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.
Private Pilot Licence (PPL) · Van Nuys Airport
Personal Pilot License: What The FAA Actually Issues
There is no FAA certificate called a personal pilot license. The certificate almost everybody means by that phrase is the private pilot licence, universally abbreviated to PPL, and it is the one that lets you fly yourself and your family wherever you like without being paid to do it. Two cheaper certificates also exist, and one of them suits more people than buys it.
5.0★85 reviews on Google
3certificates that permit personal flying
$8,400sport pilot, the cheapest route to flying as pilot in command
$10,900private pilot licence at Van Nuys, published
The Direct Answer
Is There Such A Thing As A Personal Pilot License?
No. The FAA does not issue anything called a personal pilot license, and the phrase appears nowhere in 14 CFR Part 61. What people are describing when they use it is the private pilot certificate — a PPL — which is the certificate that permits flying for personal purposes, carrying passengers, and travelling anywhere in the United States, provided nobody is paying you to do it. 14 CFR 61.109 sets the minimum at 40 hours of flight time and 14 CFR 61.103 sets the minimum age at 17.
Two other certificates also permit purely personal flying and cost less. A sport pilot certificate requires 20 hours under 14 CFR 61.313 and can be exercised on a valid US driver licence instead of a medical certificate, subject to the conditions in 14 CFR 61.23(c)(1) and 61.303(b). A recreational pilot certificate requires 30 hours under 14 CFR 61.99 and sits between the two, though very few people take it and fewer schools teach it.
The other thing worth clearing up: the FAA calls all of them certificates rather than licences. The rest of the English-speaking world says licence, pilots say PPL, and no examiner has ever failed anybody over the word. The distinction only matters when you are searching the regulations, where the term you need is certificate.
The Three Options
Sport, Recreational And Private, Side By Side
Every figure here comes from the regulation named in the row. Choose on the right-hand column, not the price.
| Sport Pilot | Recreational Pilot | Private Pilot (PPL) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum flight hours | 20 — 14 CFR 61.313 | 30 — 14 CFR 61.99 | 40 — 14 CFR 61.109 |
| Minimum age to hold it | 17 — 14 CFR 61.305 | 17 — 14 CFR 61.96 | 17 — 14 CFR 61.103 |
| Medical | US driver licence accepted — 14 CFR 61.23(c)(1), conditions in 61.303(b) | Third class — 14 CFR 61.23 | Third class, or BasicMed under 14 CFR 61.113(i) |
| Passengers | One — 14 CFR 61.315(c)(4) | One — 14 CFR 61.101 | As many as the aircraft seats |
| Night flying | Permitted with the 14 CFR 61.329 training and endorsement, plus a part 67 medical or BasicMed | Not permitted — 14 CFR 61.101 | Permitted, and 3 hours of it are required in training |
| Aircraft you may fly | Aircraft meeting 14 CFR 61.316 — stall speed VS1 of 59 knots CAS or less at maximum certificated takeoff weight, four seats or fewer, unpressurised, fixed gear and fixed or ground-adjustable propeller unless endorsed under 61.331 | Four occupants or fewer, single engine, no more than 180 horsepower, fixed gear — 14 CFR 61.101 | Anything in the category and class on your certificate |
| Distance from home field | No fixed limit; airspace endorsements under 14 CFR 61.325 for Class B, C and D and towered airports | 50 nautical miles without a cross-country endorsement — 14 CFR 61.101 | No limit |
| Weather and altitude | 3 statute miles visibility with visual surface reference; 10,000 ft MSL or 2,000 ft AGL, whichever is higher — 14 CFR 61.315(c) | Day VFR only | Visual conditions until you add an instrument rating |
| Paid to fly | No | No | No — 14 CFR 61.113(a) |
| Our price | $8,400 | Not offered | $10,900 / $15,900 / $22,500 |
We do not teach the recreational certificate and almost nobody does. It costs more hours than a sport pilot certificate, carries tighter limits than a private licence, and still requires a medical — which removes the one real advantage the sport route has. It is in the table because it exists, not because we recommend it.
Choosing
Which Certificate A Person Actually Wants For Personal Flying
Three honest cases, and the question that separates them is not money.
