N5208V is a Cessna 162 Skycatcher on the You Fly LA line at Van Nuys Airport, priced at $179 per hour wet inside a course package and $269 per hour wet at retail. Two seats side by side, a high wing, a 100-horsepower Continental O-200-D, a Garmin G300 glass panel and a cruise of about 118 knots.
This is the operating record for the airframe: rates, the work it does, what renting it requires and how to get it on the schedule. The rest of the fleet with rates side by side is on the airplanes you will fly, and the type reference — performance figures, handbook sections, the history of the model — is the Cessna 162 Skycatcher page.
N5208V At A Glance
| Item | N5208V |
|---|---|
| Registration | N5208V |
| Type | Cessna 162 Skycatcher |
| Seats | Two, side by side |
| Wing | High wing |
| Engine | 100 hp Continental O-200-D |
| Typical cruise | About 118 knots |
| Avionics | Garmin G300 glass |
| Fleet position | One of five Skycatchers at You Fly LA |
| Based at | Van Nuys Airport (KVNY), 7900 Balboa Blvd |
| Normally flown for | Sport Pilot and Private Pilot training |
| Retail rate | $269 per hour, wet |
| Package rate | $179 per hour, wet |
That is the type specification, identical across our five Skycatchers. The figures that belong to an individual airplane — empty weight, useful load, installed equipment — appear only in the weight and balance section of the handbook carried aboard it. Plan every load from that document rather than from a published type number.
What It Costs To Fly N5208V
| Item | Rate | When It Applies |
|---|---|---|
| N5208V, package rate | $179 per hour, wet | Hours flown inside a fixed-price course |
| N5208V, retail rate | $269 per hour, wet | Pay-as-you-go lessons and solo rental |
| Flight instructor | $110 per hour | Any dual flight, aircraft or simulator |
| Ground instruction | $110 per hour | Briefings and ground school outside a package |
| Redbird MCX full-motion simulator | $120 package, $200 retail | The alternative when weather closes the airport |
Both airplane rates are wet, so fuel is included and there is no surcharge afterwards. Which of the two you pay depends on how the hour is bought, not on the airplane: package rate inside a fixed-price course, retail for a standalone lesson or a solo rental. Everything we charge is on one page at flight school rates at Van Nuys.
What N5208V Is Flown For
Sport pilot and private pilot lessons, plus solo rental by pilots who have checked out in the type. As a light sport aircraft it can be flown by a sport pilot under the privileges and limits of 14 CFR 61.315, or by a private pilot under the broader privileges of 14 CFR 61.113. It is not a traveling airplane and we do not pretend otherwise: two seats, small tanks and 100 horsepower make it a training tool that happens to be pleasant to fly.
Why Five Skycatchers Rather Than Two
Availability is the quiet reason most students finish or do not finish. A flight school with one trainer has a schedule that collapses every time that airplane goes in for an inspection, and students who cannot fly for three weeks lose skill and then lose interest. Running five identical airframes means a maintenance event moves one airplane off the line rather than closing the type, and it means the 7 AM and 6 PM slots that working students actually want exist more than once.
Identical is the operative word. All five carry the same engine, the same Garmin G300 panel and the same rate, so a student who books N5208V one week and a sister airframe the next is not relearning a cockpit. Checkouts and endorsements are written for the type, and the aircraft handbook aboard each airplane covers the differences that matter. The practical effect is that we can say yes to a request for a specific tail number most of the time, and when we cannot, the substitute is genuinely equivalent.
Weather is the other constraint, and at Van Nuys it is kinder than most places — the reason a school here can promise a lesson most weeks of the year is set out on flyable days at Van Nuys. When a day does go, the Redbird MCX full-motion simulator at $120 inside a package keeps the syllabus moving rather than losing the slot entirely.
Heat, Density Altitude And 100 Horsepower
A Skycatcher teaches density altitude without being asked. On a July afternoon in the Valley with the temperature above 100 degrees, a hundred-horsepower airplane climbs at a rate that makes the numbers in the performance section feel personal. Students who train here learn to move lessons to the early morning, to calculate takeoff distance rather than assume it, and to treat a hot, high, heavy departure as a decision rather than a formality. That habit transfers to every airplane they fly afterwards, including the ones with enough power to hide the problem.
