Be 17. Hold a third-class medical. Read, speak, write and understand English. Log 40 hours to the 14 CFR 61.109 standard. Pass a 60-question written test and a checkride. That is the entire list for a private pilot license — everything else you have read is detail hanging off those six items.
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
$499Book 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...
Age, medical, language, flight hours, written exam, checkride. Five of those are a matter of showing up. The medical is the one worth handling in week one.
The FAA writes the private pilot requirements in two places. 14 CFR 61.103 covers who you have to be: at least 17 years old, able to read, speak, write and understand English, holding a student pilot certificate, and endorsed by an authorized instructor. 14 CFR 61.109 covers what you have to have flown. There is no education requirement. There is no upper age limit. Nobody is going to ask about your job, your maths grades or your height.
You can begin training at any age. You need to be 16 to fly solo and 17 to be issued the certificate, so a 15-year-old can log every hour of dual instruction they like and simply wait for a birthday — which is exactly what several of our teen students do. If you are not a US citizen or lawful permanent resident there is one extra step, TSA flight training approval, and it takes a few weeks rather than months.
Deal with the medical first. A third-class medical certificate from an aviation medical examiner is the only item on this list that can genuinely end the plan. Very few people are turned away. But discovering a problem in month four instead of week one is an expensive way to learn that lesson, and it is the most common avoidable mistake we see in this building. What the finished license then permits is set out in our private pilot license (PPL) guide.
Forty hours is the legal floor for an airplane single-engine land private pilot certificate. It is not a forecast. AOPA puts what students actually need at between 50 and 70 hours, and the regulation has never pretended otherwise.
Twenty dual plus ten solo is thirty. The other ten can be either, and in practice they are dual, because virtually nobody is checkride-ready at exactly 40 hours. A school that claims it routinely finishes students at the minimum is describing an arithmetic problem, not a training program. Plan on 55 to 65 if you fly twice a week and treat anything under that as a bonus.
Van Nuys helps in a way most training airports do not. It is a Class D field sitting under the Class B shelf of one of the busiest airspace systems in the world, so tower work, airspace transitions and radio discipline are simply part of every lesson instead of a special trip. The tower requirement and the night requirement both take care of themselves here, and with 355 flyable days a year you rarely lose a week to weather. The exact cross-country routes we fly for each named requirement are on the cross-country requirements page.
Twenty hours of flight training with an instructor, ten hours of solo flight time, and ten hours that are yours to spend. The named flights inside each group are the ones people plan their training around.
| 14 CFR 61.109 requirement | What it means |
|---|---|
| 20 hours of flight training with an instructor — 14 CFR 61.109(a) | |
| 3 hours cross-country | flight training |
| 3 hours night | flight training, including one cross-country of more than 100 nm total distance and 10 takeoffs and 10 full-stop landings in the pattern |
| 3 hours by reference to instruments | straight and level, constant-airspeed climbs and descents, turns to a heading, recovery from unusual attitudes, radio navigation |
| 3 hours with an instructor in preparation for the practical test | flown within the 2 calendar months before the checkride |
| 10 hours of solo flight time — 14 CFR 61.109(a)(5) | |
| 5 hours of solo cross-country | time |
| One solo cross-country of at least 150 nm total | with full-stop landings at three points and one leg of more than 50 nm straight-line between takeoff and landing |
| 3 takeoffs and 3 full-stop landings | at an airport with an operating control tower |
| The remaining 10 hours are yours to spend | |
| 10 hours, dual or solo | In practice they are dual, because virtually nobody is checkride-ready at exactly 40 hours |
20 hours of flight training with an instructor. Dual instruction — you and a certified flight instructor in the aircraft together. The hour counts whether you flew the whole thing or watched a demonstration. This is where the certificate actually gets built, and inside those 20 hours 14 CFR 61.109(a) names four specific pieces.
10 hours of solo flight time. Alone in the airplane, on your instructor endorsement, in a single-engine airplane. The first one lasts about twelve minutes and people remember it for forty years.
Tower work, airspace transitions and radio discipline are part of every lesson here instead of a special trip.
Doing these out of sequence is how a nine-month certificate becomes an eighteen-month one.
A discovery flight is a real lesson. You handle the controls, your instructor logs it as dual instruction, and the time counts toward the 40 hours. Sixty minutes is $229 and it answers the only question that matters this early: do you actually enjoy being up there?
Before you spend anything substantial. Complete FAA MedXPress online, take the confirmation number to an aviation medical examiner, and in most cases you walk out with the certificate the same visit. If you need a special issuance for a treated condition, you want that clock running in month one, not month six.
Free. Your instructor initiates the application through IACRA and the plastic arrives in the post. Allow three to six weeks, because TSA vetting happens at this stage. Non-US citizens apply separately for TSA flight training approval and should start that before the first lesson.
The private pilot airplane knowledge test is 60 questions in 2 hours with a minimum passing score of 70, per the FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix, taken at a PSI testing center. Under 14 CFR 61.39 the result must be no older than 24 calendar months when you take the practical test. Taking it early makes the flying make sense. Leaving it until the end is the single most reliable way to stall your own training.
An oral examination, then a flight, with an FAA designated pilot examiner. Your instructor will not endorse you until you are genuinely ready — their certificate is attached to that signature, which is a feature rather than an obstacle. The whole day is broken down on our private pilot checkride page.
