Both routes end at the same FAA certificate, taken with the same examiner, against the same Airman Certification Standards. The difference is not quality. It is who holds a certificate, how the syllabus is sequenced, and three situations where Part 141 is not optional.
Our Courses
Ten programs flown out of Van Nuys Airport, with real pricing on every one. Start with an hour at the controls, or go straight through to airline-hireable qualifications — it is the same ladder either way.
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
Rating
For pilots already certificated who are adding a twin. Trained in our own Piper Seminole.
$5,100 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
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.
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
$399Book Or Gift
Same Price
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
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 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...
Every pilot certificate issued in the United States is issued under 14 CFR part 61. Yours will be too. Part 61 sets the age, the knowledge areas, the aeronautical experience and the practical test for every certificate and rating there is, and no school can opt out of it.
Part 141 is something a school holds. Under 14 CFR 141.3 a school may not advertise or operate as a certificated pilot school without one, and 14 CFR 141.5 sets out what it takes to get one: the school runs first as a provisional school, then applies inside 24 calendar months having graduated at least ten students and having shown that at least 80 percent of them passed the relevant test on the first attempt. The training itself then runs against a course outline the FAA has approved in advance under 14 CFR 141.53 and 141.55.
So the honest framing is not Part 61 versus Part 141. It is Part 61 alone, or Part 61 delivered inside an FAA-approved course. The certificate that arrives in the post is word for word the same document, and it does not record which one you did.
We are a Part 61 school. We do not hold a Part 141 pilot school certificate and we will not imply otherwise. That matters for three specific groups of people, and this page says plainly which ones, because sending someone down the wrong route wastes a year of their life.
These are the parts of 14 CFR 141 a student never sees but pays for. They are real obligations, and they are the substance of what the certificate buys.
Under 14 CFR 141.53 and 141.55 the school submits a training course outline, lesson by lesson, and the FAA approves it before a student flies it. The order of lessons is fixed. A Part 61 instructor writes the same syllabus, but nobody outside the school has signed it off.
14 CFR 141.35 sets minimum hours and instructional experience for the chief instructor and requires them to pass a knowledge and proficiency test on teaching methods and the applicable regulations. 14 CFR 141.79 adds an annual refresher and recurrent proficiency checks for the instructors under them.
Approved courses are broken into stages with checks between them, and 14 CFR 141.95 requires a graduation certificate at the end. That certificate is the document a VA education benefit or an M-1 visa file is built around.
14 CFR 141.93 requires the school to give every enrolled student a certificate of enrollment, a copy of the syllabus and its safety procedures. 14 CFR 141.101 sets what the training record must contain and how long it is kept.
14 CFR 141.21 lets the FAA inspect the school at any reasonable time. 14 CFR 141.23 restricts what the school may say about its certificate. That last one is why we are careful with the words on this page.
14 CFR 141.5 requires the school to show that at least 80 percent of its students passed on the first attempt over the qualifying period before the FAA issues the certificate. It is a condition on the school, not a prediction about you, and no school — ours included — should present a school-level statistic as your personal odds.
Four rows, and only one of them changes what most people pay. Every figure below is the regulation, not an estimate.
| Certificate or rating | Part 61 minimum | Part 141 approved-course minimum |
|---|---|---|
| Private pilot, airplane single-engine | 40 hours total flight time, 14 CFR 61.109(a) | 35 hours of flight training, Part 141 Appendix B, section 4(a)(1) |
| Instrument rating, airplane | 50 hours cross-country as PIC plus 40 hours actual or simulated instrument time, 14 CFR 61.65(d) | 35 hours of instrument training, Part 141 Appendix C, section 4(a)(1) |
| Commercial pilot, airplane single-engine | 250 hours total time, 14 CFR 61.129(a) | 120 hours of flight training in the approved course, Appendix D section 4(a)(1); Appendix D sets no total-time figure of its own |
| Flight instructor | 15 hours PIC in the category and class, 14 CFR 61.183 | Part 141 Appendix F course, no lower total-time floor |
Read the first row again, because it is the one everybody quotes and the one that matters least. Five hours is roughly one and a half lessons. The national average for a private pilot certificate sits well above both numbers — AOPA puts it at 50 to 70 hours — so for the overwhelming majority of private students the 35-hour minimum is a number they fly straight past without noticing.
