Flight Gift Certificates In Los Angeles

A flight gift certificate from You Fly LA is not a ride and it is not a sightseeing tour. It is a booking code for a real lesson in a real airplane, departing Van Nuys Airport, with an FAA-certified flight instructor in the right seat. The person you give it to sits in the left seat, puts their hands on the controls, and flies the airplane over Los Angeles. When they land, the instructor signs a logbook entry, and that entry counts toward a pilot certificate whether or not they ever take another lesson.

It arrives by email with a code. There is nothing to wrap, nothing to ship, and nothing to schedule in advance. They pick the date. If the weather says no, nobody pays and nobody loses the certificate. And because it is a California gift certificate, it is good for five years from the date you buy it.

What You Are Actually Giving

Most gifts get used once and then live in a drawer. This one produces a day somebody talks about for years, and it produces a piece of paper that means something inside aviation.

Here is what the hour contains. Your recipient meets their instructor at the airport, walks out to the airplane, and does the preflight inspection with them — fuel, oil, control surfaces, tires, the whole walkaround. They climb into the left seat, which is the pilot's seat. They wear a headset and hear the tower. And once the airplane is lined up on the runway at Van Nuys, their hands are on the yoke and their feet are on the rudder pedals for the takeoff roll.

In the air, they fly. Climbs, turns, level flight, following a road or a coastline, looking down at the Hollywood Sign or the downtown towers or the surf line at Malibu. The instructor is on the controls too, and takes over instantly if anything needs taking over, but the flying is theirs. Landings are usually flown together, hands on hands.

Afterward there is a logbook entry: date, aircraft type, tail number, duration, and the instructor's signature and certificate number. That is dual instruction received. If they ever pursue a private pilot license, that hour is already in the total. You can read the full walkthrough on our what to expect page.

The Four Amounts And What Each One Buys

We keep four gift amounts because they map cleanly onto the four things people actually want to give. Every amount is a credit — if the person you give it to wants something different from what you had in mind, the value simply goes toward whatever they book.

$189 — The Full-Motion Simulator

Sixty minutes in a full-motion simulator, with an instructor sitting beside you exactly as they would in the airplane. This is the amount to choose when the weather is a worry, when the person is nervous about a first flight, or when a weight limit rules out the airplane — there is no weight limit in the simulator at all. It never cancels for wind or clouds, and it can be scheduled at any hour we are open. Details are on the flight simulator experience page.

$229 — The Discovery Flight For One

The classic. Sixty minutes, one person in the left seat, one instructor beside them, a real airplane, a real logbook entry. This is the amount most people are looking for when they say they want to give somebody a flying lesson. See the discovery flight over Los Angeles.

$299 — Downtown Los Angeles For Two

Sixty minutes with two people aboard — one flying from the left seat, one in the back with a window and a camera — routed toward the downtown skyline. This is the anniversary and birthday amount, because the second seat is the whole point. Swap seats on request and both of you get time on the controls. See the Downtown Los Angeles flight for two.

$399 — Malibu For Two, Or The Cirrus For Two

Two very different flights at the same price, and the recipient chooses. Ninety minutes down the Malibu coast — over the Santa Monica Bay, out past Point Dume, back along the shoreline as the light drops — or sixty minutes for two in the Cirrus SR22, a modern glass-cockpit airplane with leather seats, a whole-airframe parachute and a higher weight allowance. This is the proposal flight and the milestone-birthday flight.

How It Works

Step One — Choose An Amount

Pick $189, $229, $299 or $399 on the gift certificate page. You can add a personal message and, if you want, choose a delivery date so it lands on the morning of the birthday rather than three weeks early.

Step Two — It Arrives By Email With A Code

Delivery is by email, usually within a minute of checkout. The email carries the amount, your message and a redemption code. Send it to the recipient directly, or send it to yourself and forward it, or print it and put it in a card — all three work.

Step Three — They Book Online Or Call

Your recipient chooses the flight they want from discovery flights or flights for two, picks a date and time on the calendar, and enters the code at checkout. If they would rather talk to a person, they call (818) 330-1318 — we are on the phone from 9 AM to 9 PM, seven days a week — and we book it for them.

Step Four — They Fly

They arrive at Van Nuys Airport about fifteen minutes early with a government photo ID and closed-toe shoes. That is the entire packing list. Two to two and a half hours later, including briefing and debrief, they walk out with a signed logbook. Directions and parking are on our Van Nuys Airport page.

Who This Is For

A flight certificate suits the person who is difficult to buy for, which is most of the people we are all buying for.

