Discovery Flights From Van Nuys Airport

A discovery flight is an introductory flight lesson: you sit in the pilot's seat and fly the airplane yourself, with a certified flight instructor beside you on a full set of dual controls. It is not a sightseeing ride and you are not a passenger. Every discovery flight below departs Van Nuys Airport (KVNY) in Los Angeles, every one puts you at the controls, and every one is logged as real flight training that counts toward a private pilot certificate. Prices start at $229 for 60 minutes, the instructor is included, and nothing is added at the desk. Pick a flight, choose a date on the calendar, and fly.

How To Choose Your Flight

There are five options and the decision comes down to four questions: how many people are flying, how long you want to be in the air, which airplane you want, and whether the weather can be allowed to move your date.

If you are flying alone and want the most affordable way to actually take the controls of an airplane, the 60-minute Discovery Flight In Los Angeles at $229 is the standard first lesson and the one most people start with. If you want to bring someone — a partner, a parent, a friend — the Discovery Flight For Two Over Downtown Los Angeles at $299 adds the second seat, and the second person usually ends up as the photographer.

If the flight needs to be an occasion rather than an experiment, the 90-minute Malibu Coast Discovery Flight For Two at $399 has the extra half hour it takes to cross the Santa Monica Mountains and genuinely follow the coastline. It is the flight people choose for anniversaries, birthdays and proposals. If you would rather have the nicest airplane than the longest route, the Luxury Cirrus SR22 Discovery Flight For Two is also $399 for 60 minutes and puts you in a modern glass-cockpit airplane with leather seats, an airframe parachute and higher weight limits.

And if you are above our airplane weight limits, on a tighter budget, or booked for a fixed date that cannot be moved, the Full-Motion Flight Simulator Experience at $189 has no weight limit and is never canceled by weather. Every airplane flight also comes in 90- and 120-minute versions; the product page for each flight links to its longer options.

What Every Flight Includes

• A certified flight instructor in the seat beside you, with a full set of controls, teaching you as you fly. There is no separate instructor fee.
• The pilot's seat. You sit on the left and fly the airplane for most of the flight. Your instructor handles takeoff and landing.
• A ground briefing before you fly — how the airplane flies, what the controls do, what the instruments mean and what the plan is.
• A preflight inspection that you walk through yourself, alongside your instructor.
• Loggable flight time. Because it is instruction from a certified instructor in an aircraft, the hour counts toward the flight-hour requirements for a private pilot certificate under 14 CFR 61.109. Bring a logbook or your instructor will start one.
• Views of Los Angeles — the Hollywood Sign, Griffith Observatory, downtown, the Santa Monica Mountains and the coast, depending on the flight and the traffic on the day.
• Headsets, fuel and a debrief at the end, with an honest answer about what learning to fly would involve if you want one.
• Free rescheduling up to 24 hours before your flight. If the weather says no, you do not pay.

Which Airplane Flies Which Route

The three Warrior flights — the solo flight, the downtown flight for two and the Malibu coast flight for two — are normally flown in the Piper Warrior PA-28-161, a four-seat, 160-horsepower trainer that is stable, forgiving and the airplane most American pilots learned in. Its four seats are what make the flights for two possible, with the passenger riding along on the intercom. The luxury flight is flown in the Cirrus SR22, a faster composite airplane with a glass cockpit, leather seats, air conditioning and the CAPS whole-airframe parachute, which is why it carries a higher weight allowance and covers more ground in the same hour. The simulator session is flown indoors on a full-motion platform at the field. The aircraft for your flight is confirmed on the day and can change for maintenance or scheduling; what does not change is that a flight for two needs a seat for your passenger. Specifications and weight limits for everything are on the airplanes you'll fly.

Quick Questions

Do I Actually Fly The Airplane?

Yes. You are in the pilot's seat and you do the flying — turns, climbs, descents, holding a heading and an altitude. Your instructor is on the controls throughout and takes over for anything you would rather not do.

Does It Count Toward A Pilot License?

Yes. It is logged as dual instruction received and counts toward a private pilot certificate, whether or not you ever come back for a second lesson.

How Long Should I Allow?

About two hours at the airport for a 60-minute flight, once the briefing, preflight inspection and debrief are included. Anyone under 18 needs a parent or guardian to sign; there is no minimum age.

What If The Weather Is Bad?

We move you to another day at no cost, and you do not pay for a flight that weather prevents. Full details on our weather and cancellation policy page. If you are buying for someone else, a gift card lets them choose their own date.

More detail on discovery flights in Los Angeles — our complete guide to costs, routes, requirements and how to choose between 60, 90 and 120 minutes — on what to expect on the day, and in our full FAQ. To talk it through before booking, call (818) 330-1318 — 9 AM to 9 PM, seven days a week.