The third row is different in kind rather than in size. Part 141 Appendix D sets 35 hours of ground training and 120 hours of flight training in the approved course and no total-time figure of its own, so what it buys is sequencing and stage checks rather than a discount on the 250 hours in 14 CFR 61.129(a). The 190-hour total usually attached to Part 141 is not a Part 141 provision at all: 14 CFR 61.129(i)(3) grants it to an applicant who satisfactorily completed an approved commercial pilot course under part 142, and the string 141 does not appear anywhere in 14 CFR 61.129.
We would rather lose the inquiry than take money from somebody we cannot actually serve.
38 CFR 21.4263 requires a flight course to be offered by a school holding a valid FAA pilot school certificate or provisional certificate under 14 CFR part 141 before it can be approved for chapter 30 and chapter 33 benefits. A Part 61 school cannot be approved. If your funding is VA, you need a Part 141 school, full stop. Our page on GI Bill flight training gives the honest version of what the benefit does and does not cover.
SEVP policy guidance 1207-04, issued under 8 CFR 214.3, states that flight training providers must be FAA Part 141 or Part 142 certificated to obtain or keep SEVP certification, and that losing the FAA certificate automatically withdraws the SEVP one. No Part 141 certificate means no I-20, which means no M-1 visa. See our international student pilot guide for what a visitor on a B-1 or B-2 may and may not do.
An approved commercial course is built on Part 141 Appendix D — 35 hours of ground training under section 3(a)(1) and 120 hours of flight training under section 4(a)(1) — with stage checks written into the syllabus, and a school that also holds examining authority under 14 CFR 141.63 can test its own graduates. What Part 141 does not give you is the 190-hour commercial route people expect: 14 CFR 61.129(i)(3) attaches that figure to an approved commercial pilot course under part 142, and the string 141 does not appear in 14 CFR 61.129 at all. Ask to see the approved course outline and the stage-check schedule before you pay a deposit.
Part 61 lets an instructor teach the syllabus in the order that suits the student in front of them. If the marine layer is in and the pattern work is unflyable, we go and do the instrument-reference hours from 14 CFR 61.109(a)(3) instead. An approved course sequences lessons in advance, and moving them is a paperwork event.
It also lets you change instructor, change aircraft or change pace without leaving anything. There is no stage-check gate to repeat. For somebody flying around a job, a family or a shooting schedule — which is most of Los Angeles — that flexibility is worth more than five hours of paper minimum.
One asymmetry is worth knowing before you commit either way. 14 CFR 141.77 caps what an approved course may credit from previous training: not more than 50 percent of the requirements if the earlier training came from another approved course, and not more than 25 percent if it did not, and the receiving school must test you to grant even that. Moving from Part 141 to Part 61 costs you nothing, because Part 61 counts every hour in your logbook. Moving the other way can cost you real training you have already paid for.
The downside of Part 61 is that the discipline is ours to supply rather than the FAA’s to audit. A weak Part 61 school has nothing forcing it to be better. That is a fair criticism and the answer to it is not a regulation number — it is the instructor, the aircraft availability and whether the school will show you a written syllabus when you ask. Ask us. We will show you.
The knowledge areas in 14 CFR 61.105, the areas of operation in 14 CFR 61.107(b)(1) and the aeronautical experience in 14 CFR 61.109 are the same requirements whichever part the school trains you under. Appendix B to Part 141 is a re-packaging of them, not a different standard.
The practical test is the same test. A Designated Pilot Examiner works from the FAA Private Pilot Airman Certification Standards, FAA-S-ACS-6, and 14 CFR 61.43 requires you to perform every task to that standard with sound judgment. Failing any single area of operation fails the test, under either part.
The knowledge test is the same test. Sixty questions, two hours, a minimum passing score of 70, per the FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix effective 22 October 2025. Our private pilot written exam guide covers it properly.
And the plastic certificate is identical. It records your name, your certificate number, the certificate level and the ratings. There is no field for the part you trained under, and no employer has ever asked. Airlines look at certificates, ratings, total time and checkride records.
We own and maintain what we teach in, which is the part of a Part 61 school that actually decides how fast you finish. Availability, not the regulation on the wall, is what sets your pace.
Single-engine training on the Standard and Comprehensive programs is flown in the Cessna, Piper and Diamond aircraft. The Premium program is flown in the Cirrus SR22 Turbo.
A Part 141 course has stage checks written into it. A Part 61 school has to build the same discipline itself, and the Redbird MCX is where we do most of it.
Simulator hours are inside every private pilot program — 2 hours on Standard and Premium, 5 hours on Comprehensive. A single session is $189 if you want to try one first.