You Want To Fly Yourself And One Other Person, Locally, In Good Weather
Buy the sport pilot certificate. It is 20 hours under 14 CFR 61.313, it costs $8,400 here, and you may exercise it on a valid US driver licence rather than a medical certificate, subject to the conditions in 14 CFR 61.23(c)(1) and 61.303(b). The MOSAIC final rule that took effect on 22 October 2025 widened the aircraft you may fly enormously — the old 1,320-pound weight limit is gone entirely and eligibility now turns on stall speed under 14 CFR 61.316 — and night flying became possible with the training and endorsement in 61.329 plus a medical or BasicMed. The honest limits that remain are one passenger and the visibility and altitude conditions in 61.315(c).
You Want To Take Three People Somewhere, At Night, In Weather That Changes
Buy the private pilot licence. Nothing else does that. The PPL is 40 hours minimum, $10,900 for our Standard programme and $15,900 for the Comprehensive with 60 logged hours, and the 3 hours of night training and 3 hours of instrument training inside 14 CFR 61.109(a) exist precisely because the certificate is meant to be used in real conditions rather than perfect ones. It is also the only one of the three that is a foundation: an instrument rating, a multi-engine rating and eventually a commercial certificate all build on it.
You Are Not Sure Yet
Then do not buy anything. Fly for an hour first. A $229 discovery flight from Van Nuys is a real lesson, logged as dual instruction under 14 CFR 61.51, and it counts toward the 40 hours in 61.109 whichever certificate you eventually choose. The full price comes off any programme if you enrol within 24 hours. Roughly half of the people who sit down with us for a free consultation change their mind about which certificate they want during the conversation, and that is a cheaper place to change it than forty hours in.
Terminology
Four Phrases People Search For That Are Not FAA Terms
None of these exists as a certificate. Here is what each one actually means.
1
Personal Pilot License
A private pilot certificate. 14 CFR 61.113 permits flying for your own purposes and forbids flying for compensation or hire, which is exactly what most people mean by personal.
2
Aircraft Licence
There is no such thing. The aircraft holds an airworthiness certificate and a registration; the person holds the pilot certificate. What people usually mean is the category and class rating on their own certificate.
3
Small Plane Licence
A private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating, which is what over 90 per cent of private pilots hold and what our programmes issue.
4
Pilot Licence Renewal
Certificates do not expire and are never renewed. What lapses is currency: a flight review every 24 calendar months under 14 CFR 61.56 and three takeoffs and landings in 90 days before carrying passengers under 61.57.
What It Costs
Personal Flying, Priced
Fixed package prices with the aircraft, the instructor, ground school, simulator time and books inside them.
Standard Private Pilot
$10,900
40 logged hours, the 14 CFR 61.109 minimum. The certificate most people mean when they say personal pilot license.
- ✓Single-engine Cessna, Piper or Diamond — 38 hrs
- ✓Dual flight instruction — 30 hrs
- ✓Redbird full-motion simulator — 2 hrs
- ✓Ground school — 3 hrs
Most chosen
Comprehensive Private Pilot
$15,900
60 logged hours and ten hours of ground school, which is closer to what a private pilot licence takes most people in practice.
- ✓Single-engine Cessna, Piper or Diamond — 55 hrs
- ✓Dual flight instruction — 50 hrs
- ✓Redbird full-motion simulator — 5 hrs
- ✓Ground school — 10 hrs
Sport Pilot
$8,400
20 hours minimum under 14 CFR 61.313, flown on a valid US driver licence in place of a medical certificate subject to 14 CFR 61.23(c)(1). One passenger, and the aircraft eligibility rules in 61.316.
- ✓Fewer hours, lower total cost
- ✓No medical certificate required, conditions apply
- ✓Converts toward a private licence later
Before any of it, fly for an hour. A discovery flight is a real lesson, logged as dual instruction under 14 CFR 61.51, and the full price comes off any programme if you enrol within 24 hours.
Enrolled students fly single-engine aircraft at $179 an hour, wet. That is the only hourly figure we publish. Financing from $2,500 down through Stratus Financial or our in-house payment plans. Premium Private Pilot, flown in the Cirrus SR22 Turbo, is $22,500.
