A discovery flight from Beverly Hills starts with the only genuinely awkward part of the trip — the Sepulveda Pass — and ends with you flying an aeroplane over your own neighbourhood. It is $229 for 60 minutes, you do the flying, and a certificated flight instructor teaches from the right seat. You Fly LA is at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406, about seventeen miles north.
The Sepulveda Pass Is The Only Hard Part
Everything about this is easy except the 405. From the flats, Santa Monica Blvd west to the 405 north, over the Sepulveda Pass, off at Roscoe Blvd and west to Balboa is seventeen miles. At ten in the morning that is twenty-five to thirty minutes. At half past five on a Thursday it can be seventy.
So the real advice for Beverly Hills is about timing rather than routing. Mid-morning and Sunday are the two windows where the pass behaves, and both of them also happen to be when the air over the mountains is smoothest. Book a 10 am flight and the whole day works.
When the 405 is stopped, the canyon roads are the local's answer and they are genuinely faster: Beverly Glen Blvd north from Sunset over the crest to Ventura Blvd, then west to Balboa and north — about five miles of two-lane canyon and then a straight run. Coldwater Canyon does the same thing a mile east and comes out in Studio City. Neither is quick, but neither one stops.
| Route | Distance | 10 AM | 5:30 PM Weekday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 405 north over the Sepulveda Pass, Roscoe west | ~17 mi | 25–30 min | 50–70 min |
| Beverly Glen Blvd north, Ventura west, Balboa north | ~15 mi | 30–36 min | 40–50 min |
| Coldwater Canyon north, Ventura west, Balboa north | ~16 mi | 32–38 min | 42–52 min |
Beverly Hills From Two Thousand Feet
The Santa Monica Mountains separate you from the airport, and a southbound leg crosses them within about five minutes of takeoff — so unlike most of our city pages, your own neighbourhood shows up early rather than at the far end of the flight.
Franklin Canyon Reservoir is the first thing over the ridge, sitting in a fold of the mountains immediately above the city, and most people are surprised at how close it is to Sunset. Below it the canyon roads — Benedict, Coldwater, Beverly Glen — fan down the slope, and then the Beverly Hills flats arrive, which from the air are the cleanest piece of urban geometry in Los Angeles: a hard diagonal grid set against the north-south streets on either side of it, with the palm rows reading as green lines.
Greystone Mansion sits on its terraces above Loma Vista. The Beverly Hills Hotel and its grounds are obvious on Sunset. Century City's towers stand immediately south-east — the only cluster of height between downtown and the ocean — and the Getty Center is perched on its ridge above the 405, which you will have driven under an hour earlier. Past all of it the ground runs flat to Santa Monica Bay. Turn the other way and the Hollywood Sign and Griffith Observatory are ten minutes east along the same ridge. The routes are set out on the Los Angeles discovery flight overview.
What A Discovery Flight Is And Is Not
It is not a charter, a tour or a ride with a pilot pointing out landmarks. It is the first lesson of flight training, sold on its own, and the distinguishing feature is that you are the one flying.
You sit in the left seat. The instructor flies the takeoff and the landing and stays on the controls throughout, teaching continuously, but the climbs, the turns, the level flight and the descent are yours to make. The hour is recorded in a logbook as dual instruction received and counts toward the 40-hour Part 61 minimum for a private pilot certificate.
It also comes with a briefing beforehand, a preflight inspection you carry out with the instructor rather than watch, and a debrief afterwards. Allow two hours at the airport for a 60-minute flight. More at the discovery flight, start to finish.
The Cirrus SR22 Option
Beverly Hills bookings skew toward the two-person Luxury Cirrus SR22 flight more than any other city we serve, and it is worth explaining what the extra money buys rather than just listing it. The SR22 is a different aeroplane from a training Piper: a side-yoke rather than a control column, a large glass panel, leather, and a whole-airframe parachute system. Two people fly, and both of them see everything.
