Your free consultation is booked and an instructor will sit down with you at Suite 108A. Below is what the meeting covers, how to find us at Van Nuys Airport, what to bring, and what the training costs.
7900 Balboa Blvd runs along the western edge of Van Nuys Airport, between Sherman Way and Roscoe Blvd. From the 405, take the Victory Blvd exit and head west to Balboa, then turn north; you cross Vanowen Street and Sherman Way before the hangars appear on your right. From the 101, the Balboa exit gives you a straight run north through Encino and Lake Balboa. Either way, the last mile is Balboa itself.
From Simi Valley, Chatsworth and Northridge, the 118 east to Balboa and then south is the clean route, and it stays quiet outside the school run. From Woodland Hills, Tarzana and Calabasas, Victory Blvd or Vanowen Street heading east beats doubling back to a freeway. From Downtown, Silver Lake and Hollywood, the 101 north through the Cahuenga Pass is about forty minutes off-peak and closer to seventy at five in the afternoon.
Balboa has several separate airport gates, so give a rideshare driver the street address rather than the airport name; the wrong gate means a walk around the perimeter fence. As you turn in off Balboa, make a right immediately, because that road leads to the visitor spaces and our entrance. Suite 108A is a numbered door on the hangar side rather than a shopfront. If you reach Roscoe Blvd you have gone a block too far north.
Parking is free and there is no gate code. Turn right as you come into the lot off Balboa Blvd, follow it round to the visitor spaces, and Suite 108A is the numbered door on your right.
Plan on about sixty minutes at Suite 108A.
A confirmation email is on its way and a text reminder follows before your appointment. Nothing needs signing in advance and there is no deposit attached to a consultation. If the time stops working, call and move it; we would rather see you on an unhurried day. Evening slots exist because we are open until 9 PM.
Come through the door on the hangar side and give your name. There is no paperwork at this stage, no clipboard and no waiver, because you are not flying today. You meet the instructor sitting with you, and an aircraft turning outside is audible through the wall. Then we sit down at a table in the office.
The first question is what you actually want, and the answers vary a lot. Some people want to fly friends up to Santa Barbara at weekends. Some want a career and a first officer seat. Some want to know whether they will enjoy it. The advice that follows only makes sense once we know which you are.
We go through the real sequence: ground instruction, the early handling lessons, first solo, cross-country work, the FAA written knowledge test, then the practical test with an examiner. You see the minimum hours and, more usefully, the realistic hours for somebody flying as often as you can. Nothing here is a secret or dressed up.
Then the money. We put the package prices in front of you, explain what sits inside them and what does not, and talk through Stratus Financial and our in-house payment plans. The biggest factor in what a license costs is how often you fly, because long gaps mean re-learning. Better to hear that now than in month eight.
If there is time you can walk out to the trainers, sit in one on the ground, and see the Redbird MCX simulator. You leave with a written plan: which program fits, roughly what it costs, and what the first month looks like on a calendar. Nobody asks you to sign anything on the day.
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
100+ 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
$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.
Part of the consultation is putting a chart on the table.
Van Nuys sits in a bowl with high ground on three sides, which makes it a good place to learn, because the geography does some of the navigating for you. Early lessons stay in a training area a few minutes north-west of the field, over open ground toward the Santa Susana Mountains, where there is room to practice stalls, slow flight and steep turns without crowding anybody. You are back on the ground inside about fifty minutes.
The other reason this is useful ground is the traffic. Van Nuys is a busy towered airport with parallel runways and a tower that talks to student pilots all day, so radio work becomes ordinary rather than frightening. Twenty minutes in any direction there are quieter fields for landing practice, and Class B airspace over Los Angeles to learn the rules around. A license earned here travels well to anywhere else.
Two parallel runways with hangars down both sides. From the traffic pattern you look straight down on the field you just left.
The brown ridge closing the north-west end of the Valley above Chatsworth. The open ground beyond it is where early handling practice happens.
A wide flood basin with a lake and a golf course above Lake View Terrace, visible from far off. A useful reference on the north-east side.
A small uncontrolled field a few miles north-east in Pacoima. Students use airports like it to practice landings away from the busier pattern.
