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 · Van Nuys Airport, Los Angeles
PPL: What a Private Pilot License Is, and What It Lets You Do
PPL stands for private pilot licence. In the United States the FAA calls it a certificate, and it is the certificate that lets you fly an aeroplane yourself, carry passengers, and go where you like — but never for hire. This page is what it permits, what it forbids, and what it takes to get one.
14 CFR 61.113 privileges14 CFR 61.109 requirementsNo compensation or hireFrom $10,900 at Van Nuys
17minimum age to hold a private pilot certificate
40hours minimum under 14 CFR 61.109(a)
5.0★70 reviews on Google
$10,900private pilot programme at Van Nuys, fixed
The term
PPL means private pilot licence, and the FAA calls it something else
PPL is the everyday abbreviation for a private pilot licence. The FAA does not use the word licence anywhere in the regulations — the document is a private pilot certificate, issued under 14 CFR Part 61 — but the abbreviation is universal, the British spelling turns up as often as the American one, and no examiner has ever failed anyone for saying licence.
The important thing is what sits on the plastic. A pilot certificate carries a level (private, commercial, airline transport) and one or more category and class ratings that say what you may fly. The commonest is aeroplane single-engine land. Adding aeroplane multi-engine land later is a rating, not a new certificate, which is why our multi-engine add-on is $5,100 rather than the price of starting again.
The certificate itself does not expire. What lapses is currency. Under 14 CFR 61.56 you need a flight review with an instructor every 24 calendar months, and under 14 CFR 61.57 you need three takeoffs and landings in the preceding 90 days before carrying passengers. A pilot who has not flown in three years still holds the certificate. They just cannot legally use it until they have flown with an instructor again.
What it lets you do
14 CFR 61.113: the privileges, and the one sentence that limits them
The whole of private pilot privilege is built on a single restriction, and everything else in the regulation is an exception carved out of it.
14 CFR 61.113(a) says it plainly: no person who holds a private pilot certificate may act as pilot in command of an aircraft that is carrying passengers or property for compensation or hire, and no such person may, for compensation or hire, act as pilot in command of an aircraft. That is the wall. A private pilot certificate is permission to fly for your own purposes, not permission to be paid to fly.
Inside that wall the freedom is enormous, and people consistently underestimate it. You can carry passengers. You can fly at night. You can fly anywhere in the country, land at almost any public airport, and file no plan at all in visual conditions. You can rent an aeroplane in another state and take it for a week. Nothing about the certificate restricts you to a local area, to daylight, or to one aircraft.
The regulation then carves out specific exceptions. Under 61.113(c) a private pilot may pay no less than the pro rata share of the operating expenses of a flight with passengers, provided the expenses involve only fuel, oil, airport expenditures or rental fees — so a genuine cost-shared flight with three friends is legal, and the pilot must pay at least a quarter of it. Under 61.113(b) a private pilot may act as pilot in command of an aircraft in connection with a business or employment, if the flight is only incidental to that business and the aircraft carries no passengers or property for compensation. There are further exceptions for charitable airlift, aircraft salesmen and glider towing.
The practical test people get wrong: it is not about money changing hands. It is about being paid for the act of flying. Splitting the fuel bill with the people in the back is not that. Taking a fee to fly them somewhere is.
✓
What a PPL lets you do
Act as pilot in command. Carry passengers. Fly at night. Fly cross-country anywhere in the United States. Share the pro rata cost of a flight with your passengers under 61.113(c). Add ratings later — instrument, multi-engine, seaplane — on the same certificate.
✗
What it does not let you do
Fly for compensation or hire. Fly passengers or cargo commercially. Instruct for money. Fly in instrument meteorological conditions without an instrument rating. Fly a multi-engine aeroplane without the multi-engine class rating.
↗
What comes next
The instrument rating at $11,700 is the one that changes what the certificate is worth in Los Angeles, because a marine layer stops being a cancellation. A commercial certificate under 14 CFR 61.129 requires 250 hours and removes the compensation restriction.
