You don’t need to know anything yet. You’ll fly the airplane yourself on your very first lesson — from Van Nuys, one of the world’s busiest general aviation airports.
100Hour Inspection CycleIn Our Own Shop At Van Nuys
7Days A Week9 AM – 9 PM At Van Nuys
5.0★100+ Google ReviewsWritten By Our Students
6Aircraft Types On The RampTrainers, Glass Cockpit And Twin
Six Aircraft Types — Maintained In Our Own Shop
Full-Motion Redbird Simulator On Site
Set Course Costs, No Hidden Fees
What You’ll Actually Fly
20+ Aircraft And Two Simulators — All Of Them Ours.
Nothing here is leased in from a syndicate. We own the airplanes and we own the simulators, which is why maintenance happens on our schedule and why you can go from your first solo to a twin without ever changing schools.
The Fleet
Six Types, 20+ Airplanes
Cessna, Piper, Diamond and Cirrus — a light-sport trainer for your first solo, an IFR workhorse for the rating, a complex single for the commercial, and a twin for the airlines. You never outgrow the line.
Cessna 162 SkycatcherFirst Solo · Glass Panel$179/hr
$179 an hour is the single-engine package rate, wet, for enrolled students. It buys the airplane and the fuel; your instructional hours sit inside the program price. The Seminole is flown on the $5,100 multi-engine add-on and the Cirrus on the $22,500 Premium program.
The Simulator
A Full-Motion Redbird On Site
A Redbird MCX on a three-axis motion platform behind a 210° wraparound view. Practice an engine failure, an icing encounter or a night approach into Van Nuys — then do it again, for a fraction of what the airplane costs.
Simulator hours are built into every program. Plus a Redbird TD2 fixed-base BATD — free to enrolled students.
Meet Your Instructors
Train With The People Behind Every Great Flight.
Thirteen of the twenty-four reviews we publish name the instructor who flew with them. That is what happens when your CFIs are career instructors rather than hour-builders passing through on their way to an airline — the same names keep coming up.
Named In 8 Reviews
AlexFounder & Chief Instructor
20+ years in the cockpit, guiding students from first flight to commercial and multi-engine.
JosephCertified Flight Instructor
Calm, confident CFI and a favorite for golden-hour discovery flights in the Diamond.
AnthonyCertified Flight Instructor
Builds confidence fast — a standout with teens and students nearing their first solo.
FrancisInstrument & Multi-Engine
Makes complex instrument and twin-engine work feel manageable and easy.
Named In 3 Reviews
KaylaFlight Instructor
Patient and encouraging — a students’ favorite for Malibu sunset flights.
Named In 1 Review
AdamFlight Instructor
Calm and precise, with crystal-clear instructions — perfect for first-timers.
Named In 1 Review
RalphFlight Instructor
Professional and passionate; a comfortable learning environment for every level.
NoahFlight Instructor
Buttery-smooth landings and the best scenic routes over Los Angeles.
LoganFlight Instructor
Thorough and fun — answers every question on iconic LA tours.
AlexisFlight Instructor
Instantly trustworthy; gives first-timers the confidence to take the controls.
SophiaStudent Coordinator
The warm first welcome who makes booking and scheduling effortless.
MonaOffice Manager
Keeps the whole academy running — finances, scheduling, and a friendly hello.
One InstructorNot a rota. Yours knows your name, your goal and your last three landings.
CFI, CFII And MEIFAA-certified across single-engine, instrument and multi-engine training.
Chief Pilot, 20+ YearsTwo decades of flight instruction and a former airline captain, on the field.
Open 9 AM – 9 PMSeven days a week, so training fits around a job rather than replacing it.
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.
