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.
Back to School · Ends Sept 30
$500 off every Private Pilot Program and $5,000 off the Airline Pilot Course — applied automatically at checkout.
See Back to School Prices →
Published Package Prices · Updated September 2026
Private Pilot License Cost In Los Angeles: What You Actually Pay
A private pilot license — a PPL — costs $10,900 here. That is the published price of our Standard Private Pilot Program at Van Nuys Airport, with $15,900 and $22,500 programs above it. No estimate, no quote, no phone call needed to find out the number. Here is exactly what each one includes and what your money buys.
$10,900 standard program$179/hr package rate5.0★ from 100+ Google reviews
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 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...
$10,900Standard Private Pilot Program, published price
$179/hrwet single-engine package rate for enrolled students
5.0★100+ reviews on Google
40 hrslogged flight time on the Standard program
The Short Answer
How Much Is A Private Pilot License? Three Prices, None Of Them Move
Search this question anywhere else and you will be handed a spread of numbers so wide it tells you nothing useful about your own bank balance. We do it differently. There are three private pilot programs here, each with a fixed published price and a printed list of what is inside it, and the number you enroll at is the number you finish at.
The Standard Private Pilot Program is $10,900 and builds to 40 hours of logged flight time. The Comprehensive Private Pilot Program is $15,900 and builds to 60 hours, which is what a student with a real-life calendar tends to use. The Premium Private Pilot Program is $22,500 and is flown in the Cirrus SR22 Turbo with a full glass cockpit.
All three produce exactly the same FAA private pilot certificate and satisfy the same private pilot license requirements. What differs is the aircraft, the hour allowance and how much ground instruction is built in — not the license you walk away with at the end. If you want the same figures framed around the abbreviation pilots use, they are on our PPL cost page.
What Decides Your Total
How Often You Fly Is The Whole Ballgame
The FAA requires a minimum of 40 flight hours for a private pilot certificate under 14 CFR 61.109. Almost nobody finishes in exactly 40, and the reason is not the aircraft — it is consistency. Two lessons a week and the skills stick. One lesson a fortnight and you spend the first twenty minutes of every flight recovering what you lost since the last one. AOPA puts what students actually need at between 50 and 70 hours.
That is precisely why the Comprehensive Private Pilot Program at $15,900 exists. It builds in 60 hours of logged flight time, 50 hours of dual instruction and 10 hours of ground school, so a student with an unpredictable diary has room to finish without a second conversation about money halfway through.
Enrolled students train on package pricing at $179 an hour wet in our single-engine Cessna, Piper and Diamond aircraft. That rate is what makes a fixed program price possible, and it is the only hourly figure we publish — here is what flying lessons cost per hour and what that number covers.
What The Money Buys
Every Program Is Built From The Same Three Parts
Aircraft time, ground instruction and simulator hours. The proportions change between the three programs; the ingredients do not.
01
Aircraft And Dual Instruction
Dual instruction means the aircraft and a certified flight instructor together. The Standard program includes 30 hours of dual and 38 hours of single-engine aircraft time, building to 40 hours logged. The Comprehensive program includes 50 hours of dual and 55 hours of aircraft time, building to 60 hours logged.
02
Ground School And Materials
Books and training materials are included on all three programs, not sold to you separately at the desk. Ground school is 3 hours on the Standard and Premium programs and 10 hours on the Comprehensive program, on top of the pre-flight and post-flight briefing that bookends every single lesson.
03
Redbird Simulator Time
Simulator hours are built into every private pilot program — 2 hours on Standard and Premium, 5 hours on Comprehensive. It is the cheapest hour in aviation and it is never canceled for weather, which is why we put it inside the price rather than dangling it as an upsell.
Los Angeles Specifically
Is Flight School Expensive In Los Angeles? Why The LA Number Holds
Southern California is an unusually efficient place to learn to fly, and the reason is weather. Our own study of twelve months of NOAA hourly observations gives Van Nuys 355 flyable days a year against a 3,000 ft ceiling and 5 statute miles. The same method gave Hillsboro, Oregon 277 days and Everett, Washington 278. Students in a marginal climate lose entire months, and every canceled lesson costs currency they then have to buy back in the air.
