A discovery flight for Glendale residents departs from Van Nuys Airport, about twenty miles west on the 134 and the 101, and costs $229 for 60 minutes. You do the flying from the left seat; a certificated flight instructor teaches from the right. You Fly LA is at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406.
Glendale To Van Nuys: The 134 Is The Whole Trip
One freeway does most of the work. The 134 west runs out of Glendale, along the north side of Griffith Park, through Burbank, and joins the 101 at the Ventura interchange; from there it is the 101 westbound to the Balboa Blvd exit and just under four miles north on Balboa. Twenty miles, twenty-five to thirty-five minutes off-peak, forty to fifty-five in the weekday evening.
There are two useful alternatives. The 5 north to the 170, then west on Sherman Way or Roscoe Blvd stays clear of the 101 entirely and is often the better bet between four and seven, when the westbound 101 through Sherman Oaks is the bottleneck. And from the north end of Glendale — the 91208 streets under the Verdugos — the 210 west to the 118 west, then south on Balboa is longer in miles but runs across the top of the Valley, and on a bad afternoon it wins.
| Route | Distance | Off-Peak | Weekday 5 PM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 134 west, 101 west, Balboa Blvd exit north | ~20 mi | 25–35 min | 40–55 min |
| 5 north, 170 north, Sherman Way west | ~22 mi | 28–36 min | 38–48 min |
| 210 west, 118 west, Balboa Blvd south | ~27 mi | 32–40 min | 38–50 min |
Glendale is one of the cities where the freeway choice genuinely changes the evening. If you are booking a 6 pm slot on a Tuesday, take the 5 and the 170.
Verdugo Mountains, Forest Lawn, Griffith Park
An eastbound departure from Van Nuys puts Glendale roughly fifteen minutes into a 60-minute flight, and it arrives in a particular order.
The Verdugo Mountains come first, and they are the revelation. From Glendale they look like a wall; from 2,500 feet they are a narrow ridge with the city wrapped around three sides of it, and the fire roads along the top are clearly drawn. Below the south face, Forest Lawn Memorial Park spreads across the hillside as an unmistakable pattern of lawns and roads. The Glendale Narrows stretch of the Los Angeles River — the part with a soft bottom and actual trees in it — runs between Glendale and Griffith Park and is far easier to read from the air than from Riverside Drive.
Then Griffith Park itself: the Observatory on the south slope of Mount Hollywood with the whole basin behind it, the Greek Theatre, the old zoo, and the Hollywood Sign on Mount Lee just west of it. Downtown Los Angeles stands on the plain to the south-east, close enough from here that the two-person Downtown Los Angeles route at $299 for 60 minutes is the natural pick if two of you are going. On a clear day the San Gabriels fill the entire northern horizon behind Glendale, and the scale of what is immediately behind your own city is the thing people comment on afterwards.
The Part Where You Take The Controls
You sit in the left seat and fly. The instructor handles takeoff and landing, stays on the controls throughout, and teaches continuously — but climbs, turns, straight-and-level and descents are yours to make. Nobody is narrating a tour at you.
The flying is wrapped in the rest of a lesson: a table briefing first, then a preflight inspection of the actual aeroplane you are about to fly, done with the instructor rather than for you, and a debrief at the end. Allow two hours at the airport for a 60-minute flight, two and a half for 90. There is a full account on what happens on a discovery flight, and the training path beyond it on the Glendale flight school page.
The hour goes into a logbook as dual instruction received and counts toward the 40-hour Part 61 minimum for a private pilot certificate.
Sixty Minutes Versus Ninety From Glendale
Because Glendale is on the east side of the basin and the airport is in the middle of the Valley, the eastbound landmarks — Griffith Park, the Hollywood Sign, downtown — are comfortably inside a 60-minute flight at $229. What sixty minutes will not do is add the coast.
Ninety minutes at $299 buys the second half: over the Santa Monica Mountains, out to Santa Monica Bay, and back. A hundred and twenty at $399 is for people who intend to keep flying and want the first lesson to be a proper one. For two people the named routes are $299, $399 and $499, and the Luxury Cirrus SR22 For Two is $399, $549 and $699.
The Airplane You Will Be Flying
A Piper Warrior PA-28-161: four seats, low wing, predictable and honest, which is exactly what a first hour needs. The two-person luxury option is a Cirrus SR22 with a side-yoke, a large glass panel and a whole-airframe parachute system.
Weight limits are 180 lb per person and 360 lb combined in the Warrior and 200 lb and 400 lb in the Cirrus. No medical certificate, no experience, no minimum age — under-18s need a parent or guardian signature, and everyone needs photo ID. Van Nuys itself is a tower-controlled Class D field with parallel runways, described on our page about the airport guide.
What It Costs, All In
| Flight | 60 Min | 90 Min | 120 Min |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery Flight, one person | $229 | $299 | $399 |
| For Two — Downtown Los Angeles | $299 | $399 | $499 |
| For Two — Malibu Coast | $299 | $399 | $499 |
| Luxury Cirrus SR22 For Two | $399 | $549 | $699 |
| Full-Motion Simulator | $189 | — | — |
No tax and no booking fee apply to these, so $229 is the total you pay. The breakdown across lengths and aircraft is on discovery flight prices in detail, and a free consultation at the airport costs nothing if you would rather ask in person first.
Weather Days
Glendale is usually the last part of the region to lose its morning sun, and that is misleading. The May and June marine layer sits deepest on the west side of the basin and over the Valley, so a clear morning on Brand Blvd tells you very little about conditions at Van Nuys. Check with us rather than with the window.
Summer afternoons bring high density altitude — slower climbs and rougher air over the Verdugos and the San Gabriel foothills — so an early or late slot flies better. You pay nothing when weather cancels a flight, and rescheduling is free for any reason up to 24 hours ahead: see what happens if the weather is bad.
Questions From Glendale
How Long Is The Drive From Glendale To Van Nuys Airport?
Twenty miles, twenty-five to thirty-five minutes off-peak, forty to fifty-five in the weekday evening.
Which Route Should I Take In The Evening?
If you are booking a 6 pm slot on a Tuesday, take the 5 and the 170.
Will I Fly Over Glendale Itself?
An eastbound departure from Van Nuys puts Glendale roughly fifteen minutes into a 60-minute flight, and it arrives in a particular order.
Is 60 Minutes Enough From Glendale?
Because Glendale is on the east side of the basin and the airport is in the middle of the Valley, the eastbound landmarks — Griffith Park, the Hollywood Sign, downtown — are comfortably inside a 60-minute flight at $229.
What Is The Total Price?
No tax and no booking fee apply to these, so $229 is the total you pay.
Does It Count Toward Flight Training?
The hour goes into a logbook as dual instruction received and counts toward the 40-hour Part 61 minimum for a private pilot certificate.
Nearby Discovery Flight Pages
- Burbank discovery flights — the next city west on the 134.
- Pasadena first flights — eastbound on the same freeway.
- Toluca Lake discovery flights — over the hill from Griffith Park.
- Every discovery flight we run in LA — routes, lengths and aircraft.
Book Your Glendale Discovery Flight
Twenty miles of the 134, and then a look at the Verdugos that no hiking trail gives you. 7900 Balboa Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406. Open 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, seven days a week.
Book A Discovery Flight — $229 Book A Free Consultation Call (818) 330-1318