5.0Google100+ Reviews355Flyable DaysA Year At Van Nuys9–9Open Daily9 AM To 9 PM, 7 Days
SAFETY FIRST
MMarc BolanosJAN 2026Google
★★★★★
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
DDiego GutierrezOCT 2024Google
★★★★★
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
EEthan PilonOCT 2024Google
★★★★★
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
MMia BompatJUN 2026Google
★★★★★
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
SSanaz DibaAUG 2024Google
★★★★★
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
RRakkad AlhouqaniJUL 2024Google
★★★★★
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
NNiyousha AslejafariNOV 2025Google
★★★★★
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
BBruce GuidoNOV 2024Google
★★★★★
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
GGeorge AttallahAPR 2024Google
★★★★★
Very professional and great airplanes. I love the flight simulators. The pricing is very fair compared to any other flight school
TEEN FIRST LESSON
TTania AndersJUN 2025Google
★★★★★
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
MMeghan KlienOCT 2024Google
★★★★★
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
MMarc BolanosJAN 2026Google
★★★★★
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
DDiego GutierrezOCT 2024Google
★★★★★
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
EEthan PilonOCT 2024Google
★★★★★
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
MMia BompatJUN 2026Google
★★★★★
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
SSanaz DibaAUG 2024Google
★★★★★
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
RRakkad AlhouqaniJUL 2024Google
★★★★★
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
NNiyousha AslejafariNOV 2025Google
★★★★★
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
BBruce GuidoNOV 2024Google
★★★★★
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
GGeorge AttallahAPR 2024Google
★★★★★
Very professional and great airplanes. I love the flight simulators. The pricing is very fair compared to any other flight school
TEEN FIRST LESSON
TTania AndersJUN 2025Google
★★★★★
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
MMeghan KlienOCT 2024Google
★★★★★
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.
Pick Your Starting Point
What Do You Want Flying To Do For You?
Three honest answers, three different routes. Nobody needs to decide today — but knowing which one you are makes the first conversation a lot shorter.
$229One Hour, You Fly It
Start With A Discovery Flight
See Whether You Love It Before You Spend A Penny More.
An hour over downtown, the coast and the mountains, in the left seat, with a certified instructor beside you. Not a sightseeing ride — you handle the controls, and it is a real logged lesson.
You fly the airplane yourself, from take-off roll to the pattern
Logged as your first lesson and credited toward your training
No experience, no medical certificate and no commitment needed
Gift certificate version available if it is for somebody else
Also available for two at $299, in the Cirrus at $399, and in the twin at $499.
$10,900Standard Private Pilot
Earn Your Pilot License
Fly Your Own Family Somewhere, On Your Own Schedule.
The private pilot certificate is the one that changes weekends. Set course cost, published in full, with the syllabus, the checkride and the aircraft time already in it — so the number you are quoted is the number you pay.
Standard Private Pilot Program at $10,900, all in
Sport Pilot from $8,400 if you want the fastest, cheapest route into the air
Instrument Rating at $11,700 when you want to fly in real weather
Financing from $2,500 down, with terms out to fifteen years
From No Experience To The Right Seat Of An Airliner.
One structured, accelerated track that takes you from your first lesson to 250+ hours and every certificate the airlines ask for — without changing schools, aircraft or instructors halfway through.
Private, Instrument and Commercial, single and multi-engine
CFI, CFII and MEI so you can build hours while being paid
Complex, high-performance and spin endorsements included
Career mentoring from instructors who already fly for the airlines
About nine months from zero experience. Full financing available.
Meet Your Training Fleet
Six Types. One Ramp. You Never Outgrow It.
A light-sport trainer for your first solo, an IFR workhorse for the rating, a complex single for the commercial and a twin for the airlines — all owned by us, all on the same line at Van Nuys.
$179 an hour is the single-engine package rate, wet, for enrolled students — the airplane and its fuel. Instructional hours are priced inside the program. The Seminole is flown on the $5,100 multi-engine add-on, the Cirrus on the $22,500 Premium program. A Redbird TD2 fixed-base BATD is free to enrolled students.
Book Your First Flight
What’s Your First Flight?
Same hour in the air, same instructor, same left seat — pick the version that fits who is coming with you. Choose one and the calendar opens straight away.