What it takes
The requirements, from 14 CFR 61.103 and 61.109
Two regulations cover it. One is about you, the other is about your logbook.
14 CFR 61.103 — eligibility. Be at least 17 years old. Read, speak, write and understand English. Hold at least a third-class medical certificate, or meet the BasicMed requirements. Receive the required training and an endorsement from an authorised instructor. Pass the aeronautical knowledge test and the practical test. There is no upper age limit and there never has been.
14 CFR 61.109(a) — aeronautical experience for a single-engine aeroplane: 40 hours of flight time, including at least 20 hours of flight training from an authorised instructor and at least 10 hours of solo flight. Inside the dual: 3 hours of cross-country, 3 hours at night including one cross-country over 100 nautical miles and ten takeoffs and ten landings, 3 hours of instrument training, and 3 hours of practical test preparation within the two calendar months before the test. Inside the solo: 5 hours of cross-country, one cross-country of at least 150 nautical miles with landings at three points and one leg of at least 50 nautical miles, and three takeoffs and landings at an airport with an operating control tower.
Two more regulations shape the course without setting hour totals. 14 CFR 61.105 lists the aeronautical knowledge areas you must be taught before the written test. 14 CFR 61.107 lists the areas of operation you must be proficient in before the practical test, which is the list the examiner works through on the day.
Forty hours is a legal minimum and not a forecast. The national average sits nearer 60 to 70, which is why our Comprehensive programme at $15,900 logs 60 hours rather than 40. The reasoning, and what each programme includes, is set out on the PPL cost page.
Against the alternatives
Private pilot, sport pilot and commercial pilot, side by side
Three certificates, three different jobs. Most people who ask about a PPL should be asking whether a sport pilot certificate does what they actually want.
| Private Pilot | Sport Pilot | Commercial Pilot | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum age to hold it | 17 | 17 | 18 |
| Minimum flight hours | 40 — 14 CFR 61.109 | 20 — 14 CFR 61.313 | 250 — 14 CFR 61.129 |
| Medical certificate | Third class, or BasicMed | US driver licence accepted | Second class |
| Passengers | As many as the aircraft seats | One | As many as the aircraft seats |
| Night flying | Yes | No | Yes |
| Class B, C and D airspace | Yes | With an endorsement | Yes |
| Paid to fly | No | No | Yes, within 14 CFR 61.133 |
| Aircraft you may fly | Anything in your category and class rating | Light sport aircraft only | Anything in your category and class rating |
| Our price | $10,900 / $15,900 / $22,500 | $8,400 | Part of the $89,000 airline track |
A sport pilot certificate is a real certificate with real limits, and for someone who wants to fly themselves and one other person on clear days it does the job for $8,400. Read the detail on the sport pilot license page before you assume the private certificate is the obvious answer.
The honest part
What a private pilot licence is not
It is not a career step by itself. An airline job needs a commercial certificate, an instrument rating, a multi-engine rating and, for an unrestricted airline transport pilot certificate, 1,500 hours under 14 CFR 61.159. The private certificate is the first of those, and the distance from it to a flight deck is measured in years, not months. We do not place anybody in a job and we publish no statistics about how many people finish.
It is also not, on its own, a licence to fly in weather. A private pilot without an instrument rating is restricted to visual meteorological conditions, and in Los Angeles that means the marine layer decides for you on about ten mornings a year. The instrument rating at $11,700 is what removes that constraint, and most people who use their certificate regularly end up buying it.
And it is not a qualification you can leave in a drawer. Currency under 14 CFR 61.57 and a flight review every two years under 61.56 are the maintenance schedule. Flying six times a year is legal and is not the same as being good at it. The people who get the most out of a private pilot certificate treat the checkride as the start of the learning rather than the end of it.
The route
From nothing to a private pilot certificate, in order
Six stages. Nobody does them strictly in sequence, but this is the shape of it.
