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.
Endorsement Guide · LA Flight School, Van Nuys Airport
Tailwheel Endorsement In Los Angeles
Straight away, so you do not read three sections before finding out: we do not operate a tailwheel aircraft and we cannot give you this endorsement. What we can do is explain exactly what it requires, what it teaches, whether you need it, and point you toward operators in the LA basin who do fly taildraggers.
FAR 61.31(i)Typically 5 to 10 hoursWe do not offer it — read on
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...
0tailwheel aircraft in our fleet — stated plainly
5–10hours most pilots need for the endorsement
3maneuvers the regulation names specifically
5.0★100+ Google reviews
The Honest Part
We Cannot Sell You This, And We Would Rather Say So Than Waste Your Afternoon
Our fleet is a Cessna 162 Skycatcher, a Piper Warrior, a Diamond DA20, a Piper Arrow, a Cirrus SR22 Turbo and a Piper Seminole. Every one of them is a tricycle-gear airplane with a nosewheel. A tailwheel endorsement can only be earned in a conventional-gear aircraft, so no amount of training with us will produce one.
This page exists because the question gets asked and the answers online are mostly thin. If you want the endorsement, ring around the smaller operators and independent instructors at fields in and around the LA basin — Whiteman, Santa Paula, Camarillo and the desert airports north of the city are where taildraggers tend to live. Independent CFIs who own a Citabria, a Champ, a Super Cub or a Decathlon are common. Ask directly whether the aircraft is available for the whole block of training, because a single privately owned airplane going into an annual inspection can stall your endorsement for a month.
If your reason for wanting it is that someone told you tailwheel flying makes you better with your feet, that is true, and it is also achievable without changing airport. More on that below.
The Regulation
What FAR 61.31(I) Actually Requires
Like most endorsements, this one is proficiency-based. No hour minimum, no written exam, no checkride, no examiner. An instructor trains you and signs your logbook.
The Named Maneuvers
FAR 61.31(i) requires flight training from an authorized instructor in a tailwheel airplane, and it names the subject areas rather than leaving it open. That specificity is unusual and tells you where the risk lives with conventional gear.
- Normal and crosswind takeoffs and landings
- Wheel landings — unless the aircraft manufacturer has recommended against them
- Go-around procedures
- Plus a logbook endorsement from the instructor confirming proficiency
The Grandfather Clause
If you logged pilot-in-command time in a tailwheel airplane before 15 April 1991, you are exempt from the requirement entirely. This catches out a certain number of returning pilots who trained in the 1970s and 1980s, so if that is you, check your old logbook before paying for training you may not legally need.
Why Conventional Gear Is Harder
The center of gravity sits behind the main wheels. On a nosewheel airplane it sits ahead of them, which makes the ground roll self-correcting: a swing tends to damp itself out. On a taildragger the geometry does the opposite. A small swing generates a moment that increases the swing, and left alone it develops into a ground loop, which at worst puts a wingtip on the runway.
So the airplane demands continuous, anticipatory rudder from the moment it starts moving to the moment it stops. Not corrective rudder — anticipatory. That is the actual skill, and it is why tailwheel training has a reputation for making pilots better. You cannot be passive on the ground roll and you cannot look away.
Three-Point Versus Wheel Landings
A three-point landing touches all three wheels together at minimum speed, in a full-stall attitude. A wheel landing arrives on the mains first with the tail still flying, held down with forward stick, and the tail lowered as speed decays. Wheel landings give you better control in gusty crosswinds and better forward visibility; three-pointers use less runway and are the classic short-field technique.
Both are in the endorsement because both are needed. Most students find wheel landings the harder of the two, mainly because the instinct to pull back on touchdown is exactly wrong and takes a while to unlearn.
Do You Actually Need It
Three Good Reasons, And One Bad One
Good reason one: you want to fly a specific airplane. Cubs, Champs, Citabrias, Huskies, Stearmans, most warbirds and a large share of the backcountry fleet are conventional gear, and the endorsement is simply the price of admission. If that is your goal, get it and enjoy it.