You in the left seat, an instructor in the right, and an hour over downtown, the Hollywood sign, the coast and the mountains. You fly it. It is logged as your first lesson.
Sixty minutes of flight time, plus briefing and debrief
A Birthday, An Anniversary, A Proposal At Two Thousand Feet.
The Cirrus SR22 Turbo — leather seats, a full glass panel and a whole-airframe parachute. It is the airplane people buy for themselves, and it makes the occasion feel like the occasion.
Turbocharged 310 hp Cirrus, the nicest thing on our ramp
Sunset slots available — ask when you book
Weight limits: 200 lbs per person, 400 lbs combined
The same one-hour flight over Los Angeles, out of Van Nuys, but in the Piper Seminole — a twin-engine trainer. Two throttles instead of one, an instructor in the right seat, and you handling the airplane for the hour.
Sixty minutes over Los Angeles, from Van Nuys (KVNY)
Flown in the Piper Seminole, our twin-engine trainer
Weight limits: 200 lbs per person, 600 lbs combined
Close to the limit, or not sure? Call us on (818) 290-8249 before you book and we’ll talk you through the options.
Six Questions · No Phone Call
Find Your Flight Path
Answer six honest questions and we'll match you to the program that actually fits — with the real price, not a range.
Question 1 of 6
What's Pulling You Toward Flying?
There is no wrong answer here — this just decides which questions come next.
How Old Is The Future Pilot?
There is no upper limit on learning to fly. Age only changes which paperwork applies and when — you can start lessons at any age, solo at 16 and hold a license at 17.
Any Concerns About The FAA Medical?
Glasses are fine. So are most everyday medications. We ask because there is a legitimate route that skips the FAA medical entirely, and hardly anyone knows about it.
Realistically, How Often Could You Fly?
Be honest rather than optimistic. This is the single biggest driver of what your training ends up costing.
How Are You Thinking About Paying For It?
We would rather have this conversation now than three lessons in. Every answer here is normal and none of them changes how you get treated.
Where Are You Starting From?
Last one.
Your Match Is Ready
Where Should We Send Your Flight Plan?
We’ll send the program we matched you to, what it costs and what happens next — then a Van Nuys instructor follows it up whichever way you pick. A real one, not a call center, and there’s no obligation to book anything.
A copy is on its way to your inbox, and an instructor will follow up the way you asked.
✓
That's On Its Way.
A Van Nuys instructor has your answers and will come back to you the way you asked. If you'd rather not wait, the hangar line is open 9 AM – 9 PM, seven days.
Five stages. Nobody skips them and nobody does them in a weekend. Here is what each one really involves.
How Long Does It Take? The honest answer is that it depends almost entirely on how often you fly. Students flying two or three times a week typically finish in four to six months. Flying twice a month, expect well over a year and a higher total cost, because each lesson spends time re-covering the last one.
1
Discovery Flight
An hour in a real aircraft with an instructor, with you flying most of it. If you enroll within 24 hours, the whole cost comes off your training.
Day One
2
Medical & Student Certificate
A visit to an aviation medical examiner and an online application. Straightforward for most people, and skippable on the Sport Pilot route.
Week 1–2
3
Lessons & Ground School
Flying and studying in parallel — take-offs, landings, navigation, radio work, weather. This is the bulk of your time and your budget.
Month 1–6
4
First Solo
Your instructor steps out and you fly the pattern alone. Most students reach this at 15–25 hours. It is the day everything changes.
The Milestone
5
Written & Checkride
A knowledge exam, then a flight test with an FAA examiner. Pass it and you hold a certificate that never expires.
The Finish
Courses & Pricing
The Rest Of What We Teach
★★★★★5.0 Rating
100+ Google Reviews
Course prices are packages, not hourly rates - the aircraft, your instructor, ground school and simulator time are all in the figure. Van Nuys Airport, KVNY. Financing Available Through
Stratus & In-House Plans.
The Fleet