Checking Out To Rent N5208V
Renting the airplane without an instructor aboard needs a pilot certificate with the appropriate privileges, a current FAA medical certificate or the driver's license route open to sport pilots under 14 CFR 61.23, and a flight review completed since the beginning of the 24th calendar month before the month you fly, under 14 CFR 61.56. Carrying a passenger adds 14 CFR 61.57(a): three takeoffs and three landings within the preceding 90 days in the same category, class and type, to a full stop if the flight is at night.
Then there is our checkout — ground on systems and limitations, a flight with one of our instructors and a sign-off in your file. What we ask for is listed on aircraft checkout requirements for renters, and the general picture of renting at this airport is on aircraft rental at Van Nuys.
How To Book N5208V
Call (818) 330-1318 and ask for N5208V by registration. We schedule by airframe, so the desk can tell you on the call whether it is free at the time you want. If it is not, one of the other four Skycatchers usually is, on the same rate and the same specification.
If this would be your first time in a light airplane, book a discovery flight instead: $229 for 60 minutes, you fly from the left seat, and the fee comes off your course in full if you enroll within 24 hours.
Where The Registration Details Come From
We publish what we operate to and what we charge. The registration record — make and model as registered, registrant, airworthiness class and certificate dates — is held by the FAA and open to anyone. Check the FAA aircraft registry entry for N5208V, or search any N-number at registry.faa.gov. The registry is the source of record and outranks this page.
Related Reading
- The airplanes you will fly lists every airframe with package and retail rates.
- Cessna 162 Skycatcher is the type reference with performance and handbook detail.
- N6039M is one of the four sister Skycatchers on the same rate.
- Flyable days at Van Nuys explains how often weather actually stops a lesson here.
- The full-motion simulator is what keeps the syllabus moving when it does.
- Aircraft checkout requirements for renters lists what solo rental needs.
N5208V FAQ
What Kind Of Airplane Is N5208V?
A Cessna 162 Skycatcher: a two-seat, high-wing light sport airplane with a 100-horsepower Continental O-200-D, a Garmin G300 glass panel and a cruise of about 118 knots. It is one of five Skycatchers at You Fly LA.
How Much Does It Cost To Fly N5208V?
$179 per hour wet inside a course package and $269 per hour wet at retail. An instructor is $110 per hour on top for any dual flight, and ground instruction outside a package is also $110 per hour.
Why Does It Matter That There Are Five Skycatchers?
Availability. With five identical airframes, an inspection or an unscheduled maintenance event takes one airplane off the line instead of closing the type, so the early morning and evening slots students actually want still exist.
Can I Book A Specific Tail Number?
Yes. We schedule by airframe, so call (818) 330-1318 and ask for N5208V. If it is not free, the substitute we offer carries the same engine, the same panel and the same rate.
How Does Summer Heat Affect This Airplane?
Noticeably. A 100-horsepower airplane on a hot Valley afternoon climbs slowly, so takeoff and climb performance has to be calculated rather than assumed. Most students move summer lessons to the early morning for exactly that reason.
What Happens If The Weather Cancels My Lesson?
The slot usually moves to the Redbird MCX full-motion simulator at $120 per hour inside a package, which keeps procedures and instrument work progressing instead of losing the week.
What Do I Need To Rent It Solo?
A pilot certificate with the right privileges, a current medical certificate or the sport pilot driver's license route under 14 CFR 61.23, a flight review inside the 24-calendar-month window of 14 CFR 61.56, currency under 14 CFR 61.57 for what you plan to do, and a checkout in the type with one of our instructors.
Fly N5208V From Van Nuys
Book the airplane, or book the flight that comes before it. A discovery flight is $229 for 60 minutes with you flying from the left seat, credited in full toward training if you enroll within 24 hours. If you would rather plan on paper first, book a free consultation and we will go through hours, rates and a realistic timeline. Call (818) 330-1318. We are at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406, open 9 AM to 9 PM seven days a week.