Seven airframes and one full-motion simulator, kept on the field at Van Nuys, chosen so a student can start in a trainer and finish in a twin without changing schools.
Most flight schools own two or three aircraft of the same type and hope that covers everything. We took the opposite approach. The line at Van Nuys runs from a light sport two-seater up to a turbocharged Cirrus and a twin-engine Piper Seminole, so a student who arrives having never touched a control yoke can reach a multi-engine rating without moving to another school or another field.
The spread matters more than the count. Learning to land is easier in something light and forgiving, so first lessons happen in the Cessna 162 or the Diamond DA20. Cross-country work rewards speed and range, which is where the Piper Warrior earns its place. Commercial work needs retractable gear and a constant-speed propeller, so the Piper Arrow II exists for that. Instrument students want a modern panel and an autopilot, and the Cirrus SR22 Turbo gives them one.
Every aircraft is privately owned rather than leased in from a syndicate, and that shows up in the maintenance calendar more than anywhere else. We schedule inspections on our own timetable, we ground an aircraft for a snag a rental club might defer, and there is no absent owner arguing about a squawk. When you book a slot, the aircraft that appears is the one on the booking, with the avionics working.
The simulator is part of the fleet rather than a wet-weather backup. A Redbird MCX moves on all axes, so unusual attitudes, engine failures and holds feel like something instead of being an academic exercise on a desktop screen. Simulator hours are logged and count toward the instrument rating within the limits the FAA allows, and time in the box costs far less than time in the Cirrus. We use it deliberately, early and often.
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.
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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
$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.
If you already hold a certificate and want to fly these aircraft, start with a phone call rather than an online form. We do not rent by the hour to pilots who are not training with us, so the conversation is about which checkout, endorsement or rating you are after and what you last flew. Bring your certificate, medical or BasicMed paperwork, logbook and photo ID to the first appointment.
The checkout is a ground session followed by one flight, sometimes two. On the ground we go through the specific aircraft: fuel system, weight and balance for that airframe, avionics, and the handful of quirks every individual airplane has. In the air we do airwork, a diversion and enough circuits to see steady landings. Complex types take longer, and the Seminole always takes longer than people expect.
Booking runs through the office on (818) 290-8249, between 9 AM and 9 PM, seven days a week. Aircraft go out in blocks rather than to the minute, and we build in turnaround so a late arrival from the previous flight does not eat your slot. Weekend mornings and the last two hours before sunset are busiest, so book those further ahead. Getting here is simple. From the 405, exit at Roscoe Boulevard or Sherman Way and drive west about two miles to Balboa Boulevard, then turn in at 7900 with the airport fence beside you. From the 101, leave at Balboa in Encino and run north. Parking in our own lot at 7900 Balboa Blvd is free and unmetered, and Suite 108A is a numbered door on that lot.
The aircraft belong to the school. That removes the usual argument where an owner wants the airplane flying and the school wants it in the hangar. Snags get fixed rather than logged for later, and inspections happen on schedule instead of at the last legal moment.
Some of our aircraft have traditional round instruments and some have full glass. Learning on both makes you a better pilot than learning on either alone. Glass makes navigation easy and scanning lazy; steam gauges make you work but build a scan that survives a screen failure. Being able to swap between them in the same week is the point.
Sport, private, instrument, complex and multi-engine are all flown from the same ramp with the same instructors reading the same logbook. You never explain your history to a new school halfway through, and nobody restarts you from scratch to protect their own syllabus. The progression is continuous, which is the fastest route through it.
The Redbird MCX is not decoration. Engine failures, approaches in weather we would not launch into, and the same procedure repeated ten times in one session are all things the box does better and cheaper than an aircraft. Used properly it removes hours of expensive fumbling from the airplane and puts them somewhere they cost less.
