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.
FAA Multi-Engine Add-On · Studio City
Multi-Engine Rating Near Studio City
A short, concentrated add-on in the Piper Seminole for pilots who already hold a private or commercial certificate, flown out of Van Nuys and priced at $5,100.
2,000+Discovery flights flown safely
5.0★Our Google rating, 100+ reviews
15 minFrom Studio City to the flight line
9AM–9PMSeven days a week at KVNY
Multi-Engine Rating · Studio City, Los Angeles County
The Multi-Engine Add-On, Eight Miles From Studio City
If you already hold a private or commercial certificate, this page is deliberately short on explanation. The multi-engine rating is $5,100, flown in a Piper Seminole out of Van Nuys, and it is mostly about asymmetric thrust: identifying a failed engine, controlling the yaw, understanding why Vmc moves with weight, altitude, bank angle and configuration, and being honest about what a light twin will and will not climb at.
Van Nuys is fifteen minutes from Studio City on the 101, which is the practical argument for doing the rating here rather than blocking out a week somewhere else. The training is intensive and works best on consecutive days, and being able to sleep at home off Ventura Boulevard and be on the ramp by eight makes that far easier to sustain. We are open 9 AM to 9 PM, seven days a week, so weekend blocks work too.
The local environment is useful for this rating rather than incidental to it. Single-engine work over the Sepulveda Basin gives you somewhere to put the airplane; the terrain south of Mulholland and north toward the Santa Susanas makes the performance conversation concrete rather than theoretical. Density altitude in the Valley in August is not a chapter in a book here, it is a Tuesday. Seminole time is $649 an hour once you hold the rating.
How It Works
The Syllabus, Stage By Stage — Start To Certificate
Four stages, run back to back over consecutive days wherever your schedule allows.
1
Ground: Systems And Performance
Seminole systems, counter-rotating propellers and why that removes the classic critical engine, fuel and electrical layout, and then the performance section: accelerate-stop and accelerate-go distances, single-engine service ceiling, and the practical difference between Vmc, Vsse and blue line.
2
Normal Twin Operations
Handling two engines that are both working: taxi, run-up, takeoff briefing and callouts, climb, cruise, descent and landings. Most of this is unremarkable for an experienced pilot, and it is front-loaded on purpose so the engine-out work has a stable baseline to disturb.
3
Engine-Out Work
The core of the rating. Failures at altitude and in the pattern, identify-verify-feather drills, drag reduction, zero-thrust settings, Vmc demonstrations and single-engine go-arounds treated with the seriousness they deserve. Flown in the practice areas north and west of the field with open ground underneath.
4
Instrument Work, If You Hold The Rating
If you are instrument rated, single-engine approaches, holds and partial-panel work go in here, much of it set up in the Redbird MCX full-motion simulator before it is flown. If you are not instrument rated, that time goes into additional engine-out practice and cross-country work in the twin.
5
Checkride
An oral and a flight test with an FAA examiner. We fly a mock checkride first so the standard is known rather than guessed at. The add-on is $5,100 and the result is multi-engine land privileges added to the certificate you already hold.
Transparent Pricing
Multi-Engine Rating Pricing For Studio City 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 Studio City
15 Minutes And 8 Miles From Studio City
From Studio City it is the 101 west to Balboa Boulevard and then straight north: through Encino, with the golf courses and the Sepulveda Basin on your right, over Victory and Sherman Way, and 7900 Balboa is on the right just before Roscoe. Eight miles, about fifteen minutes. You will be flying over the ground you just drove within the hour.
If you are flying a morning block, leaving Studio City by half seven keeps the westbound 101 moving; it is the eastbound afternoon run home that wants planning. Parking is free in the lot at 7900 Balboa with no structure to hunt through, which matters when you are carrying a flight bag and a Seminole handbook. Check in at Suite 108A.
Book A Discovery Flight
Book Your Discovery Flight From Studio City
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 Ramp
The rating is flown in the Piper Seminole, a PA-44 with counter-rotating propellers, which is why it is the standard multi-engine trainer and why engine-out handling in it is symmetrical rather than lopsided. It rents at $649 an hour once you hold the rating, and it is the same airplane used for our multi-engine discovery flights from $499.
The rest of the fleet is relevant if you are stacking ratings. The Cirrus SR22 Turbo, also $649 an hour, gives you high-performance glass cockpit time. The Piper Arrow II at $349 an hour covers complex single-engine work. The Redbird MCX full-motion simulator takes the repetitive procedural load - failure drills, approaches - off the airplane, which is where you want to run a drill twenty times in an hour.
What You'll See From The Air
What Is Under You During The Engine-Out Work
The practice areas around Van Nuys put recognizable ground under every drill.
🏞️
Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area
A square mile of flood basin, golf course and playing fields immediately southeast of the airport. It is the nearest genuinely open ground to the field, which is exactly why instructors like it underneath a single-engine drill.
⛰️
The Santa Susana Mountains
The ridge line to the north and west of the Valley, where the practice areas sit. Terrain on the horizon is a useful corrective when you are working out single-engine climb performance on a warm afternoon.
🏙️
Ventura Boulevard And The Cahuenga Pass
Off to the southeast, the boulevard runs dead straight along the base of the hills and the pass marks the notch through to Hollywood. A clean visual reference for a position report inbound to Van Nuys.
🌉
The 405 Over The Sepulveda Pass
The freeway climbing out of the Valley toward the Westside is visible from most of the practice area, and it is one of the easiest features to reorient on if a drill has had your attention elsewhere.
Questions From Studio City
Multi-Engine Rating FAQ
It is $5,100 as an add-on to an existing private or commercial certificate. The work is concentrated: a ground block on systems and performance, then engine-out flying, then the checkride. Booking consecutive days matters more than anything else, because the drills degrade quickly if you leave a week between them.
A private or commercial certificate. There is no written exam for the add-on; it is an oral and a flight test with an FAA examiner. If you hold an instrument rating, flying the checkride to instrument standards avoids a VFR-only limitation on the multi-engine privileges. If you do not, we spend that time on engine-out work instead.
Usually, yes. We are open 9 AM to 9 PM seven days a week, so a rating can be flown across consecutive mornings, consecutive evenings, or a run of weekend days. The fifteen-minute drive is what makes a compressed schedule realistic - a rating flown at an airport an hour away has a way of stretching into months.
Yes, at $649 an hour once you hold the rating and are current with us. It is also the aircraft used for the Multi-Engine Discovery Flight, which starts at $499 for an hour, if you want to put someone else in the seat next to you and let them fly it.
In the practice areas north and west of Van Nuys, over the Sepulveda Basin and out toward the Santa Susanas, with a close eye on density altitude in summer. Nothing critical is done low over the built-up parts of the Valley. Departures from Van Nuys put you in position within a few minutes, which keeps billed time on the drills rather than on transit.
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, 15 Minutes From Studio City
If you are already flying and want the twin on your certificate without losing a fortnight to it, this is a fifteen-minute drive and $5,100. Call (818) 290-8249 or come to Suite 108A at 7900 Balboa Boulevard and we will find a run of consecutive days that fits.
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