01
Fly one hour first
A $229 discovery flight, with you at the controls and a CFI as pilot in command. The hour is logged as dual instruction under 14 CFR 61.51 and counts toward the 40. Do this before you spend anything larger.
02
Get the medical done
A third-class medical certificate from an FAA-designated aviation medical examiner, or BasicMed. Not needed for dual instruction, needed before solo under 14 CFR 61.23. Deal with it in the first fortnight so that a deferral does not ambush you later.
03
Pre-solo training and the solo
Around 15 to 25 hours for most people. Airwork, stalls, emergency procedures, and enough landings that the instructor stops talking. The first solo is three circuits with an empty right seat and it is the day everyone remembers.
04
The written test
The FAA knowledge test, sat at an approved testing centre with your instructor’s endorsement. Ground school covers the 14 CFR 61.105 knowledge areas: 3 hours on the Standard programme, 10 on the Comprehensive.
05
Cross-country and night
The 61.109 requirements proper — the 150-nautical-mile solo cross-country, the 100-nautical-mile night dual, the instrument time. This is the stage where flying stops being circuits and starts being travel.
06
The checkride
An oral examination and a flight test with a designated pilot examiner, against the areas of operation in 14 CFR 61.107. Your instructor endorses you when you are ready, and a good one will not send you early to clear the schedule.
The fleet
The aircraft a private pilot certificate is earned in here
All ours, all inspected on our schedule. Under 14 CFR 91.409(b) an aeroplane used for instruction for hire carries a 100-hour inspection on top of its annual.
Single-engine training on the Standard and Comprehensive programmes is flown in the Cessna, Piper and Diamond aircraft. The Premium programme is flown in the Cirrus SR22 Turbo. The Piper Seminole is the twin for the $5,100 multi-engine class rating.
Redbird MCX
The three hours of instrument training in 61.109, without the weather
A Redbird MCX: full motion, fully enclosed, FAA-approved. Instrument scan, radio work, procedures and emergencies, none of which need an aeroplane to learn badly in.
Two hours of simulator sit inside the Standard and Premium programmes and five inside the Comprehensive. A stand-alone session is $189 and is the cheapest hour of instruction we sell.
Your instructor
The instructor signs the endorsement, which makes the choice matter
Every training flight toward a private pilot certificate is legally commanded by your instructor under 14 CFR 91.3(a), and every stage of the process needs their signature: the solo endorsement, the knowledge test endorsement, the practical test endorsement. Nothing moves without it.
All eleven of our instructors hold a commercial or ATP certificate plus a CFI and a current medical. They fly here as a career rather than treating the school as a waiting room, which shows up mostly in the debrief — the twenty minutes at the table where an instructor tells you exactly what your hands did and why the aeroplane responded that way.
You are matched to one and you can change if the fit is wrong. Say so at the desk. Nobody will be offended and it is a better outcome than quietly flying less often.
What people say
5.0 Stars, 70 Reviews
The compliment that repeats is not about the aircraft or the price. It is about the briefing table.
★
The briefing, not the view
The line that repeats through our Google reviews is about the twenty minutes at the table before the engine starts. People remember being told what was about to happen before it happened.
★
Lessons that actually happen
Eleven instructors and a fleet we own. Reviewers mention scheduling more often than they mention the aircraft, which tells you what most people find hard about learning to fly.
★
The number does not move
You book at $229 and that is what it costs. Nobody writes a five-star review about a surprise invoice, and the absence of one comes up constantly.
All 70 of those reviews are on Google. We do not aggregate a rating from anywhere else and we do not publish a figure we cannot point at.
What it costs here
Private pilot programmes at Van Nuys, with the hours written in
Fixed prices. The hours are part of the price rather than a variable added on afterwards.
Standard Private Pilot
$10,900
Forty logged hours, meeting the 14 CFR 61.109 minimum. Right for someone flying two or three times a week with time to study between lessons.
