Alex is the founder of You Fly LA and its chief flight instructor, flying out of Van Nuys Airport with private, commercial, multi-engine, instrument and high-performance certificates and ratings and more than twenty years in aviation. He teaches the whole ladder, from a first discovery flight to a commercial certificate and a multi-engine rating, and he sets the training standards the rest of the instructors on our ramp teach to.
This page is his profile in detail. For the full teaching team and how we pair a student with an instructor, start at our flight instructors roster; for what the job title itself means at a flight school and why it matters when you are comparing schools, read what a chief flying instructor actually does.
What Alex Teaches
A flight instructor certificate is not a general license to teach anything. Under 14 CFR 61.193 a flight instructor may give ground and flight training, conduct checks and issue endorsements toward a student pilot certificate, a pilot certificate, an aircraft rating, an instrument rating, a flight instructor certificate, a flight review or recency requirement, and a practical or knowledge test. What any individual instructor can sign for depends on the certificates and ratings that instructor holds.
Alex holds private, commercial, multi-engine, instrument and high-performance certificates and ratings. In practice that means he can take a student from the very first hour through a private pilot certificate, on through commercial training, and into the Piper Seminole for a multi-engine rating without handing them to anyone else. That continuity is the main reason people ask for him: the person who taught you to land is still in the right seat when you are learning engine-out procedures in a twin.
The Certificates And Ratings He Trains Through
| Certificate Or Rating | Our Course | Price | FAA Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private Pilot | Private Pilot Standard | $10,400 | 40 hours minimum, 14 CFR 61.109 |
| Private Pilot | Private Comprehensive | $15,400 | Same minimum, more hours budgeted |
| Instrument Rating | Instrument | $11,700 | 40 hours instrument time, 14 CFR 61.65 |
| Commercial Pilot | Commercial | $15,400 | 250 hours total time, 14 CFR 61.129 |
| Multi-Engine Rating | Multi-Engine, seven days | $5,100 | Training and proficiency, 14 CFR 61.63 |
| Complex Endorsement | Piper Arrow | $999 | Ground and flight training, 14 CFR 61.31(e) |
| High-Performance Endorsement | Cirrus SR22 Turbo | $1,799 | Ground and flight training, 14 CFR 61.31(f) |
Prices are the course prices. If you would rather pay as you go, instruction is $110 per hour and aircraft are charged at the package rates on our aircraft rental page.
The Aircraft You Will Fly With Him
Alex instructs across the fleet rather than in one type. Primary training happens in the Cessna 162 Skycatcher or the Piper Warrior. Instrument work is usually flown in the IFR-equipped Warrior or the simulator. Commercial students move into the Piper Arrow for the complex requirement, multi-engine students into the Piper Seminole, and anyone chasing the high-performance endorsement into the Cirrus SR22 Turbo.
What The Chief Instructor Role Changes Day To Day
We are a Part 61 school, not a Part 141 school, so the title carries no regulatory weight here. It carries practical weight instead. Alex decides what ready-for-solo and ready-for-checkride mean at You Fly LA, and he is the one who will fly with you before both if your regular instructor wants a second opinion. He also picks which instructor you start with, which matters more than most people expect: the wrong pairing wastes hours, and hours are what you are paying for.
If something in your training is not working, he is the person to raise it with. That is not a customer service line, it is how a small school keeps its standards consistent when ten instructors are teaching the same maneuvers to different people.
Who Should Ask For Alex
- Career students. If the plan is private, instrument, commercial and multi-engine in sequence, one instructor across all four saves re-teaching and re-testing.
- Students coming back after a long gap. Rusty pilots need an honest assessment before a flight review under 14 CFR 61.56, not a sales pitch.
- Anyone deciding between certificates. Sport, private or straight into a career program is a decision worth twenty minutes with the person who runs the courses.
- Aircraft owners and transition pilots. Complex and high-performance endorsements under 61.31 are short, specific pieces of training and he signs them himself.
If you are a complete beginner who mainly wants to enjoy the first hour, any instructor on the roster will serve you well and Alex will usually tell you so.
How To Request Alex
Call (818) 330-1318 and ask for him by name, or say so when you book a free consultation. We are open 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, seven days a week, at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Main Terminal Unit 108, Van Nuys, CA 91406. Because he flies with career students on long blocks, his diary fills further ahead than the rest of the roster, so book earlier than you think you need to. If he is not free on the day you want, we will tell you who is and why they suit you.
Related Reading
- Our flight instructors — the full roster and how instructor matching works.
- Chief flying instructor — what the role means under Part 141 and Part 61.
- Private pilot license in Los Angeles — the course most of Alex's students start with.
- Multi-engine rating — seven days in the Seminole for $5,100.
- Flight school cost in Los Angeles — how hourly rates build into a course price.
- Francis — our instrument and multi-engine instructor, if Alex is booked.
- Kayla — patient with first-timers, and the instructor who flies the Malibu coast at sunset.
- Ralph — first flights through checkride preparation.
- Where our students fly now — what happens after the last checkride.
Alex: Frequently Asked Questions
What Certificates And Ratings Does Alex Hold?
Private, commercial, multi-engine, instrument and high-performance. He has more than twenty years in aviation and is the founder and chief flight instructor at You Fly LA.
Can I Train With Alex All The Way To Commercial?
Yes. He instructs through private, instrument, commercial and the multi-engine rating, so one instructor can cover the whole sequence rather than handing you on between certificates.
How Do I Book A Lesson With Alex Specifically?
Call (818) 330-1318 and ask for him by name, or note the request when you book a free consultation. Say which days and times you can fly, because that decides how quickly we can place you.
Does Alex Fly Discovery Flights?
Sometimes. A 60-minute discovery flight is $229 and is flown by whichever instructor is available at the time you book. If you want Alex specifically, ask when you book and we will tell you what is open.
Which Airplanes Does Alex Instruct In?
The Cessna 162 Skycatcher and Piper Warrior for primary training, the Piper Arrow for complex work, the Piper Seminole for multi-engine, and the Cirrus SR22 Turbo for the high-performance endorsement.
Is You Fly LA A Part 141 School?
No. We train under Part 61, so the chief instructor title is not an FAA-designated role here. Alex sets our internal standards and flies stage checks, which is the practical equivalent.
What Does An Hour With Alex Cost?
Flight instruction is $110 per hour, the same as every instructor on the roster, plus the aircraft at the package rate.
Fly With Alex
The quickest way to find out whether you and an instructor fit is to fly together. A 60-minute discovery flight is $229, you fly it from the left seat, and it is credited in full toward training if you enroll within 24 hours. If you would rather talk first, book a free consultation and bring your questions about cost, timelines and medicals. Call (818) 330-1318, any day between 9:00 AM and 9:00 PM.