Good reason two: aerobatics or backcountry flying. Both worlds run heavily on tailwheel types, and the endorsement is a gateway rather than an end in itself. Good reason three: you find it interesting. That is a perfectly respectable reason to spend money on flying and we are not going to talk anyone out of it.
The bad reason is the one we hear most: I need it to become a better pilot. Tailwheel training does sharpen rudder work, genuinely and quickly. But if that is the whole objective, five hours of deliberate crosswind work, slips to landing and short-field practice in an airplane you already fly will move the needle nearly as far, for less money and less scheduling pain. The skill is rudder discipline and energy management. The taildragger is one way to force it, not the only one.
Crosswind work at a busy Class D field355 flyable days a yearEleven instructors
What We Do Fly
Six Aircraft, Every One Of Them On A Nosewheel
A tailwheel endorsement can only be earned in a conventional-gear aircraft. None of these is one, and we would rather show you than bury it. All six are ours and inspected every 100 hours under FAR 91.409(b).
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.
Redbird MCX
What A Simulator Can And Cannot Teach You About Your Feet
FAA-approved, fully enclosed and full-motion. It is excellent for procedures, instrument scan, radio work and emergencies — and we will be honest that a ground roll on a taildragger is not one of the things it replicates.
Simulator hours are built into every private pilot program — 2 hours on Standard and Premium, 5 hours on Comprehensive. Standalone sessions are $189.
Your Instructor
The Instructors Who Will Tell You To Go Somewhere Else
A page that sends business away only works if the people behind it are worth trusting on everything else. Every instructor here holds a commercial or ATP certificate plus a CFI and a current medical, and is legally pilot in command on every flight you fly with them.
There are eleven of them, they fly here as a career rather than treating the school as a waiting room for an airline class date, and between them they know most of the independent CFIs flying conventional gear around the basin. Ring us and we will tell you who is currently active, with no expectation of anything in return.
If what you actually want is sharper rudder work, they will build you a block of crosswind landings, slips and short-field practice that does most of the same job. You are matched to one instructor and can change if the fit is wrong.
What People Say
5.0 Stars, 100+ Reviews
On Google, the same three things come up again and again — and honesty about what we do not do is part of the first one.
★
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.
The Same Skills, In Our Aircraft
What We Can Do Instead
None of this produces a tailwheel endorsement. All of it produces the airmanship that people are actually chasing when they book one.
01
Crosswind Landings Until They Are Boring
Van Nuys gets a reliable afternoon breeze and the pattern is busy enough to keep you honest. Sideslip technique, wing-low touchdowns on one main, and holding the centerline with the rudder rather than hoping. This is the single highest-value hour most certificated pilots can buy.
02
Slips To Landing
Full cross-controlled slips, deliberately, from an approach that is deliberately too high. Pilots who never practice these lose the ability to lose altitude without adding distance, and it is the maneuver that turns a botched approach into a normal landing instead of a go-around.
03
Short And Soft Field Technique
Precision speed control on final, touching down on a spot rather than in a zone, and holding the nosewheel off through the rollout. The soft-field rollout is the closest a tricycle-gear airplane gets to the attitude discipline a taildragger demands.
04
Slow Flight And Stalls At The Edge
Coordinated flight at minimum controllable airspeed, where rudder authority is low and adverse yaw is obvious. This is where rudder feel is actually built, and enrolled students fly single-engine aircraft at $179 an hour wet.
05
A Flight Review That Is Actually Useful
If your flight review is due within 24 calendar months under FAR 61.56, spend it on this rather than on three circuits and a signature. One hour of ground plus one hour of flight is the requirement; what you do with the flight hour is up to you.
What We Can Book
We Cannot Sell You Tailwheel. Here Is What Is On The Schedule.
If you are not certificated yet, one of these is the starting point. Enrolled students fly single-engine aircraft at $179 an hour wet, and that rate is already inside every fixed program price.
Standard Private Pilot Program
$10,900
Forty hours logged, flown in our Cessna, Piper and Diamond single-engine aircraft.
