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.
Night Flight · The City As A Grid Of Light
Los Angeles City Lights Night Flight
After dark, Los Angeles stops being a sprawl and becomes something else entirely — a hundred miles of light laid out edge to edge, freeways running through it like circuitry, the downtown towers standing up out of the middle. From 3,000 feet you can see it all at once. And you are the one flying.
Courses & Pricing
Every Course 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
Multi-Engine Rating
For existing pilots adding a twin.
$5,100
04
Solo Certificate
Enough training to take an aircraft around the pattern alone.
$5,500
05
Sport Pilot
A real certificate, fewer hours, narrower privileges.
$8,400
06
Private Pilot Most Enrolled
The one most people mean by “learn to fly.”
$10,900
07
Instrument Rating
Turns a fair-weather pilot into a useful one.
$11,700
08
Comprehensive Private Pilot
Private with flight time, ground instruction and materials bundled.
$15,900
09
Premium Private Pilot
The most flight time before your checkride - 80 logged hours.
$22,500
10
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
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...
~100 miof lit basin visible on a clear night
18 milesfrom Van Nuys to downtown
5.0★100+ reviews on Google
$299two people, 60 minutes
The Route
What A Night Flight Over LA Actually Looks Like
The Valley, First
Van Nuys after dark is its own thing — a lit runway, blue taxiway edge lights, and the business jets on the east ramp with their strobes going. You climb out over the Valley and the whole floor of it is amber street light in a perfect grid, cut through by the 405 and the 101.
Over The Hill To Hollywood
Crossing the Santa Monica Mountains at night is the moment people go quiet. The hills themselves are dark — Griffith Park is a black hole in the middle of the map — and then you come over the ridge and the entire LA basin appears at once, from the Hollywood Hills all the way to the ocean. The Griffith Observatory sits lit on its shoulder of the hill. The Hollywood Sign is floodlit and legible from the air.
Downtown
The DTLA towers are the only vertical thing in a flat city, and at night they read as a single cluster of light standing up out of everything else. The US Bank Tower, the Wilshire Grand's lit spire, City Hall. Beyond them, the Coliseum and SoFi Stadium — and if there is an event on, SoFi's roof glows like a lantern from twenty miles away.
The Long Way Home
Turn west and you get the Santa Monica shoreline as a hard bright line with absolute blackness on the other side of it, which is the Pacific. LAX is off to the south with a steady procession of landing lights on final. Then back over the hill to Van Nuys, where your instructor puts it on the runway.
Why It Works
Night Is The Smoothest Air Of The Day — And Almost Nobody Knows It
Turbulence in Southern California is mostly thermal: the ground heats through the day, the warm air rises in columns, and aircraft flying through them get bumped. That process shuts down after the sun goes down. By an hour after sunset the air over the basin is usually as still as it gets, which makes a night flight one of the calmest experiences we offer — better even than early morning on most evenings.
That is a genuinely useful fact if you or the person you are bringing is nervous about small aircraft. The two things people fear most about a light aircraft are turbulence and not being able to see. A night flight over Los Angeles has essentially no turbulence and, thanks to the most comprehensively lit metropolitan area on the West Coast, extraordinary visual reference in every direction.
It is also the flight that photographs best with the least effort. Long exposures are impossible from a moving aircraft, but modern phones handle a lit city at night far better than they handle a hazy one at noon.
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.
Safety
What Makes A Night Flight Safe
Night flying is a distinct discipline with its own FAA requirements. Every one of them is met before the aircraft moves.
🌙
Night-Current Instructors
Carrying passengers at night requires specific recent experience under FAR 61.57(b). Your instructor holds it, and flies the takeoff and landing.
💡
Full Night Equipment
Position lights, anti-collision beacon, landing light, lit instruments and a working electrical system — all required by FAR 91.205(c) and all verified on the preflight.
🗼
Towered, Lit Airport
Van Nuys operates a control tower into the evening with a fully lit runway and taxiway system, and the whole route sits inside controlled airspace.
✈
100-Hour Inspections
Under FAR 91.409(b), aircraft used for flight instruction for hire are inspected every 100 flight hours in addition to the annual inspection.
🏙
The Most Lit Basin In The West
Night flying is hardest over dark, featureless terrain. Los Angeles is the opposite — continuous ground lighting and visible horizon in every direction.
🪂
Parachute On The Cirrus
CAPS, the SR22T's rocket-deployed whole-airframe parachute, is standard equipment and works day or night.
FAQ
Night Flight Questions
Yes. Night flight is a normal part of general aviation and part of every private pilot's required training. Our instructors are night-current under FAR 61.57(b), the aircraft carry the equipment required by FAR 91.205(c), and Van Nuys is a lit, towered airport.
Night flying carries different considerations — reduced visual reference and fewer options in an emergency — which is why it requires additional currency and equipment. Over Los Angeles specifically, most of that concern is offset: the basin is continuously lit, the horizon is visible, and the airport is towered and lit. Your instructor is pilot in command and flies both the takeoff and the landing.
Usually the opposite. Thermal turbulence stops when the ground stops heating, so an hour after sunset the air over LA is typically the smoothest it gets all day. Night is our recommendation for anyone nervous about turbulence.
Any time from about 30 minutes after sunset onwards. That means from roughly 5:30pm in winter and around 8:45pm in midsummer. Winter is the easy season for this flight — you can be airborne over a fully lit city and home before dinner.
Yes. Your instructor takes off and lands; you fly the cruise portion, which is the majority of the flight. Flying at night is in some ways easier — the airplane behaves identically and the visual references are extremely clear over a lit city.
Better than people expect. Modern phone cameras handle a lit city at night well, and shooting through a clean side window at 3,000 feet with the cabin lights dimmed gets good results. Your instructor will dim the panel for you.
Talk To Us
A Hundred Miles Of Light, And You Are Flying It
Book online or call (818) 290-8249. Winter evenings are the easiest to schedule — dark by 5:30pm and the smoothest air of the day.
Luxury Cirrus
$599
60 minutes over the lit city, two people, you fly it
Book The Cirrus
Or Call (818) 290-8249
No Cost, No Obligation
Get The Full Training Plan And Price Sheet
The three private pilot packages, what each one includes, the financing options and a realistic timeline built around how often you can actually fly. Sent to you in one email. Nobody will pressure you.
- Every package price, itemised
- Financing from $2,500 down
- A timeline based on your schedule
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
★★★★★
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...
See Discovery Flight Details — $229
Reviews shown verbatim, exactly as each reviewer published them.
Aviation News
Latest From The Field
Notes from the flight line at Van Nuys — weather, regulation changes, checkride questions and the cost of training, written up as they come.
Van Nuys Airport · KVNY
(818) 290-8249
7900 Balboa Blvd. Suite 108A
Van Nuys, CA 91406 Get directions →
Open the full contact page
Open 7 days · 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Los Angeles Flight School7900 Balboa Blvd. Suite 108A
Van Nuys, CA 91406 Get directions →
★★★★★
5.0 · 100+ Google reviews