Inspections run to the calendar rather than to the last permitted hour. Aircraft used for instruction for hire fall under the 100-hour inspection requirement of FAR 91.409(b), and we add intermediate checks between them because a training airplane lives a harder life than a privately flown one. Landing gear on a trainer absorbs a great deal of enthusiasm from student flare technique, so gear, tires, brakes and shimmy dampers get looked at more often than the regulation demands. Anything that would leave the aircraft merely legal rather than genuinely right gets fixed before it flies.
Avionics are kept current because an out-of-date database is a real limitation, not a cosmetic one. The glass-panel aircraft carry moving-map navigation, traffic and terrain awareness, and the Cirrus has an autopilot that instrument students learn to use properly rather than treat as a magic button. ADS-B is fitted across the fleet, which matters in the airspace around Van Nuys where you share the sky with jets, helicopters, banner tows and other students. Headsets are available at the desk if you have not bought your own.
Here is what each aircraft is actually for, and what it feels like from the left seat.
A light sport two-seater with a gross weight of 1,320 lb, an empty weight of 839 lb and a useful load of 490 lb, cruising around 130 mph. Honest, forgiving, and where most sport pilot students spend their first twenty hours. The $8,400 sport pilot package is built around it.
The DA20 has a bubble canopy and superb visibility, which makes it a pleasure for airwork. The Warrior is the four-seat workhorse, cruising above 143 mph with enough weight and fuel for real cross-country navigation exercises. Both are flown on the $179 hourly package rate.
Retractable gear and a constant-speed propeller make the Arrow the complex trainer commercial students need for time on type. It is the least expensive way in the fleet to log complex time, and the gear lever changes how you fly a circuit.
The turbocharged SR22 cruises near 240 mph with a full glass panel and the CAPS whole-airframe parachute, and it is flown on the $22,500 Premium private pilot program. The Seminole is the twin, around 186 mph, and every multi-engine rating here is flown in it as a $5,100 package.
Yes, within reason. Most students start in the Cessna 162 or Diamond DA20 because the handling is forgiving and the workload is manageable, then move to the Warrior for cross-country work. All three fly on the same $179 hourly package rate, so the choice costs you nothing. Your instructor may push back if the type is fighting your learning rather than helping it.
Not to begin with. We keep headsets at the desk and you are welcome to borrow one for your first several lessons. Most students buy their own within a month or two, partly for hygiene and partly because active noise reduction genuinely reduces fatigue on longer flights.
There is no separate checkout fee. Ring the office and we will quote the checkout as one block covering the aircraft and the instructor together. A checkout in the Cessna 162 or Piper Warrior usually takes one or two flights. Complex and high-performance types take longer, and the Seminole takes longest because engine-out work has to be demonstrated properly.
Yes, within the limits the FAA sets. Time in the Redbird MCX counts toward the instrument rating up to the allowed maximum, logged as ground training or simulated instrument time depending on what was flown. At $189 for a sixty-minute session it costs far less than the aircraft, and for procedures it is more productive because you can pause and repeat.
Ages vary across the fleet, and age matters much less than maintenance history in general aviation. A well-kept Piper Warrior with a fresh engine and current avionics beats a neglected newer type every time. Inspections here run ahead of schedule and squawks are fixed rather than deferred.
Students on a program can, for cross-country work, subject to a daily minimum and prior arrangement. Tell us the trip, the dates and the alternates when you book. Trips over the Sierra in summer get a longer conversation about density altitude.
The Piper Seminole, every time. It is a conventional light twin with counter-rotating propellers, which makes it a stable and predictable platform for engine-out work, and it is the type most examiners in Southern California expect to see. The rating is $5,100 as an add-on for pilots who already hold a private or commercial certificate.
We call you as early as we can and offer another type or another slot, whichever suits. Because there are seven aircraft on the line rather than two, a substitution is usually possible the same day. If nothing suitable is free we move the booking with no penalty.
You are welcome to walk the line at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite 108A before booking anything, and we will open the hangar and answer questions. Call (818) 290-8249 between 9 AM and 9 PM daily.
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