Primary training happens in the Cessna 162 Skycatcher, the Diamond DA20 and the Piper Warrior: simple, forgiving and cheap to run, which is a large part of why a whole package can be priced the way ours is. Later there is the Piper Arrow II with retractable gear, the glass-cockpit Cirrus SR22 Turbo, and the twin-engine Piper Seminole for multi-engine work. All of them live on the ramp at Van Nuys, a short walk from the door of Suite 108A, and every one of them comes with the instructor included in the program you choose.
The other machine worth seeing is the Redbird MCX, a full-motion simulator with dual controls, weather you can set to whatever you need and visuals good enough to fly instrument approaches in. It is not a substitute for the airplane, but at $189 a session it is the cheapest place to make your first mistakes, and a great deal of instrument training gets done there. Ask to see it while you are here; it only takes about five minutes of your time.
A little preparation turns a general chat into a plan.
The most useful thing you can tell us is how many days a week you can realistically fly. Two lessons a week finishes a private certificate in months; one a fortnight can stretch past a year and cost more. Look at your diary first.
You do not need an exact figure, but a range helps. It is the difference between us pointing you at the Solo Certificate as a first milestone or at a full program. We will say plainly if something is out of reach.
People forget half of what they meant to ask, especially the awkward ones about money, medicals and age. Put them in your phone. If a question feels too basic, it is usually the one an instructor most wants to answer.
Most training paths need an FAA medical certificate from an aviation medical examiner before you fly solo. If you have any history worth mentioning, raise it at the table rather than discovering a problem later. Sorting it early is our commonest advice.
If a partner is nervous about safety, or a parent is paying, bring them along. It is a much shorter conversation in person, and questions about training standards and maintenance are better answered by an instructor than by you. Bring them.
Most people start with the Standard Private Pilot program at $10,900, with the Comprehensive at $15,900 and the Premium at $22,500 above it, and the Sport Pilot License at $8,400 below. If you want a nearer target, the Solo Certificate is $5,500 and takes you to the point of flying the aircraft alone, which is the milestone people tend to remember for the rest of their lives. Teenagers have a package of their own at $4,200. Every one of them ends in the same FAA certificate.
Looking further ahead, the Instrument Rating is $11,700, the Multi-Engine Rating adds on at $5,100, and the Airline Pilot Program, which runs from no experience through to airline-ready, is $89,000. Financing goes through Stratus Financial or an in-house payment plan, and we work through both at the table rather than sending you away to figure it out. If you would rather test the water first, a discovery flight starts at $229 and is credited in full toward training if you enroll within twenty-four hours.
Yes. There is no charge, no deposit and no obligation. We do it because one honest conversation prevents most of the misunderstandings that make people quit training later.
Budget about sixty minutes. That covers your goals, the syllabus, a realistic schedule and the cost conversation. If you want to walk out to the ramp and see the Redbird MCX simulator, allow another twenty minutes on top.
No. You will be talking to an instructor rather than a salesperson, and instructors tend to be poor at pressure and good at detail. If your budget or schedule does not support training now, we will say so.
Please do, particularly if they are paying or worried. Safety, maintenance and training standards are easier to explain face to face than through you afterwards. There is room at the table.
Usually. It depends what is out flying at the time, but there is normally a trainer on the ramp you can sit in. Wear flat, closed-toe shoes and mention it when you book.
Photo identification and proof of citizenship, which for a US citizen usually means a passport, or a birth certificate with a government photo ID. You will also need an FAA medical certificate before flying solo. We go through the full list at the consultation.
We can talk anything through on the phone at (818) 290-8249, and plenty of people start that way. In person is better, because you see the aircraft, the simulator and the ground school room.
Call (818) 290-8249 and we will find another slot. We are open 9 AM to 9 PM, seven days a week, so evening and Sunday appointments are normal. There is no fee for rescheduling.
Call (818) 290-8249 any day between 9 AM and 9 PM and an instructor will pick up. We hold a 5.0 rating on Google across 100+ reviews, and our instructors are FAA-certified with more than fifteen years of experience.
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