$500 off any private pilot program this summer. Standard $10,400 · Comprehensive $15,400 · Premium $22,000. Ask when you enroll.
What People Say
5.0 Stars, 85 Google Reviews
Three things repeat across our reviews on Google.
★
The Briefing, Not The View
The most repeated compliment is about the twenty minutes at the table before the engine starts, not the aircraft.
★
Lessons That Actually Happen
Eleven instructors and a fleet we own outright, which is why a lesson booked for Tuesday happens on Tuesday.
★
The Number Does Not Move
You enrol at $10,900 and you finish at $10,900. Reviewers mention this constantly.
Step One
One Hour Decides This Better Than A Comparison Table
A $229 discovery flight from Van Nuys is a real lesson. You fly the aircraft, a CFI is legally pilot in command under 14 CFR 91.3(a), the hour is logged as dual instruction and counts toward the 40 hours in 14 CFR 61.109, and the price comes off any programme if you enrol within 24 hours. Call (818) 290-8249, or sit down with us for free and work out which certificate you actually want.
Discovery Flight For One
$229
60 minutes · you fly the aircraft · credited in full on enrolment within 24 hours
Book A Discovery Flight
Or Call (818) 290-8249
Keep Reading
The Private Pilot Licence
Private Pilot License (PPL): The Complete GuidePPL Pilot: What The Licence Lets You DoPrivate Pilot License RequirementsHow To Get Your Pilot LicencePPL Flying After The Checkride
FAQ
Personal Pilot Licence Questions
A private pilot certificate, abbreviated everywhere to PPL. The FAA uses the word certificate rather than licence, and the requirements sit in 14 CFR 61.103 for eligibility and 14 CFR 61.109 for the 40 hours of flight experience.
$10,900 at Van Nuys for the Standard private pilot programme with 40 logged hours, $15,900 for the Comprehensive with 60, and $22,500 for the Premium flown in a Cirrus SR22 Turbo. A sport pilot certificate, which permits personal flying with one passenger, is $8,400.
Three to six months flying two or three times a week. 14 CFR 61.109 sets a 40-hour minimum and AOPA puts what students actually need at between 50 and 70 hours. Cadence decides it more than anything else: one lesson a fortnight means paying to relearn the last one.
For a private pilot certificate, yes — at least third class under 14 CFR 61.23, or BasicMed under 14 CFR 61.113(i). For a sport pilot certificate you may use a valid US driver licence instead, under 14 CFR 61.23(c)(1) and subject to the conditions in 61.303(b). A medical is not needed for dual instruction, only before solo.
Yes. The certificate permits flying any aircraft in the category and class on it, whether you own it, rent it or share it. There is no separate owner qualification. What you will meet instead is an insurance minimum on total time and time on type.
A sport pilot certificate at $8,400, which needs 20 hours under 14 CFR 61.313 and no medical certificate if you hold a valid US driver licence. The limits are real — one passenger under 14 CFR 61.315(c)(4), and the aircraft eligibility rules in 61.316 — so it suits some people completely and others not at all.
Yes, and 14 CFR 61.109(a)(2) requires 3 hours of night flight training including a cross-country of over 100 nautical miles and 10 takeoffs and 10 landings to a full stop before the certificate is issued. Carrying passengers at night additionally requires three full-stop night landings in the preceding 90 days under 14 CFR 61.57(b).
It requires 30 hours under 14 CFR 61.99 and limits you under 14 CFR 61.101 to one passenger, an aircraft with four occupants or fewer, a single engine of not more than 180 horsepower and fixed gear, daytime flight only, and 50 nautical miles from the departure airport without a cross-country endorsement. It still needs a medical, which removes the sport certificate’s main advantage. Very few people take it.
No. The certificate has no expiry date. To act as pilot in command you need a flight review within the preceding 24 calendar months under 14 CFR 61.56, and to carry passengers you need three takeoffs and landings within 90 days under 14 CFR 61.57.
At Van Nuys Airport, 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A, open 9am to 9pm seven days. We are a Part 61 school flying Cessna, Piper and Diamond single-engine trainers plus a Cirrus SR22 Turbo, with a Redbird MCX full-motion simulator on the field. 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
Seventy 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.