Leave a number and a working instructor from Van Nuys will ring you back, usually the same day, to answer whatever you want to ask about learning to fly.
Flight training questions are almost never single questions. Someone asks what a private certificate costs, and the real answer depends on how often they can fly, what they already have in a logbook, whether they need a medical, whether the sport route would suit them better, and how they intend to pay. That conversation takes about eight minutes on the phone. In writing it takes four exchanges over three days, and by the third one everybody has lost interest.
So the form on this page does one thing: it puts your number in front of someone who can pick up a phone. The person who calls flies out of Van Nuys, teaches here, and can answer questions about the weather, the airspace, the aircraft and the schedule without checking with anybody. They are not reading from a script and they are not measured on whether you book something at the end of it.
Leave whatever detail you like in the message box, or leave none. If you say nothing, the call starts with what you are trying to achieve. If you say you are a 34-year-old with a desk job and two free evenings a week who wants a private certificate inside a year, the call starts three steps further along and you will get a much more specific answer. Either way it costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
Calls go out between 9 AM and 9 PM, seven days a week. A request sent during the day usually gets a call back within a few hours; one sent late at night gets a call the following morning. If you would rather not wait at all, the number is (818) 290-8249 and it is the same desk at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A. Ringing us directly is never a worse option.
Our Courses
Ten programs flown out of Van Nuys Airport, with real pricing on every one. Start with an hour at the controls, or go straight through to airline-hireable qualifications — it is the same ladder either way.
5.0 Average Rating
85 Google Reviews
Start Here
The first hour at the controls, over Los Angeles, with an instructor beside you. It is the entry point to every course below — and the cheapest way to find out whether flying is actually for you.
From$229
Open 9 AM–9 PM, Seven Days · (818) 290-8249
CertificateMost Popular
The one most people mean by “learn to fly.” Fly with an instructor, fly alone, then carry passengers on your own certificate.
Fly With An Instructor Fly Solo Carry Passengers $10,900 Enroll Now
Youth Program
Ages 10–15. For young people who want to start before they can legally solo.
$4,200 View Course
Milestone
Enough training to take an aircraft around the pattern alone. The day everything changes.
$5,500 View Course
Certificate
A real certificate with fewer hours and narrower privileges. The shortest honest route to flying yourself.
$8,400 View Course
Bundle
Private Pilot with flight time, ground instruction and study materials bundled into one price.
$15,900 View CourseBundle
The same certificate as Private, with the most flight time before your checkride. Eighty logged hours, ground instruction and materials, all in one price.
80 Logged Hours Ground School Included Materials Included $22,500 View Course
Rating
The rating after Private. Turns a fair-weather pilot into a useful one who can file, launch and land in cloud.
$11,700 View Course
Rating
For pilots already certificated who are adding a twin. Trained in our own Piper Seminole.
$5,100 View Course
Our Fleet
Diamond DA20, Cessna 162, Piper Arrow II and our Piper Seminole twin — all on the field at Van Nuys.
View The FleetThe Full Route
Zero experience to airline-hireable qualifications, in one continuous program rather than nine separate ones. Financing is available, and every hour of it is flown out of Van Nuys.
$89,000Financing Available
Free In-Person Tour Before You Commit
Book It Or Gift It
Every discovery flight below can be booked for yourself in the next few minutes, or bought as a gift certificate that is emailed within minutes and never expires. Same flight, same price, either way.
Most Given
One person, one instructor, and no audience. Hands on the controls from the left seat, briefed before you go and debriefed after you land.
Hands-On Stick TimePre-Flight BriefingLoggable Flight Time
Flight Length
$229Book Or Gift
Same Price
Two Seats
The same flight with a passenger in the back seat, briefed and on the intercom. Couples book it; so do parents who would rather watch than hear about it.
One Passenger SeatPiper Warrior Or ArcherHeadsets For Both
Flight Length
$299Book Or Gift
Same Price
The Nice One
The nicest airplane we put a first-time flyer in. Glass cockpit, air conditioning, leather seats, and a parachute built into the airframe rather than strapped to the person.
Turbocharged Cirrus SR22Air ConditioningWhole-Airframe Parachute
Flight Length
$399Book Or Gift
Same Price
Twin Engine
Two engines, and the airplane instrument-rated pilots move into when they start thinking about a career. Flown from the left seat with a multi-engine instructor.
Piper Seminole TwinMulti-Engine DepartureCareer-Track Instructor
Flight Length
$499Book Or Gift
Same Price
Gift It issues a real gift certificate, emailed within minutes, which never expires and credits in full toward training. Flights are limited to 180 lb per person, 370 lb combined. Questions: (818) 290-8249, 9 AM–9 PM, seven days.
Have three things roughly settled in your head before the phone rings. First, what you want to end up doing with flying: local weekend trips, a career, or simply finding out whether you like it. Second, how many hours a week you can genuinely commit, counting the drive to Van Nuys. Third, what you can spend, either as a total or as a monthly figure. None of these need to be exact and none of them lock you into anything.
