away from you.
The core of the course. Vmc demonstrations, failures after rotation and in the cruise, drift-down performance, and real feathering and airstart work at safe altitude in the practice area north of the ridge.
Approaches, circling and go-arounds on one engine. A single-engine go-around in a light twin deserves every bit of the respect it gets, and you will fly several. If you are instrument rated we fly approaches asymmetric as well.
Oral review against the ACS and a polish flight. The multi-engine add-on is $5,100. Without an instrument rating your multi privileges carry a VFR-only limitation, which is far better planned around now than discovered later.
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.
Rinaldi St east to Balboa Blvd and then south for five miles, or Tampa Ave and Corbin Ave down to Roscoe Blvd and east. Either way it is about nine miles and eighteen minutes from most of Porter Ranch. Because this course runs as a compressed block you will be making that drive most days for a week or two, which is a good argument for taking the morning slots.
The 118 east to the 405 southbound is the freeway version and is fine outside the peaks. Suite 108A at 7900 Balboa Blvd, with free parking a few steps from the door. If you would rather fly in from Camarillo, Santa Paula or Whiteman than drive, transient parking at Van Nuys is straightforward; call (818) 290-8249 first and we will settle the details before you launch.
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 →The rating is flown in the Piper Seminole. Counter-rotating engines, so no critical engine in the traditional sense, and honest, predictable behavior with one shut down. It is the standard twin trainer for a good reason: it teaches the concepts without punishing you for still learning them.
The Redbird MCX full-motion simulator carries a real share of the engine-out and instrument work, which keeps the cost down and lets you fly the same failure until the response is automatic. Single-engine time to stay current afterwards is $179 an hour wet for enrolled students, and the Cirrus SR22 Turbo is flown on the $22,500 Premium program.
Porter Ranch sits directly beneath the airwork, so the ground is easy to learn.
The highest ground on the Santa Susana ridge, just under 3,750 feet and directly above Porter Ranch. Useful for exactly the reason it is a hazard: you always know where it is.
Cross the ridge on the 118 line and the next basin opens out, with the Reagan Library on its own hilltop. There is room out there to lose a thousand feet on one engine without troubling anybody.
The dry, fenced bowl in the northwest corner of the Valley. A clean visual anchor to look up and find after you have been head-down on a feathering drill.
The coaster structures at Valencia read from a surprising distance and mark the far end of the airspace we use for the higher work. Good for a quick position check on the way back.
A private or commercial pilot certificate. There is no FAA minimum hour requirement for the add-on itself, only the training and a practical test. If you are not instrument rated, your multi-engine privileges carry a VFR-only limitation until you add the instrument rating, which on its own is $11,700.
The multi-engine add-on is $5,100. Most pilots finish in five to eight flight hours plus ground, over one to two weeks. Flying it as a compressed block usually works out cheaper than spreading it out, because almost no time goes on re-learning. Stratus Financial financing and in-house payment plans are both available.
Nine miles and about eighteen minutes: Rinaldi St east to Balboa Blvd, then straight south to 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A. Tampa Ave to Roscoe Blvd is the same trip from the west side. Parking is free and on site, which counts for something when you are here daily for two weeks.
Yes, at a safe altitude in the practice area north of the Santa Susanas, and you will feather it and restart it. Down low we use zero-thrust settings instead, because a genuine shutdown there would be reckless. The difference between the two gets covered thoroughly on the ground before you fly either.
Yes, once you have completed a checkout with us. We will set out the currency expectations before you take it away on your own. A fair number of Porter Ranch pilots do this rating precisely so they can load four people and bags and go somewhere with a second engine turning.
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 you already fly and you live in Porter Ranch, this is a two-week project eighteen minutes from your driveway. Call (818) 290-8249, tell us which two weeks you can clear, and we will put a Seminole and an instructor against them.
Or Send Us A Message And We'll Come Back To You The Same Day →