The offsetting factor is airspace. Van Nuys is a Class D field underneath the Class B shelf of one of the busiest airspace systems in the world, which means you will learn radio work and airspace discipline properly, because you have no choice. Instructors elsewhere spend weeks teaching what a student here absorbs in a fortnight. It is harder at the start and it produces a better-prepared pilot.
One more thing worth saying plainly: a school that will not publish its prices is telling you something. Ours are on this page, in text, in three numbers you can check against your bank balance before you ever pick up the phone. We also set out exactly what is and is not included in the price, so nothing arrives later as a surprise.
The Fleet
You Train In Aircraft We Own And Maintain
Not a broker rental, not a tired trainer with 12,000 hours on the airframe. Every aircraft on this ramp is ours, inspected on our schedule, and flown by our instructors every day of the week.
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 with its full glass cockpit.
Redbird MCX
A Full-Motion Simulator, And It Is Not A Toy
FAA-approved, fully enclosed, and it moves. Procedures, instrument scan, radio work and emergencies all transfer straight to the aircraft — and it is never canceled for weather.
Simulator hours are built into every private pilot program — 2 hours on Standard and Premium, 5 hours on Comprehensive.
Your Instructor
Career Instructors, Not Hour-Builders Passing Through
Every instructor here holds a commercial or ATP certificate plus a CFI and a current medical, and the instructor is legally pilot in command on every flight you make together. That is not a formality. It is the reason a first lesson in busy Los Angeles airspace is a lesson rather than an ordeal.
There are 11 instructors on the team, which means your training is not hostage to one person having a free Tuesday. You are matched to an instructor at the start, and if the fit is wrong you can change without it being awkward or costing you anything.
Most of the people teaching here treat instructing as the career rather than as a waiting room for an airline class date. It shows in the debrief, which is the part of a lesson students remember and the thing our reviews mention most.
What People Say
5.0 Stars, 100+ Google Reviews
All 85 are on Google, and the same three things come up again and again.
★
Instructors Who Actually Teach
The most repeated compliment in our reviews is not the aircraft or the price — it is the debrief.
★
Scheduling That Works
Eleven instructors and a fleet we own means lessons happen when we say they will.
★
Prices That Do Not Move
The number you enroll at is the number you finish at. Reviewers mention this constantly.
Private Pilot Programs
The Three Programs And What Each One Includes
Published prices, printed inclusions. Pick the one that matches how often you can realistically fly.
Standard Private Pilot Program
$10,900
The FAA minimum path, flown consistently. Best for students who can fly two or three times a week.
- Single-Engine (Cessna · Piper · Diamond) 38 hrs
- Redbird full-motion simulator 2 hrs
- Dual flight instruction 30 hrs
- Ground school 3 hrs
- Books and training materials included
- Total logged flight time 40 hrs
Most chosen
Comprehensive Private Pilot Program
$15,900
Room to finish on a real-life schedule, with more than three times the ground school.
- Single-Engine (Cessna · Piper · Diamond) 55 hrs
- Redbird full-motion simulator 5 hrs
- Dual flight instruction 50 hrs
- Ground school 10 hrs
- Books and training materials included
- Total logged flight time 60 hrs
Premium Private Pilot Program
$22,500
Train from lesson one in the Cirrus SR22 Turbo with its full glass cockpit.
- Cirrus SR22 Turbo (glass cockpit) 38 hrs
- Redbird full-motion simulator 2 hrs
- Dual flight instruction 30 hrs
- Ground school 3 hrs
- Books and training materials included
- Total logged flight time 40 hrs
Financing is available from $2,500 down with monthly plans. Enrolled students train on package pricing at $179 an hour wet, and the program price is fixed at enrollment.
Back to School: $500 off any private pilot program through 30 September 2026. Standard $10,400 · Comprehensive $15,400 · Premium $22,000. Ask when you enroll.
Start Here, Not With A Deposit
Fly It Once Before You Commit To A Program
A discovery flight is a real lesson — you fly the aircraft, the time goes in a logbook, and the full price is credited against any program if you enroll within 24 hours. It is the cheapest way to interview a flight school.