If you already have any flying behind you, dig out the logbook first. Total time, time in the last twelve months, the date of your last flight review and any ratings you hold will change the advice completely. The same applies if you have a medical condition you are worried about, or if you have started training elsewhere and stopped. Instructors deal with all three every week and there is nothing you can say that will surprise them.
After the call you will get a short email with the numbers written down, so you are not relying on memory when you compare us against another school. If you want to go further, we can book a discovery flight, a free in-person consultation at Suite 108A, or a first lesson while you are still on the phone. If you want to think about it, nothing happens and nobody chases you.
By far the largest group, and the one with the most useful questions. How much does it really cost, how long does it really take, is it frightening, am I too old. The honest answers are: less than the internet suggests, longer than you hope, only briefly, and no. Nobody expects you to know the terminology.
Usually because an instructor left for an airline or the schedule slipped and momentum died. Bring your logbook and your training record. Nothing gets thrown away and you do not restart from the beginning; we work out what is still current and pick the thread back up from there.
Asking about ages, safety, weight limits and whether a certificate is a reasonable present. The short version is that under-18s fly accompanied by a parent or guardian, children under 5 cannot fly, individual weight for a discovery flight is capped at 180 lb, and a certificate makes a very good present.
Looking to fly with us again, get current, add a rating or check out on a new type. Ratings are sold as packages here, the instrument at $11,700 and the multi-engine at $5,100, and a checkout with one of our instructors comes first. If you have not flown for a few years, say so plainly and we will tell you how long it usually takes to get comfortable again.
One advantage of speaking to an instructor rather than an office is that you can ask specific questions about the aircraft and get specific answers. Our line runs from the Cessna 162 Skycatcher and Diamond DA20 for early training, through the four-seat Piper Warrior for navigation work, to the Piper Arrow II with retractable gear for complex time. Ask which type you would actually be in for your first ten hours, and why. The answer tells you a fair amount about how a school thinks.
At the other end sit the Cirrus SR22 Turbo with its glass panel and whole-airframe parachute, and the twin-engine Piper Seminole used for the $5,100 multi-engine package. Alongside them is the Redbird MCX, a genuine full-motion simulator rather than a desktop setup, $189 to book on its own and included in the training packages, with time loggable toward the instrument rating within FAA limits. If you are comparing schools, ask each of them what their simulator actually is. The answers vary more than you would expect.
Callbacks are made by instructors between lessons, so timing follows the flying day.
Requests left overnight are usually returned between nine and eleven, before the day fills up. This is the quietest window and the calls tend to be the longest and most unhurried.
The busiest flying period, so a midday request may sit for a while until instructors are back on the ground. If you need an answer immediately, ring the desk on (818) 290-8249 instead of waiting.
A reliable window, as instructors come off the last daylight training slots. Requests sent at lunchtime are usually returned before six in the evening.
We call until nine at night, which suits people who cannot take a call at work. Anything arriving after nine goes out first thing the following morning rather than sitting until Monday.
Usually within a few hours during opening times, and often much faster. Requests left overnight are returned in the morning once the phones are staffed from 9 AM. The call comes from an 818 number, so it is worth expecting an unfamiliar caller rather than letting it go to voicemail.
No. Your number is used to return your call and to arrange anything you ask us to arrange. There is no drip campaign, no series of nudging messages and no handing your details to anyone else. If you decide against it, the conversation simply ends there and you will not hear from us again.
We leave a message and try again rather than giving up after one attempt. You can also call the desk back at (818) 290-8249 at any point between 9 AM and 9 PM, seven days a week, and reach the same people. Saving the number in your phone when you send the request is worth doing.
Yes, put it in the message box and we will work to it. If you can only speak after seven in the evening or during a lunch break, say so. Instructors are calling between lessons anyway, so a requested slot is usually easy to accommodate as long as it falls inside opening hours.
Not at all, and nobody on this end is paid a commission for persuading you. Plenty of calls end with someone deciding to wait six months and save, which is often the right decision. If that is where you land, we will tell you what to expect when you come back rather than trying to talk you round.
Yes, and we would rather do that than leave you guessing. Package prices are published: $5,500 for a solo certificate, $8,400 sport, from $10,900 private, $11,700 instrument, $5,100 multi-engine, $89,000 for the airline program. On the call we will also walk through the costs outside the package, which is where quotes usually go wrong.
Very. People relocating for work or study call months ahead to work out timelines and costs before they arrive. We can talk through what to complete beforehand, including the FAA medical and any TSA requirements for non-US citizens, so that you are not spending your first month here on paperwork.
Yes, and many people prefer to. We are at Van Nuys Airport, 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A, open 9 AM to 9 PM daily. Come off the 101 at Balboa Boulevard and drive north, or take the 405 to Victory or Roscoe and run west to Balboa; the airport fence is on your right and parking in our lot is free. Phoning ahead is worth it because instructors spend most of the day in the air, and a quick call means somebody is on the ground to show you round.
Fill in the form with as much or as little detail as you like and an instructor will call you back, usually the same day. If you would rather not wait, dial (818) 290-8249 between 9 AM and 9 PM.
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.