A Part 141 certificate does not put a better instructor in the right seat. It vets one chief instructor under 14 CFR 141.35 and requires recurrent checks under 14 CFR 141.79. Everything below that is the school’s own doing, under either part.
Every instructor here holds a commercial or airline transport pilot certificate plus a CFI and a current medical, and is legally pilot in command on every training flight. There are eleven of them, which is the practical answer to the scheduling question a Part 141 syllabus is supposed to solve. You are matched to one, and you can change if the fit is wrong.
If you want to see the syllabus before you pay anything, ask on the free consultation and we will put it in front of you.
On Google, the same three things come up again and again.
The most repeated compliment in our Google reviews is not the aircraft and it is not the price. It is the debrief.
Eleven instructors and a fleet we own means the lesson happens on the day we said it would.
The number you enroll at is the number you finish at. Reviewers mention it constantly.
One number per program, published, and the same number at the end as at the start. Financing starts from $2,500 down.
40 hours logged. Single-engine Cessna, Piper or Diamond, 30 hours dual, 2 hours Redbird, 3 hours ground school, books included.
60 hours logged. The margin most students actually use, with 10 hours of ground school and 5 hours in the simulator.
40 hours logged in the Cirrus SR22 Turbo, glass cockpit throughout, with the whole-airframe CAPS parachute.
Thirty minutes, free, at Van Nuys or on the phone. We will go through what you want to fly, what Part 61 training looks like on your schedule, and whether a Part 141 course would serve you better. If it would, we will tell you.
Part 61 is the section of the federal aviation regulations that sets the requirements for every US pilot certificate. Part 141 is a separate certificate a school holds under 14 CFR 141.3, allowing it to train against a course outline the FAA approved in advance. The pilot certificate you earn is identical either way, and it does not record which route you took.
No. The knowledge areas in 14 CFR 61.105, the areas of operation in 14 CFR 61.107 and the practical test standards are the same under both. What differs is structure and audit, not the standard you are tested to. A good instructor at a Part 61 school beats a weak one at a Part 141 school every time.
On paper, five hours for a private pilot certificate — 35 hours under Part 141 Appendix B against 40 hours under 14 CFR 61.109(a). Most students fly past both; AOPA puts the national average at 50 to 70 hours. At commercial level there is no Part 141 total-time relief: Part 141 Appendix D sets 35 hours of ground training and 120 hours of flight training and no total-time figure, and the 190-hour route in 14 CFR 61.129(i)(3) belongs to an approved commercial pilot course under part 142.
We are a Part 61 school. We do not hold a Part 141 pilot school certificate. That means we cannot accept VA or GI Bill education benefits and cannot issue an I-20 for an M-1 student visa, and we will say so before you spend anything rather than after.
Yes. 38 CFR 21.4263 requires a flight course to be offered by a school holding a valid FAA pilot school certificate or provisional certificate under 14 CFR part 141 for approval under chapters 30 and 33. There is no Part 61 route to VA-funded flight training.
Yes. SEVP policy guidance 1207-04, issued under 8 CFR 214.3, requires flight training providers to hold FAA Part 141 or Part 142 certification to obtain or maintain SEVP certification. Without SEVP certification a school cannot issue the I-20 an M-1 visa application is built on.
Yes, and it costs you nothing. Part 61 counts every hour properly logged in your logbook. Moving the other way is where the loss sits: 14 CFR 141.77 caps credit for previous training at 50 percent of the course requirements if the earlier training came from another approved course, and 25 percent if it did not.
No. Airlines evaluate certificates, ratings, total flight time and checkride records. The pilot certificate itself has no field recording which part you trained under, and an unrestricted ATP still requires 1,500 hours under 14 CFR 61.159 either way.
Used precisely, it means the school holds a Part 141 certificate and its course outlines were approved under 14 CFR 141.53. Used loosely, it often means nothing more than that the instructors hold FAA certificates, which is true of every school in the country. If it matters to you, ask to see the pilot school certificate itself — 14 CFR 141.19 requires it to be displayed.
For a private pilot certificate the difference is usually noise, because both routes end up in the same 50 to 70 hour band. What actually moves the number is how often you fly. Two or three lessons a week finishes far closer to the minimum than one lesson a fortnight, under either part. Our Standard private pilot program is $10,900.
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.
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.
Aviation News
Notes from the flight line at Van Nuys — weather, regulation changes, checkride questions and the cost of training, written up as they come.
Open 7 days · 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Los Angeles Flight School
