Francis is our instrument and multi-engine flight instructor at Van Nuys Airport. He teaches the instrument rating, the multi-engine rating in the Piper Seminole, and the instrument proficiency checks that bring lapsed IFR pilots back to current, which makes him the instructor most of our career-track students spend their second year with.
This is his profile. For the whole teaching team and how we pair students with instructors, start at our flight instructors roster; for the rating itself, our instrument rating course page has the syllabus and the full price breakdown.
What Francis Teaches
Two things, mainly. The first is the instrument rating under 14 CFR 61.65, which requires 50 hours of cross-country flight time as pilot in command and 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument time, at least 15 of which must be instrument flight training from an authorized instructor. The second is the multi-engine class rating under 14 CFR 61.63, which sets no hour minimum at all: you train until you are proficient, then you take a practical test.
Those two ratings need a different kind of instruction from primary training. Instrument flying is procedural. The skill being built is not hand-eye coordination, it is a repeatable scan, a habit of briefing an approach before you need it, and the discipline to fly the airplane while the radio is talking. Francis teaches it patiently and in order, and he is unhurried with the technical questions that instrument students tend to arrive with.
The Two Courses He Runs
| Item | Instrument Rating | Multi-Engine Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Course price | $11,700 | $5,100 |
| Aircraft hours in the package | 20 | 8 in the Piper Seminole |
| Simulator hours | 20 | 2 |
| Dual instruction hours | 40 | 10 |
| Ground instruction hours | 10 | 2 |
| Typical format | Scheduled around your week | Seven days, starting on a Monday |
| Payment plan | $2,500 down, then 4 payments of $2,300 | $2,500 down, then 2 payments of $1,300 |
| Governing regulation | 14 CFR 61.65 | 14 CFR 61.63 |
The multi-engine course is genuinely accelerated: classes start on Mondays and the checkride is scheduled for the same weekend. That only works if you arrive prepared, which is what the ground instruction and the oral preparation are for.
The Piper Seminole
Multi-engine training here is flown in N311EF, a Piper Seminole PA-44-180: two 180-horsepower engines turning counter-rotating propellers, a Garmin 430, four seats and a 162-knot cruise. Counter-rotating propellers matter for training because they remove the critical-engine asymmetry that makes some twins unforgiving, without removing the engine-out work you are there to learn. The Seminole is $449 per hour inside the course package and $649 per hour retail.
Why Half The Instrument Course Is In The Simulator
Our Redbird MCX is an FAA-approved advanced aviation training device with single- and multi-engine profiles. Up to 20 of the 40 hours of instrument time required by 61.65 can be flown in it, and it is a better place than an airplane to learn a hold, brief an approach, or fly the same procedure four times in an hour without burning fuel or waiting for a clearance. At $120 per hour inside a package and $200 retail, it is also the cheapest hour in the building, and it never cancels for weather.
Francis uses it the way it should be used: for procedures, partial panel and repetition, with the airplane reserved for the things only an airplane teaches. Our full-motion simulator page explains the device in detail.
Who Should Ask For Francis
- Instrument students. The whole rating, from the first hood work to the checkride.
- Multi-engine candidates. Seven days in the Seminole, including the oral preparation most people underestimate.
- Lapsed IFR pilots. If you are outside the six-month window in 14 CFR 61.57(c), you need an instrument proficiency check under 61.57(d), and he flies those.
- Commercial students building multi-engine time. Time in a twin with an instructor who is teaching rather than just logging.
How To Request Francis
Call (818) 330-1318 and ask for him, or say so when you book a free consultation. We are open 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, seven days, at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406. Multi-engine weeks are booked as a block, so ask about start dates early; instrument students usually settle into a fixed weekly slot, which is the pattern that gets the rating finished.
Related Reading
- Our flight instructors — the full roster and how matching works.
- Instrument rating in Los Angeles — the $11,700 course in detail.
- Multi-engine rating — seven days in the Seminole for $5,100.
- Instrument proficiency check — what 61.57(d) requires and how long it takes.
- Full-motion flight simulator — the device that covers 20 of your 40 instrument hours.
- Alex — chief instructor, who also teaches commercial and multi-engine.
Francis: Frequently Asked Questions
What Does Francis Teach?
The instrument rating under 14 CFR 61.65, the multi-engine class rating under 61.63, instrument proficiency checks, and multi-engine time building in the Piper Seminole.
How Much Instrument Time Does The Rating Require?
Forty hours of actual or simulated instrument time, at least 15 of it instrument flight training from an authorized instructor, plus 50 hours of cross-country time as pilot in command.
How Many Simulator Hours Can Count Toward The Instrument Rating?
Up to 20 of the 40 required instrument hours in our FAA-approved Redbird MCX advanced aviation training device, flown with an authorized instructor.
How Long Does The Multi-Engine Rating Take?
Our course runs seven days, starting on a Monday, with the checkride scheduled for the same weekend. It covers 8 hours in the Seminole, 2 simulator hours, 10 hours of dual and 2 hours of ground for $5,100.
I Am No Longer IFR Current. What Do I Need?
If you are outside the six calendar months in 14 CFR 61.57(c) and have not regained currency, you need an instrument proficiency check under 61.57(d) with an authorized instructor. Francis flies those.
What Does The Seminole Cost Per Hour?
$449 per hour wet inside a course package, $649 per hour wet as a retail rental rate. Instruction is $110 per hour on top.
Can I Do Instrument And Multi-Engine Back To Back?
Yes, and many career students do. Talk to us about sequencing at a free consultation, because the order changes what your total hours look like when you reach commercial.
Book Time With Francis
If you are ready to start an instrument or multi-engine rating, book a free consultation and we will map the hours, the cost and the calendar before you pay anything. If you have never flown a light aircraft at all, start with a $229 discovery flight, which is credited in full toward training if you enroll within 24 hours. Call (818) 330-1318, 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, any day.