Joseph, who most students end up calling Joe, is a certified flight instructor at You Fly LA at Van Nuys Airport and one of the instructors asked for most often by name. He teaches primary training toward a sport or private pilot certificate, and he is the instructor people book when they want a late-afternoon discovery flight in the Diamond DA20 with the light coming off the coast.
This is his profile page. The full teaching team, and how we decide who you fly with first, is on our flight instructors roster. If you are still choosing between a first flight and a full course, our guide to learning to fly in Los Angeles lays out both.
What Joseph Teaches
A flight instructor certificate authorizes its holder, under 14 CFR 61.193, to give ground and flight training and to issue the endorsements that carry a student from a first lesson to a student pilot certificate, a solo endorsement and a practical test. Joseph works at the front end of that: discovery flights, the early hours where you learn to hold an attitude and a heading, the traffic pattern, and the run-up to a first solo under 14 CFR 61.87.
He is a particularly good explainer of aircraft systems. That sounds like a small thing until you sit an oral exam and an examiner asks how the fuel gets from the tank to the cylinder. Joseph teaches systems in the order you need them rather than in the order a textbook lists them, and he tends not to bury a beginner in detail that will not matter for another fifty hours.
The Diamond DA20-C1, The Airplane He Is Known For
Most of our primary training happens in the Cessna 162 Skycatcher or the Piper Warrior. Joseph flies plenty of both, but the airplane people associate with him is the Diamond DA20-C1: two seats, a low wing, a control stick rather than a yoke, and a bubble canopy that gives you a view almost straight down through the turn. In the late afternoon over the San Fernando Valley that canopy is the whole point.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tail numbers | N306EF and N308EF |
| Engine | 125 hp Continental IO-240 |
| Avionics | Garmin 430 |
| Seating and layout | Two seats, low wing, control stick, bubble canopy |
| Rate inside a course package | $229 per hour, wet |
| Instruction | $110 per hour, any instructor |
| Also used for | Commercial training and spin training in the utility category |
Golden Hour At Van Nuys
The last flying hour before sunset is the one photographers call golden hour, and in Los Angeles it is genuinely different from the middle of the day. The air over the Valley settles as the ground cools, so the ride is usually smoother. The low sun puts shadows across the Santa Monica Mountains and lights the coast side-on. Haze that flattens the city at noon turns into depth.
It is also the busiest slot on our schedule, which is the practical reason to book it early rather than hope. If the light matters to you, tell us when you book and we will put you in the block that actually catches it rather than the one that lands twenty minutes after the sun has gone. A late-afternoon flight is priced the same as any other daytime flight: $229 for 60 minutes, $299 for 90 and $399 for 120.
Who Joseph Suits
- People booking a first flight as an experience. If the day is meant to be memorable as well as instructive, ask for a late slot with Joseph.
- Students who want to understand the machine. If you are the sort of person who reads the manual, you will get on with him.
- Sport and private pilot students in their first twenty hours. Pattern work, radio work and the long approach to a first solo.
- Anyone who prefers a stick and a canopy. The DA20 flies differently from a Cessna, and some people know within ten minutes that it is what they wanted.
If your goal is an instrument rating or a multi-engine rating, you want Francis or Alex instead. We will say so rather than book you in with the wrong person.
How To Request Joseph
Call (818) 330-1318 and ask for Joe or Joseph, or add the request when you book a free consultation. We answer the phone from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, seven days a week, and we are at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Main Terminal Unit 108, Van Nuys, CA 91406. Two things make a request easy to fill: booking more than a week out, and telling us which days of the week you can fly. Two things make it hard: wanting a specific instructor, a specific airplane and a specific hour on a weekend, all at once.
Related Reading
- Our flight instructors — the whole roster, with what each one is known for.
- Diamond DA20-C1 — full specifications for the airplane Joseph is known for.
- What to expect on a discovery flight — the shape of the hour, start to finish.
- Sport pilot license — the shortest route to flying legally as pilot in command.
- Alexis — another instructor first-timers often ask for.
Joseph: Frequently Asked Questions
What Does Joseph Teach?
Primary flight training toward sport and private pilot certificates, discovery flights, pattern work and the training that leads to a first solo under 14 CFR 61.87.
Can I Book A Discovery Flight With Joseph In The Diamond?
Ask when you book. Aircraft availability changes daily, so call (818) 330-1318 and we will tell you what is open on the day and time you want rather than promising a specific tail number.
Why Is A Late Afternoon Flight Better?
The air over the San Fernando Valley usually settles as the ground cools, so the ride is smoother, and low sun gives the mountains and the coastline depth that midday haze flattens out.
How Much Does It Cost To Fly With Joseph?
Instruction is $110 per hour with any instructor on our roster, plus the aircraft. A 60-minute discovery flight is $229 all in. The Diamond DA20 is $229 per hour at the package rate.
Is The Diamond Harder To Fly Than A Cessna?
It is different rather than harder. A stick instead of a yoke, a lower seating position and a bubble canopy change the feel, and most students adapt within a lesson or two.
How Far Ahead Should I Book Him?
More than a week for weekend or late-afternoon slots. Weekday mornings usually open up sooner. Telling us two or three days you can fly roughly doubles the chance of getting the instructor you asked for.
Does Joseph Teach Instrument Or Multi-Engine?
No. Instrument and multi-engine training at You Fly LA is flown with Francis or Alex. Joseph works in primary training and discovery flights.
Book A Flight With Joseph
A 60-minute discovery flight is $229, you fly it from the left seat with an instructor beside you, and the whole cost is credited toward training if you enroll within 24 hours. If you want the late light, say so when you book. If you would rather ask questions first, book a free consultation. Call (818) 330-1318, any day from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM.
