Learn To Fly · Van Nuys Airport · KVNY

Museum Of Flying In Santa Monica: A Visitor's Guide

Read the guide, then see it from the left seat. A $229 discovery flight puts you on the controls over Los Angeles with an FAA-certificated instructor.

Book A Discovery Flight — $229 Book A First Lesson — $349 Call (818) 330-1318
$229Discovery Flight, 60 Min
$349First Lesson, 2 Hours
FreeConsultation
10AM–7PMDiscovery Flights, 7 Days
Noses and propellers of Cessna 162 Skycatcher trainers lined up outside a hangar at Van Nuys

The Museum of Flying sits on the south side of Santa Monica Airport, on land where the Douglas Aircraft Company built airplanes for decades. It's one of the best aviation stops in Los Angeles for families, students and anyone thinking about learning to fly. If the visit makes you want to fly, a discovery flight in Los Angeles from Van Nuys puts you in the left seat for $229.

Hours And Location

  • Address: 3100 Airport Avenue, Santa Monica (south side of the airport).
  • Hours: 10 AM to 5 PM, Thursday through Sunday, as of September 2026.
  • Admission: Check the museum's website for current prices before you go.

What's Inside

  • A replica Wright Flyer and a Lockheed Vega
  • An F-86 Sabre, an A-4 Skyhawk and a Douglas DC-3 monument
  • The nose section of a Boeing 727, with a cockpit you can sit in
  • Douglas Aircraft artifacts, photographs and the original boardroom table
  • More than 300 aircraft models and the California Aviation Hall of Fame
  • Hands-on exhibits for kids

Make It A Full Aviation Day

After the museum, go from looking at airplanes to flying one. Van Nuys Airport is about a 30-minute drive north, traffic permitting. A You Fly LA discovery flight puts you in the left seat with an instructor for $229, and you can book online for the same afternoon if a slot is open.

Santa Monica Airport's Future

The city of Santa Monica's agreement with the FAA allows it to close the airport after 2028. If you live on the Westside and want to learn to fly, see our guide to where to train when Santa Monica closes, or our flight school page for Santa Monica.

You Fly LA is not affiliated with the Museum of Flying. Details are accurate as of October 2026; confirm with the museum before visiting.
Pick Your Flight

Choose Your Flight And Book It

Every flight leaves from Van Nuys Airport with an FAA-certificated instructor. The $229 discovery flight is credited in full toward training if you enroll within 24 hours.

Piper Warrior N3034Q, front quarter, beside an open hangar at Van Nuys Airport
PIPER WARRIOR · 160 HP · LOW WING
The Classic 60–120 Min

Discovery Flight For One

Credited in full toward your training if you enroll within 24 hours.

One seat, one instructor, no audience. You take the controls once we are clear of the Van Nuys pattern, and your instructor signs the time into your logbook if you bring one.

  • Hands-on stick time
  • Pre-flight briefing and walk-around
  • Hollywood Sign and downtown
  • One-on-one with an FAA-certified instructor
  • Bring your logbook, we sign it

Flight Length

$229all-in · one flyer · 60 minutes

Book For One

Weight limit 180 lb for the person flying.

Or gift it →
Piper Warrior N6312C, a four-seat low-wing trainer, parked on a sunny ramp
PIPER WARRIOR · FOUR SEATS
★ Most Popular 60–120 Min

Discovery Flight For Two Over Downtown

Logged as dual instruction toward the 40-hour minimum for a private license.

One of you flies while the other rides on the intercom and ends up as the photographer. The route runs past the Hollywood Sign and around the downtown towers.

  • Two seats in the Piper Warrior
  • Headsets for both of you
  • Hollywood Sign and the downtown towers
  • Hands-on flying for one of you
  • Pre-flight briefing and walk-around

Flight Length

$299all-in · two seats · 60 minutes

Book For Two

Weight limit 360 lb combined.

Or gift it →
A student flying the Redbird MCX full-motion simulator at You Fly LA, Van Nuys Airport
REDBIRD MCX · FAA-APPROVED AATD
Never Cancelled 60 Min

Full-Motion Simulator Session

An FAA-approved AATD, so an instructor can log the hour with you.

The one that never leaves the ground. A Redbird MCX on full motion with an instructor beside you, and no weather call to make in the morning.

  • Redbird MCX on full motion
  • An instructor in the seat beside you
  • Never cancelled for weather
  • No weight limit

Flight Length

$189all-in · one seat · 60 minutes

Book The Simulator

No weight limit, and nothing to cancel if the marine layer sits on the Valley.

Or gift it →

Take The Controls Over Los Angeles

Sixty minutes in the left seat from Van Nuys Airport, with an FAA-certificated instructor beside you, for $229. The two-hour first lesson is $349, and the consultation is free.

Book A Discovery Flight — $229 Book A First Lesson — $349 Book A Free ConsultationCall (818) 330-1318
Flight Training At Van Nuys Airport

See Yourself In The Left Seat.

Our fleet, our instructors and the view over Los Angeles — every discovery flight and every course starts right here on the ramp.

Book A Discovery Flight