The FAA knowledge test is 60 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours and you need a score of 70. It is a memory and interpretation exercise — weather products, airspace, regulations, performance charts, aeromedical factors, weight and balance. It is entirely beatable with a ground school course and a fortnight of honest study. Under 14 CFR 61.39 the result must have been obtained within the 24 calendar months preceding the month you take the practical test, and that expiry is your real deadline for finishing the certificate.
The checkride is a different animal. A designated pilot examiner spends roughly 90 minutes to two hours questioning you on the ground, then an hour and a half in the aircraft watching you fly to the tolerances in the Airman Certification Standards. Most of the ground portion is scenario-based. Not what the regulation says — what you would do on a particular Tuesday, in a particular airplane, with a particular forecast and a passenger who wants to get home.
A disapproval is not rare and it is not a catastrophe. You retrain the task you missed, collect a fresh endorsement under 14 CFR 61.49, and retest — usually within a fortnight, and usually only on the item you failed. It never comes up again.
Not a broker's 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.
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.
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. The 3 hours by reference to instruments in 14 CFR 61.109(a) start here.
Simulator hours are built into every private pilot program — 2 hours on Standard and Premium, 5 hours on Comprehensive.
Every requirement on this page has an instructor's signature attached to it — the solo endorsement, the cross-country endorsement, the recommendation for the practical test. 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 with them.
There are eleven of them, so your training is not hostage to one person's calendar. They fly here as a career rather than treating the school as a waiting room for an airline class date, which is why endorsements arrive when you are ready instead of when someone remembers. You are matched to an instructor at enrollment, and if the fit is wrong you change — no awkwardness, no penalty.
All 85 are on Google, and the same three things come up again and again.
The most repeated compliment in our reviews is not the aircraft or the price — it is the debrief.
Eleven instructors and a fleet we own means lessons happen when we say they will, which is how 40 hours stays 40 hours.
The number you enroll at is the number you finish at. Reviewers mention this constantly.
One number, fixed at enrollment. Aircraft, instructor, ground school, simulator time and books are all inside it.
40 hours logged flight time — the 14 CFR 61.109 minimum, flown properly.
60 hours logged — matched to what most students actually need.
40 hours logged in the Cirrus SR22 Turbo, with its full glass cockpit.
Financing from $2,500 down, with monthly plans available. Enrolled students train on package pricing — $179 an hour, wet, single-engine — so the number you enroll at is the number you finish at. What each program contains, and the five variables that move a PPL total, are on our PPL cost page.
Every hour you fly with an instructor from day one counts toward the 40. A discovery flight is not a tour — it is lesson one, logged as dual instruction, and the full price comes off any program if you enroll within 24 hours.
Full-motion, FAA-approved, never canceled for weather. The sensible first step if you are nervous about motion.
You fly it, over Los Angeles, and it goes in a logbook as dual instruction. 90 min $299, 120 min $399.
Sit down with an instructor, go through the medical, the paperwork and your calendar, and leave with a written plan.
Sixty minutes, hands on the controls, over Los Angeles, logged as dual instruction toward your certificate. If you enroll within 24 hours the whole $229 comes off your program. Call (818) 290-8249 or book online.
Six of them. Be at least 17 under 14 CFR 61.103; read, speak, write and understand English; hold at least a third-class medical certificate under 14 CFR 61.23; log at least 40 hours of flight time meeting 14 CFR 61.109; pass the 60-question knowledge test at a score of 70; and pass the practical test under 14 CFR 61.43. There is no education requirement and no upper age limit.
40 hours minimum under 14 CFR 61.109, including at least 20 hours of flight training from an instructor and 10 hours of solo. AOPA puts what students actually need at between 50 and 70 hours, so plan on 55 to 65 if you fly twice a week.
Inside the 20 dual hours: 3 hours cross-country, 3 hours at night including a cross-country over 100 nautical miles and 10 takeoffs and 10 full-stop landings, 3 hours by reference to instruments, and 3 hours of practical test preparation within the 2 calendar months before the checkride. Inside the 10 solo hours: 5 hours of cross-country, one solo cross-country of at least 150 nautical miles with full-stop landings at three points and one leg over 50 nautical miles, and 3 takeoffs and landings to a full stop at a towered airport.
17 to hold the certificate under 14 CFR 61.103, and 16 to fly an airplane solo under 14 CFR 61.83. Training itself can begin at any age, so a 15-year-old can log dual instruction and wait for the birthday. There is no upper age limit in the regulations.
Not before your first lessons, but before you fly solo. 14 CFR 61.23 requires at least a third-class medical certificate to exercise student and private pilot privileges. Handle it in week one anyway: it is the only item on the requirement list that can genuinely end the plan, and a special issuance takes time.
24 calendar months. Under 14 CFR 61.39 the knowledge test must have been passed within the 24 calendar months preceding the month in which you complete the practical test. The test itself is 60 questions in 2 hours with a minimum passing score of 70, per the FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix.
No. Nothing in 14 CFR 61.103 or 14 CFR 61.109 mentions education. There is no degree requirement, no maths qualification and no FAA aptitude screening for a private pilot certificate.
14 CFR 67.303 requires distant visual acuity of 20/40 or better in each eye separately, with or without corrective lenses, and near vision of 20/40 at 16 inches. Glasses and contact lenses are fine; the certificate simply carries a limitation requiring you to wear them.
$10,900 for the Standard program with 40 logged hours at Van Nuys, $15,900 for the Comprehensive with 60, and $22,500 for the Premium flown in a Cirrus SR22 Turbo. Aircraft, instructor, ground school, simulator time and books are inside each price, and financing starts at $2,500 down.
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
