N7030B is a Cessna 162 Skycatcher based at Van Nuys Airport and flown by You Fly LA, and it costs $269 per hour wet at retail or $179 per hour inside a course package. It seats two side by side under a high wing, carries a 100-horsepower Continental O-200-D and a Garmin G300 glass panel, and cruises at about 118 knots.
What follows is the operating record for this one airframe rather than a study guide: rates, what it is flown for, what a checkout to rent it involves, and how to get it on the schedule. Every other airplane we operate, with rates alongside, is on the airplanes you will fly. If you came for handbook detail and V-speeds instead, the Cessna 162 Skycatcher type page is the reference.
N7030B At A Glance
| Item | N7030B |
|---|---|
| Registration | N7030B |
| 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 |
Those are type-level figures, published because they are the same across all five of our Skycatchers. The numbers that differ between individual airframes — empty weight, useful load, the installed equipment list — are recorded only in the weight and balance section of the handbook carried in that aircraft. Work from that document when you plan a load, not from a figure quoted for the type.
What It Costs To Fly N7030B
| Item | Rate | When It Applies |
|---|---|---|
| N7030B, package rate | $179 per hour, wet | Hours flown inside a fixed-price course |
| N7030B, 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 | Procedures work at a lower rate than the airplane |
Wet means fuel is in the price. There is no fuel surcharge, no landing-fee pass-through at our home field and no separate insurance line. The difference between $179 and $269 is not a discount for good behavior, it is the difference between an hour bought inside a fixed-price course and an hour bought on its own. Both numbers, and everything else we charge, are published on flight school rates at Van Nuys.
What N7030B Is Flown For
Sport pilot and private pilot training, in that order of frequency. A Skycatcher is a training airplane in the narrowest sense: two seats, small tanks, modest performance and a rate that makes flying three times a week affordable rather than theoretical. Nobody takes N7030B on a four-person weekend to Santa Barbara, and that is the point of it.
The airplane is a special light sport aircraft, which means a sport pilot may act as pilot in command of it under 14 CFR 61.315 — one passenger, daylight, at least three statute miles of visibility, nothing for compensation or hire. A private pilot with a current medical certificate or BasicMed qualification flies the same airframe under the wider privileges of 14 CFR 61.113. Same airplane, same rate, different rulebook.
The Cheapest Hour In The Fleet, And What It Buys
Flight training costs what it costs because of two meters running at once: the airplane and the instructor. At $179 package plus $110 for the instructor, a dual hour in N7030B is $289. The same hour in the Diamond DA20 is $339 and in the Cirrus SR22 Turbo it is $559. Over the 30 dual hours in the Private Pilot Standard course, choosing the Skycatcher rather than the Diamond is a difference of $1,500 in airplane time alone.
What the cheap hour costs you is capability, and it is worth being honest about which parts matter. You lose two seats, so you cannot take the family up after the checkride without renting something else. You lose useful load, so two adults and full fuel is often not a legal combination and partial fuel becomes normal. You do not lose airmanship. Stick and rudder skill, radio work at a Class D tower under the Los Angeles Class B shelf, and the discipline of flying a light airplane in the afternoon wind over the Valley all transfer upward intact. Pilots who train here and later move to the Warrior find the transition is a matter of a few hours, which is why we price the private pilot course around this airframe.
Checking Out To Rent N7030B
Flying this airplane solo, without one of our instructors aboard, needs four things from the regulations and one from us. From the regulations: a pilot certificate with the privileges for the flight, a current medical certificate or the driver's license route open to sport pilots under 14 CFR 61.23, a flight review completed since the beginning of the 24th calendar month before the month you fly under 14 CFR 61.56, and recent experience under 14 CFR 61.57(a) if you are carrying a passenger — three takeoffs and three landings within the preceding 90 days in the same category, class and type, made to a full stop at night under 61.57(b).
From us: a checkout in the type, which is ground instruction on systems and limitations followed by a flight with an instructor and a sign-off in your file. It is not a formality and it is not a checkride. The detail, including what we ask of low-time renters, is on aircraft checkout requirements for renters.
How To Book N7030B
Call (818) 330-1318 and ask for the tail number. We schedule by airframe, so asking for N7030B specifically is a normal request and the desk will tell you straight away whether it is available or whether another of the five Skycatchers fits your slot better. Availability moves with maintenance, so treat the schedule rather than this page as the live answer.
If you have not flown a light airplane before, book a discovery flight first at $229 for 60 minutes. You fly it from the left seat with an instructor beside you, and the fee is credited in full toward training if you enroll within 24 hours.
Where The Registration Details Come From
This page publishes the specification we operate to and the rates we charge. The registration record itself — registered make and model, registrant, airworthiness class, certificate issue and expiry — belongs to the FAA and is public. Check it directly in the FAA aircraft registry entry for N7030B, or search any N-number at registry.faa.gov. Where the registry and this page differ, the registry is the authority.
Related Reading
- The airplanes you will fly puts every aircraft and every rate on one page.
- Cessna 162 Skycatcher is the type reference, with V-speeds and handbook sections.
- N60225 is another of the five Skycatchers, on the same rate.
- Private pilot license covers the certificate most students fly this airplane toward.
- Block time vs pay-as-you-go explains which of the two rates you would actually pay.
- Aircraft checkout requirements for renters lists what solo rental needs.
N7030B FAQ
What Kind Of Airplane Is N7030B?
A Cessna 162 Skycatcher: 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. It is one of five Skycatchers on the You Fly LA line at Van Nuys Airport.
How Much Is N7030B Per Hour?
$179 per hour wet inside a course package and $269 per hour wet at retail. Add $110 per hour for an instructor on any dual flight. Wet means fuel is included and nothing is added afterwards.
Is A Skycatcher Cheap Enough To Train In Three Times A Week?
That is the reason we run five of them. A dual hour at the package rate is $289 including the instructor, which is the lowest in our fleet, and flying often is the single biggest factor in how few total hours a certificate takes.
Can Two Adults And Full Fuel Fly In It?
Often not. The Skycatcher is a light sport aircraft and payload is its real limit rather than seating, so partial fuel is normal. The legal answer for this airframe comes from the weight and balance section of its own handbook, which is aboard the airplane.
Do I Need A Medical Certificate To Fly It?
Not necessarily. Because the Skycatcher is a light sport aircraft, a sport pilot may use a valid US driver's license in place of an FAA medical certificate under the conditions of 14 CFR 61.23. A private pilot flying it needs a current medical certificate or BasicMed qualification.
Can I Book This Exact Tail Number?
Yes. Call (818) 330-1318 and ask for N7030B. We schedule by airframe, and if it is booked or in maintenance the desk will offer one of the other four Skycatchers at the same rate and specification.
What Is The Difference Between The $179 And $269 Rates?
Context, not the airplane. $179 is the hourly rate when the hour is flown inside one of our fixed-price course packages. $269 is the rate when you buy the hour on its own, whether that is a pay-as-you-go lesson or a solo rental after a checkout.
Fly N7030B From Van Nuys
The first flight in this airplane does not have to be a commitment. A discovery flight is $229 for 60 minutes with you flying from the left seat, and the whole amount comes off your course if you enroll within 24 hours. If you would rather talk numbers before you fly, book a free consultation and we will lay out the hours, the rate and the realistic total. Call (818) 330-1318. We are at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406, open 9 AM to 9 PM seven days a week.