- Single-Engine (Cessna · Piper · Diamond) — 38 hrs
- Redbird full-motion simulator — 2 hrs
- Dual flight instruction — 30 hrs
- Ground school — 3 hrs
- Books & training materials — included
- 40 hours logged flight time
Most chosen
Comprehensive Private Pilot Program
$15,900
Sixty hours logged and ten hours of ground school. The one most students finish in.
- Single-Engine (Cessna · Piper · Diamond) — 55 hrs
- Redbird full-motion simulator — 5 hrs
- Dual flight instruction — 50 hrs
- Ground school — 10 hrs
- Books & training materials — included
- 60 hours logged flight time
Premium Private Pilot Program
$22,500
The whole certificate flown 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 & training materials — included
- 40 hours logged flight time
If a tailwheel endorsement is genuinely what you need, we would rather send you to someone who has the airplane. Ring (818) 290-8249 and we will tell you what we know about who is currently flying conventional gear in the LA basin, with no expectation of anything in return. Also available: Sport Pilot $8,400 · Instrument Rating $11,700 · Multi-engine add-on $5,100 · Redbird MCX sessions $189. Financing from $2,500 down.
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.
Next Step
If It Is Rudder Skill You Are After, We Can Start On That This Week
An hour of crosswind landings and slips in one of our single-engine aircraft will do more for your feet than most people expect, and you can book it at Van Nuys tomorrow. If it is genuinely a taildragger you want, call anyway and we will point you at whoever is flying one nearby. Call (818) 290-8249, 9am to 9pm, seven days. 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A, Van Nuys.
Discovery Flight For One
$229
60 minutes · you fly the aircraft · fully loggable · credited on enrollment
FAQ
Tailwheel Endorsement Questions
A one-time logbook endorsement required under FAR 61.31(i) before you can act as pilot in command of a tailwheel airplane. Training must cover normal and crosswind takeoffs and landings, wheel landings, and go-around procedures. There is no minimum hour requirement, no written exam and no checkride.
No. Our fleet is entirely tricycle gear: Cessna 162 Skycatcher, Piper Warrior, Diamond DA20, Piper Arrow, Cirrus SR22 Turbo and Piper Seminole. A tailwheel endorsement can only be earned in a conventional-gear aircraft, so you will need an operator or independent instructor who owns one.
The FAA sets no minimum, and most pilots need five to ten hours. Low-time pilots and those who have never flown with an unforgiving ground roll usually land at the top of that range. The instructor signs the endorsement when satisfied you are proficient, not at a fixed hour count.
Try the smaller operators and independent instructors at Whiteman, Santa Paula, Camarillo and the desert airports north of the city, where Citabrias, Champs, Super Cubs and Decathlons tend to live. Ask whether the aircraft is available for the whole five to ten hour block, because one airplane going into an annual can stall you for a month. Call us on (818) 290-8249 and we will tell you who is currently active.
The center of gravity sits behind the main wheels, so a swing on the ground roll amplifies itself rather than damping out, which is how a ground loop starts. A nosewheel airplane has its center of gravity ahead of the mains and is self-correcting. Tailwheel flying demands continuous anticipatory rudder from the start of the roll to the end of it.
A three-point landing touches all three wheels together at minimum speed in a full-stall attitude, using less runway. A wheel landing arrives on the main wheels first with the tail still flying, held down with forward stick, giving better control in gusty crosswinds. FAR 61.31(i) requires training in wheel landings unless the manufacturer recommends against them.
No, though it does sharpen rudder work quickly. If better airmanship is the goal rather than flying a specific aircraft, five hours of deliberate crosswind landings, slips and short-field practice in one of our single-engine aircraft builds most of the same skills. Get the endorsement if you want to fly a Cub, a Citabria or a warbird.
Only if you logged pilot-in-command time in a tailwheel airplane before 15 April 1991, which grandfathers you out of FAR 61.31(i) entirely. Check an old logbook before paying for five to ten hours of training. Everyone else needs the endorsement regardless of total time or certificate level.
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 →
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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