What Is a Discovery Flight? Your First Time at the Controls
A discovery flight is a real first flying lesson: you sit in the pilot's seat, take the controls in the air, and find out what flying is actually like — with a certified instructor beside you the whole time. And yes, the time counts toward your license.
Your discovery flight, start to finish
Pre-flight briefing, 15–20 minutes
Your instructor walks you around the aircraft, explains what makes it fly, and covers exactly what you'll do in the air. Questions encouraged — this is a lesson, not a tour.
The flight, 30–60+ minutes
After takeoff from Van Nuys, your instructor hands you the controls. You'll fly straight-and-level, turns, climbs and descents over the Valley, the Malibu coast or the Hollywood sign. The instructor handles takeoff and landing.
Debrief and logbook
Your questions answered, your first logbook entry signed — this time counts toward your certificate — and, if you want it, a personal training plan. No pressure either way.
Every discovery flight, priced honestly
All flights leave from Van Nuys Airport with an FAA-certified instructor. Gift certificates available for every option.
Redbird Simulator Session
Full-motion, FAA-approved, never cancelled by weather.
Learn moreDiscovery flight versus scenic tour — one big difference
On a scenic tour you are a passenger. On a discovery flight you fly the airplane. If you are deciding whether to become a pilot, only one of those answers the question — and it is also the cheapest way to interview a flight school before committing to a program. You will meet instructors, see the fleet up close, and feel how the school actually runs.
Who takes them? Future student pilots deciding whether to commit. Spouses and teens — our teen program starts at age 10. Nervous flyers who want to demystify the cockpit from the left seat. And gift-givers who want to blow someone's mind: a discovery flight is the most memorable gift most people ever receive.
Bring sunglasses, a phone for photos, and comfortable clothes. Everything else — headset, aircraft, instructor — is provided. Typical routes cross the Valley toward Malibu and the coastline, or over the Hollywood Hills; your instructor will offer options based on weather and time.
Discovery flight questions
Yes — under your instructor's supervision you handle the controls for most of the flight. The instructor manages takeoff and landing and can take over at any moment.
Yes. A discovery flight is a loggable dual-instruction lesson with a certified flight instructor — your first official entry in a pilot logbook.
You fly a professionally maintained training aircraft with an FAA-certified instructor in command, from one of the best-equipped general aviation airports in the country. We have flown more than 2,000 discovery flights safely.
The Redbird MCX is a full-motion FAA-approved simulator on the ground — great for nervous first-timers and never cancelled by weather. The $229 option is a real aircraft in real air over Los Angeles. Many people do both.
Yes — gift certificates are available for every option, from the $189 simulator session to the $699 Camarillo lunch flight, and they don't expire quickly.
We reschedule at no cost — or fly the simulator instead. Los Angeles weather cooperates most days of the year.
The controls are waiting
Book online in two minutes or call (818) 290-8249. Morning slots have the smoothest air — and the best light for photos over the coast.