It is $399 for 60 minutes, $549 for 90 and $699 for 120. Weight limits are 200 lb per person and 400 lb combined. If you would rather start in the trainer, the standard discovery flight is $229, $299 and $399 in a Piper Warrior PA-28-161, with limits of 180 lb per person and 360 lb combined. Neither is the "real" version — the Warrior is the aeroplane most people learn in, and the Cirrus is the one most people want to be seen getting out of.
Book A Discovery Flight — $229
Lengths, Routes And Prices
| Flight | 60 Min | 90 Min | 120 Min |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery Flight, one person | $229 | $299 | $399 |
| For Two — Malibu Coast | $299 | $399 | $499 |
| For Two — Downtown Los Angeles | $299 | $399 | $499 |
| Luxury Cirrus SR22 For Two | $399 | $549 | $699 |
| Full-Motion Simulator | $189 | — | — |
No tax, no booking fee: $229 is the total, and $399 is the total for the Cirrus hour. Given the drive, ninety minutes is usually the better buy from Beverly Hills — it adds the Malibu coastline to a flight that would otherwise turn around at Santa Monica Bay. The reasoning behind the figures is on what you pay, and what you don't, and the training programmes are on the Beverly Hills flight school page.
Requirements And Weight Limits
Photo ID, and that is essentially it. No experience is assumed. No FAA medical certificate is required, because the instructor is the pilot in command — that only matters once you start flying solo. There is no minimum age; under-18s need a parent or guardian to sign the paperwork. Friends can come and watch from the airport, but only booked seats fly.
Weather And Rescheduling
Beverly Hills sits on the coastal side of the mountains, so in May and June your morning is often grey while the Valley has already cleared, and occasionally the reverse. Judge by the airport rather than by Sunset Blvd; we are on (818) 330-1318 from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM.
In midsummer the heat over the Valley raises density altitude, so climbs are slower and the air over the ridge is rougher after lunch — another argument for the mid-morning slot that also solves the 405. Weather cancellations cost you nothing, and rescheduling is free for any reason up to 24 hours before your flight: see our rescheduling policy.
Beverly Hills Questions
How Long Does It Take To Get To Van Nuys Airport?
At ten in the morning that is twenty-five to thirty minutes. At half past five on a Thursday it can be seventy.
What Do I Do If The 405 Is Stopped?
When the 405 is stopped, the canyon roads are the local's answer and they are genuinely faster: Beverly Glen Blvd north from Sunset over the crest to Ventura Blvd, then west to Balboa and north.
Will I Fly Over Beverly Hills Itself?
The Beverly Hills flats arrive, which from the air are the cleanest piece of urban geometry in Los Angeles: a hard diagonal grid set against the north-south streets on either side of it, with the palm rows reading as green lines.
Is The Cirrus Worth The Extra?
The SR22 is a different aeroplane from a training Piper: a side-yoke rather than a control column, a large glass panel, leather, and a whole-airframe parachute system. Two people fly, and both of them see everything.
Are There Fees On Top Of The Listed Price?
No tax, no booking fee: $229 is the total, and $399 is the total for the Cirrus hour.
Should I Book 60 Or 90 Minutes?
Given the drive, ninety minutes is usually the better buy from Beverly Hills — it adds the Malibu coastline to a flight that would otherwise turn around at Santa Monica Bay.
Do I Need A Medical Certificate?
No FAA medical certificate is required, because the instructor is the pilot in command — that only matters once you start flying solo.
Nearby Pages
- Santa Monica discovery flights — the coast end of the same ridge.
- Sherman Oaks first flights — the Valley side of the pass.
- Studio City discovery flights — over Coldwater Canyon.
- Van Nuys Airport — Class D, parallel runways, under the Class B.
Book Your Beverly Hills Discovery Flight
One pass north, and then five minutes later you are looking down at the flats from the pilot's seat. 7900 Balboa Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406, open 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM daily.
Book A Discovery Flight — $229 Book A Free Consultation Call (818) 330-1318