- Single-engine (Cessna · Piper · Diamond)38 hrs
- Redbird full-motion simulator2 hrs
- Dual flight instruction30 hrs
- Ground school3 hrs
- Books & training materialsIncluded
Most chosen
Comprehensive Private Pilot
$15,900
Sixty logged hours and ten hours of ground school, which is closer to the 60 to 70 hours a private pilot certificate actually takes most people.
- Single-engine (Cessna · Piper · Diamond)55 hrs
- Redbird full-motion simulator5 hrs
- Dual flight instruction50 hrs
- Ground school10 hrs
- Books & training materialsIncluded
Premium Private Pilot
$22,500
The same syllabus flown in the Cirrus SR22 Turbo with a glass cockpit and a whole-airframe parachute. Buy it if you intend to fly something like it afterwards.
- Cirrus SR22 Turbo (glass cockpit)38 hrs
- Redbird full-motion simulator2 hrs
- Dual flight instruction30 hrs
- Ground school3 hrs
- Books & training materialsIncluded
The alternatives, and the first step
Sport Pilot
$8,400
Twenty hours minimum under 14 CFR 61.313, one passenger, day VFR, no medical certificate needed with a valid US driver licence. Less certificate, much less money, and the right answer for more people than buy it.
Instrument Rating
$11,700
Added to a private pilot certificate. Removes the visual-conditions restriction, which in Los Angeles is what makes the certificate usable all year.
Start here
Discovery Flight For One
$229 / 60 min
An hour in the left seat before any of the above. Logged as dual instruction and credited in full against any programme if you enrol within 24 hours.
Multi-Engine add-on $5,100. Solo Certificate $5,500. Teens aged 10 to 15 $4,200. Zero to airline $89,000, with an unrestricted ATP still requiring 1,500 hours under 14 CFR 61.159. Financing from $2,500 down through Stratus Financial or our in-house plans. Enrolled students fly single-engine aircraft at $179 an hour wet inside their package. Aircraft are available to qualified pilots who have checked out with us — call for availability.
$500 off any private pilot program this summer. Standard $10,400 · Comprehensive $15,400 · Premium $22,000. Ask when you enroll.
Next step
Read the regulation, then go and fly for an hour
A private pilot certificate is a serious commitment of time and money, and no page settles the question of wanting one. Sixty minutes with your hands on the controls does. It is logged, it counts toward the 40, and it comes off the programme price if you enrol within 24 hours.
Would rather write it down? Use the contact form, or read how far Van Nuys is from where you are before you pick a time.
Discovery Flight For One
$229
60 minutes · you fly the aircraft · logged as dual instruction under 14 CFR 61.51
The private pilot licence
PPL cost: what a private pilot licence costsThe hidden costs of flight trainingHow to get a pilot licenceSport pilot license — $8,400Instrument rating in Los Angeles
FAQ
Private Pilot License Questions, Answered From The Regulations
PPL stands for private pilot licence. In the United States the FAA calls the document a private pilot certificate, issued under 14 CFR Part 61, but the abbreviation PPL is used everywhere and both spellings of licence are common.
Act as pilot in command of an aircraft in your category and class rating, carry passengers, fly at night, and fly anywhere in the country. Under 14 CFR 61.113(c) you may also share the pro rata cost of a flight with your passengers, limited to fuel, oil, airport expenditures and rental fees.
Fly for compensation or hire. 14 CFR 61.113(a) prohibits a private pilot from acting as pilot in command of an aircraft carrying passengers or property for compensation, and from being paid to fly at all. You also cannot fly in instrument conditions without an instrument rating, or a twin without the multi-engine class rating.
Under 14 CFR 61.103 you must be 17, read and speak English, hold a third-class medical or meet BasicMed, be endorsed by an instructor and pass the knowledge and practical tests. Under 14 CFR 61.109(a) you need 40 hours of flight time including 20 hours of instruction and 10 hours solo.
Forty is the legal minimum under 14 CFR 61.109(a) for a single-engine aeroplane. The national average is closer to 60 to 70 hours, which is why our Comprehensive programme logs 60 hours at $15,900 rather than 40 at $10,900.