• Birthdays — especially the round ones. Forty, fifty, sixty and seventy are the most common ages we fly for the first time.
• Anniversaries — the two-seat amounts exist for this. One flies, one photographs, then swap.
• Proposals — the Malibu coast flight at golden hour is the one people choose. Tell us in advance and the instructor will help with the timing and the route.
• Father's Day and Mother's Day — the two busiest gift weekends of our year. Buy the certificate early; the flight itself can be months later.
• Graduations — high school and college. There is no minimum age to fly with an instructor, so this works for a seventeen-year-old as easily as a twenty-two-year-old.
• Retirement — the classic unfinished-business gift. A great many people spend a working life meaning to learn to fly.
• Corporate and team gifts — client thank-yous, sales incentives, team days. For several certificates at once, see groups and events or call us.

Gift Certificate Terms, In Plain English

• Delivered by email. Usually within a minute of purchase. No shipping, no delay, no lost package.
• No blackout dates. Weekends, holidays and summer evenings are all bookable at the same value.
• Transferable. If the person you gave it to would rather it went to their brother, it goes to their brother. We do not check names against the code.
• Valid five years from purchase, as California law requires. We will not let it lapse quietly on you.
• Unused balance stays on the card. Spend $229 of a $299 certificate and the remaining $70 is still there for a simulator session, a longer flight or a second person.
• Not redeemable for cash. Like every gift certificate, it buys flying, not currency.
• Weather protected. If we cancel for weather, nothing is charged and the certificate is untouched. Free rescheduling up to 24 hours before the flight. The full policy is on our weather and cancellation policy page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Choose The Flight For Them, Or Do They Pick?

Either way. You can buy a specific flight as a gift, or you can buy an amount and let them choose. Most people buy the amount, because the recipient then picks a date, a route and a companion that suit them. If you want to make the choice yourself, tell them in the message which flight you had in mind — the code still works for anything.

What If They Are Nervous About Flying?

Very common, and it is usually the best part of the day. Nervousness in a small airplane is mostly about not knowing what happens next, so the instructor briefs the whole flight on the ground first: what the engine sounds like at each power setting, what the airplane does in a turn, what the plan is if anybody wants to land early. Having your own hands on the controls turns out to be far calmer than being a passenger. And if the airplane really is a step too far, the $189 simulator is a genuine first flight with none of the altitude.

Can They Bring Someone With Them?

Yes. The $299 and $399 flights carry two people. On the $229 and $189 experiences, only one person flies, but friends and family are welcome at the airport to watch the departure and take photographs. If they want a second seat in the air, the certificate value applies toward the two-person flight and they pay the difference.

Do You Do Physical Certificates?

The standard certificate is email, because it arrives in a minute and cannot get lost in the mail. If you want something to hand over in person, call (818) 330-1318 and we will prepare a printed certificate for pickup at the airport. Give us a day's notice where you can.

What If The Value Does Not Match The Flight They Want?

Then it acts as a credit. If the certificate is worth less than the flight, they pay the difference at checkout. If it is worth more, the remainder stays on the code for next time. Nothing is forfeited either way.

What If They Never Use It?

It stays valid for five years, which is what California law requires of a gift certificate, and the balance does not shrink over time — there are no dormancy or service fees taking a bite out of it. If they are getting close to the end and still have not flown, call us and we will find them a slot.

Can It Be Used Toward Flight Training?

Yes. The full value applies to flight training as readily as to a single flight, and the discovery flight hour itself is logged dual instruction that counts toward a private pilot license. If the person you are giving this to catches the bug — and a fair number do — start at learn to fly in Los Angeles or book a free consultation to talk through the path.

How Fast Does It Arrive?

Normally under a minute after checkout. If it has not shown up in five, check the spam folder, then call (818) 330-1318 and we will resend it while you are on the phone. This is the reason last-minute gifting works: buy it at 8:30 PM on the night before the birthday and it is there.

Can I Get It Sent On A Specific Date?

Yes. Choose a delivery date at checkout and the email goes out that morning rather than the moment you pay. Buy in October for a December birthday and nobody sees it early. If you would rather control the timing yourself, send it to your own address and forward it when you are ready.

Can I Add A Message?

Yes — there is a message field at checkout, and whatever you write appears in the email above the code. Use it to say who it is from, why you chose flying, and which flight you had in mind. If you want something longer or want us to include a note about a proposal or a surprise, call and tell us; we will make sure the instructor is in on it.

Where They Will Fly From

All flights depart Van Nuys Airport (KVNY) in the San Fernando Valley, one of the busiest general aviation airports in the world and a genuinely interesting place to spend a morning even before you get in an airplane. We are at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406. Parking is free and the walk from the car to the airplane is short. See Van Nuys Airport for directions, and the airplane for what they will be flying.

More questions? Our full FAQ covers weather, weight, medicals and what happens on the day, and you can reach us any day from 9 AM to 9 PM on (818) 330-1318 or through the contact page.