The short version: there is no minimum age, you need a government photo ID and closed-toe shoes, you do not need a medical certificate, and the only hard limit most people run into is weight. Almost nobody is disqualified from a discovery flight. This article goes through each requirement properly, because “almost nobody” is not the same as nobody, and it is better to know before you drive to the airport.
Age
There Is No Minimum Age To Fly With An Instructor
This surprises people. The FAA sets no minimum age for receiving flight instruction. A child can sit in the left seat with an instructor beside them and log the flight. In practice the limit is physical and practical rather than legal: the person flying needs to be able to reach the rudder pedals with their feet and see over the instrument panel, and they need to be able to concentrate for an hour. Around ten to twelve years old is where most kids can genuinely fly the airplane rather than just hold the yoke, but younger children fly with us regularly and enjoy every minute of it.
Anyone under 18 should come with a parent or guardian, who signs for them. Tell us the age when you book so the instructor can pitch the briefing correctly.
16 To Solo, 17 For A Private Pilot License
The age rules that do exist apply further down the road. You must be 16 to fly an airplane solo and 17 to hold a private pilot certificate. A fifteen-year-old can train, log hours and be perfectly competent — they simply cannot be alone in the airplane until their sixteenth birthday. This is why a discovery flight makes such a good graduation or birthday gift for a teenager: the hour counts, and the clock on the license is not a barrier to starting.
There Is No Upper Age Limit
None. Not for a discovery flight, and not for a private pilot license either. People start flying in their sixties and seventies routinely and they tend to be careful, methodical students. If you can get into the airplane and buckle the seatbelt, you can take a discovery flight.
Weight
Weight is the one requirement that genuinely stops people, and it is not negotiable. It is not about comfort. A small airplane has a maximum takeoff weight and a center-of-gravity range, and both are structural and aerodynamic limits set by the manufacturer and enforced by the FAA. Exceeding them changes how the airplane climbs, stalls and handles. So the numbers are real numbers.
| Aircraft | Per Person | Combined |
|---|---|---|
| Piper Warrior PA-28-161 | 180 lb | 360 lb |
| Cirrus SR22 | 200 lb | 400 lb |
| Full-motion simulator | No limit | No limit |
A few notes on how to read that table. Both limits have to be satisfied at the same time — meeting one does not excuse the other. In the Cirrus SR22, two people at 190 lb each are fine: each one is under the 200 lb per-person limit, and together they come to 380 lb, which is under the 400 lb combined limit. A 210 lb passenger, on the other hand, is out even if their companion is light enough to keep the pair under 400 lb, because the per-person limit is exceeded on its own. Check both numbers before you book. On a single-person flight in the Warrior, the 180 lb figure is what matters, since the instructor's weight is already accounted for. If you are close to either number and want it checked properly, call us on (818) 330-1318 and we will run it with you.
If the weight limits rule out the airplane, the full-motion simulator has no weight limit at all. Same instructor, same hour, same controls, $189. It is a real flight lesson and it is the answer for anyone the airplane cannot take.
Please tell us your weight honestly when you book. Nobody at the airport is judging — the instructor is running a weight and balance calculation, which is a required part of the preflight for every flight in every airplane, every day. An inaccurate number turns into a cancellation on the ramp, which helps nobody.
Identification
Bring a government-issued photo ID. A driver's license, a passport, a state ID card or a military ID all work. For anyone under 16 who does not have one, a parent's ID plus a birth certificate or school ID is fine.
This is not bureaucracy for its own sake. Under TSA rules, flight schools verify the identity and citizenship status of anyone receiving flight instruction. US citizens establish this with a passport or a birth certificate plus photo ID.
If You Are Not A US Citizen
Non-US citizens can absolutely fly. A discovery flight, taken as a one-off introductory experience, is generally straightforward. Ongoing flight training toward a certificate requires approval through the TSA's Alien Flight Student Program, which is a real process with a real timeline. If you are visiting Los Angeles and want to fly once, call us on (818) 330-1318 before you book and we will tell you exactly what to bring. If you are planning to train here, start that conversation early — see flight training at Van Nuys.
Medical Certificates And Health
You Do Not Need A Medical Certificate For A Discovery Flight
None at all. An FAA medical certificate is required before you fly solo, not before you receive instruction. On a discovery flight your instructor is the pilot in command and holds the required medical, so you can walk in tomorrow and fly with no paperwork whatsoever.
If you go on to train, you will need a third-class medical from an Aviation Medical Examiner before your first solo. It is worth doing early, because it is the one item that can genuinely halt training, and it is far better to discover a problem at hour two than at hour twenty.
What Actually Disqualifies People
Far less than most people assume. Here is a plain list of things that do not stop you:
- Glasses or contact lenses. The standard is vision correctable to 20/20, not uncorrected 20/20.
- Color blindness. Usually fine, sometimes with a restriction on night flying.
- Being tall or short. The seats adjust. Very tall pilots fly the Warrior comfortably.
- Fear of heights. Genuinely. Acrophobia is a response to a visible connection to the ground — a ladder, a balcony. At 2,000 feet in an airplane there is no such connection, and most people who are terrified on a rooftop are entirely fine in the air.
- Motion sickness. Occasionally an issue, rarely a serious one. Sit up front, look outside at the horizon rather than down at your lap, fly in the smooth morning air, and tell your instructor — they will fly gently and can end the flight early if needed.
- Age, in either direction. Covered above.
- Having no experience at all. This is the normal case. Nearly everyone on a discovery flight has never touched an airplane's controls.
For a first flight with an instructor, the practical health requirements are that you can get into the seat, fasten the belt, and are not intoxicated. That is close to the whole list. If you have a specific medical condition and you are thinking about training rather than just flying once, the right person to ask is an Aviation Medical Examiner — not a flight school and not an internet forum. Many conditions people assume are disqualifying are approvable.
What To Wear And Bring
- Closed-toe shoes. Required — you are walking on an active ramp and working rudder pedals. No sandals, no flip-flops, no heels.
- Sunglasses. The light over Los Angeles at altitude is bright. Non-polarized is better, because polarized lenses can make some cockpit displays hard to read.
- Layers. The ramp is hot, the airplane at 3,000 feet is not.
- A camera or phone, with a strap or a secure pocket. Loose objects in a cockpit are a genuine nuisance.
- Nothing else. Headsets are provided. Do not bring a bag you cannot leave in the car; small airplanes have very little room.
Eat something beforehand, but not a large meal, and go easy on the coffee. Do not drink alcohol before flying — the instructor will not fly you, and this is not a rule they can bend.
Weather
Southern California is one of the best flying climates in the country, which is a large part of why so much American flight training happens here. Even so, some days do not work: low cloud in the marine layer, high winds, or poor visibility. If we cancel for weather, you pay nothing and you reschedule. Free rescheduling up to 24 hours before your slot either way. That is the whole weather and cancellation policy.
Ready To Book?
If you meet the weight limit, have a photo ID and own a pair of closed-toe shoes, you are ready. Choose from discovery flights for one person, flights for two, or the simulator. If you are still not sure whether a requirement applies to you, call (818) 330-1318 between 9 AM and 9 PM any day of the week, or read what to expect for a walkthrough of the day itself.
No Experience Required
No medical certificate, no minimum age, no paperwork. Bring a photo ID and closed-toe shoes, and fly an airplane over Los Angeles.
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