A sport pilot certificate needs 20 hours under 14 CFR 61.313 and no medical certificate if you hold a valid US driver licence, but limits you to light sport aircraft, one passenger, daytime visual conditions, and no Class B airspace without an endorsement. A private pilot certificate has none of those limits and needs 40 hours and a medical. Sport pilot is $8,400 here; private pilot starts at $10,900.
Money. A commercial certificate under 14 CFR 61.129 requires 250 hours of flight time and a second-class medical, and 14 CFR 61.133 permits the holder to be paid to fly within defined limits. A private pilot certificate permits none of that.
Seventeen to hold the certificate, under 14 CFR 61.103. You can fly solo at 16 and receive dual instruction at any age at all, which is why children fly discovery flights. There is no upper age limit.
Yes. 14 CFR 61.103 requires at least a third-class medical certificate from an FAA-designated aviation medical examiner, or that you meet the BasicMed requirements. You do not need one to receive dual instruction, and you do need one before your first solo under 14 CFR 61.23.
No. The certificate itself has no expiry date. What lapses is currency: a flight review with an instructor every 24 calendar months under 14 CFR 61.56, and three takeoffs and landings within the preceding 90 days before carrying passengers under 14 CFR 61.57.
No, with narrow exceptions written into 14 CFR 61.113. A private pilot may pay no less than the pro rata share of operating expenses on a flight with passengers, may fly incidental to a business or employment that is not itself flying, and may fly charitable airlift or tow gliders under defined conditions. Being compensated for the act of flying is not permitted.
$10,900 for 40 logged hours, $15,900 for 60 logged hours with ten hours of ground school, or $22,500 flown in a Cirrus SR22 Turbo. Fixed package prices, with financing from $2,500 down. The full breakdown is on our PPL cost page.
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
INSTRUMENT RATING
★★★★★
I'm currently working on my instrument rating at essence, and it has been Fantastic so far, my instructor is Alex and he is very knowledgeable and patient...
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...
KIDS FIRST FLIGHT
★★★★★
Had a great experience with this company. My son has been very into airplanes and his flight simulator on the computer so for his 11th birthday treated...
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...
HANDS-ON FLIGHT
★★★★★
One of the best flight experiences I've ever done! If you're looking for a fun flight, beautiful views, and even taking control of the plane, Essence...
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...
SKY PROPOSAL
★★★★★
Unforgettable private flight with Essence—smooth journey and a magical moment as I proposed to my girl in the skies! Highly recommend!
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...
DISCOVERY FLIGHT
★★★★★
This was my first flight at Essence and it will be one I will never forget for several reasons. Joseph was an awesome instructor, demonstrating...
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...
GIFT FLIGHT
★★★★★
Great experience with first ever discovery flight! Would highly recommend! Got it as a gift for my dad and he had a great time flying!
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.
INSTRUMENT RATING
★★★★★
I'm currently working on my instrument rating at essence, and it has been Fantastic so far, my instructor is Alex and he is very knowledgeable and patient...
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...
KIDS FIRST FLIGHT
★★★★★
Had a great experience with this company. My son has been very into airplanes and his flight simulator on the computer so for his 11th birthday treated...
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...
HANDS-ON FLIGHT
★★★★★
One of the best flight experiences I've ever done! If you're looking for a fun flight, beautiful views, and even taking control of the plane, Essence...
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...
SKY PROPOSAL
★★★★★
Unforgettable private flight with Essence—smooth journey and a magical moment as I proposed to my girl in the skies! Highly recommend!
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...
DISCOVERY FLIGHT
★★★★★
This was my first flight at Essence and it will be one I will never forget for several reasons. Joseph was an awesome instructor, demonstrating...
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...
GIFT FLIGHT
★★★★★
Great experience with first ever discovery flight! Would highly recommend! Got it as a gift for my dad and he had a great time flying!
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.