Redbird Simulator Session
$189 / 1 hr
Full-motion, FAA-approved, never canceled by weather. Good if you are nervous about the first flight.
Most booked
Discovery Flight For One
$229 / 60 min
You fly it. Credited in full against any program within 24 hours. 90 minutes $299, 120 minutes $399.
Free Consultation
$0
Sit down with an instructor, look at your calendar and your budget, and get a written plan. No obligation.
Related Reading
The Private Pilot License
Private pilot license (PPL): the complete guidePPL cost: what a private pilot license costsPrivate pilot license requirementsPPL pilot: what the license lets you doNo Cost, No Obligation
Get The Full Training Plan And Price Sheet
The three private pilot packages, what each includes, the financing options and a realistic timeline for your schedule — sent to you as one PDF. No one will pressure you.
- Every package price, itemised
- Financing from $2,500 down
- A timeline based on how often you can fly
Next Step
Fly It Once Before You Budget For It
Sixty minutes, hands on the controls, over Los Angeles. It goes in a logbook as real instruction, and if you enroll within 24 hours the whole $229 comes off your program. Call (818) 290-8249 or book online.
Discovery Flight For One
$229
60 minutes · you fly the aircraft · fully loggable · credited on enrollment
FAQ
Private Pilot Cost Questions
Our Standard Private Pilot Program is $10,900 at Van Nuys Airport and builds 40 hours of logged flight time, including 30 hours of dual instruction, 3 hours of ground school and 2 hours in the Redbird simulator. The Comprehensive program is $15,900 for 60 logged hours, and the Premium program is $22,500 flown in a Cirrus SR22 Turbo. All three lead to the same FAA private pilot certificate.
The same three numbers: $10,900, $15,900 and $22,500 at Van Nuys. PPL is simply the everyday abbreviation for a private pilot license, and the FAA calls the same document a private pilot certificate. 14 CFR 61.109 sets the 40-hour minimum that the $10,900 program is built around.
It is a real expense, but here it is a known one: $10,900 for the Standard Private Pilot Program, $15,900 for the Comprehensive and $22,500 for the Premium, each published in full with a printed list of what is inside it. Financing starts at $2,500 down with monthly plans available. The price you enroll at is the price you finish at, so the number does not grow while you train.
$179 an hour, wet, single-engine — that is the package rate for enrolled students, and fuel and oil are already inside the number. It is the rate the $10,900, $15,900 and $22,500 private pilot programs are built from. Enrolled students train on package pricing rather than being billed hour by hour.
Most students choose the Comprehensive Private Pilot Program at $15,900 because its 60 hours of logged flight time and 10 hours of ground school leave room for a real-life schedule. Choose the Standard at $10,900 if you can fly two or three times a week consistently. Choose the Premium at $22,500 if you want to train from day one in the Cirrus SR22 Turbo glass cockpit.
Three to six months flying two or three times a week. The FAA minimum is 40 flight hours under 14 CFR 61.109 and the Standard program at $10,900 is built around exactly that, while AOPA puts what students actually need at 50 to 70 hours. Students who fly less often generally choose the Comprehensive program at $15,900 for its 60 logged hours.
Single-engine training on the Standard and Comprehensive programs is flown in our Cessna, Piper and Diamond aircraft. The Premium program at $22,500 is flown in the Cirrus SR22 Turbo with a full glass cockpit. Every aircraft is owned and maintained by the school, and all three programs include Redbird full-motion simulator time — 2 hours on Standard and Premium, 5 hours on Comprehensive.
Yes. Private pilot programs start from $2,500 down with monthly payment plans available, and we work with aviation lenders as well as offering in-house plans. Because the program price is fixed at enrollment, your monthly figure is calculated against a number that will not move while you train.
Yes, in full, against any program if you enroll within 24 hours of flying. A 60-minute discovery flight is $229 and it is a real lesson — you fly the aircraft and the time is loggable. In practice that makes trying it free for anyone who goes on to enroll.
Not to start, but you need a third-class medical before your first solo, so book it early. It is the one item that can genuinely stop your training, and it is far better to find out in week 1 than in month 4. All 3 private pilot programs assume you hold one by the time you solo.
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