Los Angeles has a standard list of things to do, and most people have done it. What almost nobody has done is see the city from 3,000 feet with their own hands on the controls, which is available seven days a week from Van Nuys Airport and starts at $229 for 60 minutes. This page is twelve things you can actually do here from the air, with what each one costs and when to do it.
Every item below is a discovery flight, which is a flight lesson rather than a sightseeing tour: a certificated instructor sits beside you with a full second set of controls, you fly, and the hour goes into a logbook. For the full route and price list, see airplane rides in Los Angeles.
1. Fly Past The Hollywood Sign Yourself
The sign is six minutes from wheels-up at Van Nuys, and on the way you pass Universal City and Lake Hollywood, neither of which anybody sees from above. We fly it abeam at around 3,000 feet, which is what 14 CFR 91.119 requires over a congested area, and at that distance the letters fill a good part of the side window with the summit masts and the maintenance road visible behind them. From $229 for 60 minutes, and the full route is on our Hollywood Sign flight page.
2. Fly The Malibu Coastline End To End
Cross the Santa Monica Mountains and the Pacific arrives all at once through a gap in the ridge, which is the single best moment on any route we fly. Then twenty miles of coast: Zuma, Point Dume, Paradise Cove, Malibu Pier, the Getty Villa, Santa Monica Pier and the Venice canals. The air over water is smoother than the air over the Valley, which makes this the better first flight for anyone nervous. From $299 for two on the Malibu coast flight.
3. Land On An Island
Catalina Airport sits on a plateau at 1,602 feet with a 3,000-foot runway and cliffs at both ends, and there are no commercial flights to it, so the only way to land there is in a small aircraft. A 120-minute discovery flight at $399 is enough aircraft time to fly out across the San Pedro Channel, land and come home, with you flying most of it. Runway 22 is the preferred landing runway because it is upslope, and the approach is unlike anything else in the basin. Details on fly to Catalina Island.
4. Watch Los Angeles Switch On At Sunset
In the twenty minutes either side of sunset you get both versions of the city at once: the landscape still lit from the west, and the street grid coming on underneath you. The air settles as the ground stops heating, so it is also the smoothest flying of the afternoon. Book the aircraft slot about an hour before sunset, which is around 4:00 PM in December and 7:15 PM in June. No surcharge: it is $229 for 60 minutes like any other slot. See sunset flight over Los Angeles.
5. Fly Over The City After Dark
At night the geography disappears and the city becomes pure light: the Valley grid running to the mountains, the freeways drawn in white and red, the black stripe of the Santa Monica Mountains, downtown standing up out of the basin, and lit runways visible from twenty miles. It is the calmest air of the day and the most atmospheric flight we sell. $329 for 60 minutes, $399 for two. Note that a full night flight does not fit inside our 9:00 PM close in June and July, which is covered on our night flight page.
6. Fly Over Your Own Street
This is the request we get most often and it is usually the highlight, because a familiar neighborhood from above rearranges your mental map of it permanently. Tell your instructor the cross streets at the briefing and they will build the route round it. The honest caveat is the same regulation as everywhere else: 14 CFR 91.119 requires 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a 2,000-foot horizontal radius over a congested area, so you will see your house clearly, not closely, and we will not orbit low over a residential street.
7. Look For Whales From 2,000 Feet
Gray whales migrate along this coast through the winter and into spring, blue whales feed in the Santa Monica Bay in summer, and dolphin pods are there year-round. From 2,000 feet a whale shows as a dark shape with a white wake, and a pod leaves a wide disturbed patch that is easy to spot once you know what you are looking for. Nothing is guaranteed on any given day, but forty minutes over water gives much better odds than a boat gives in the same time. Ask for a coastal routing when you book.
8. Fly A Twin-Engine Airplane
A two-engine airplane is a genuinely different machine: more noise on the runway, more acceleration, and the sensation of being in a larger airplane rather than a light single. Our Piper Seminole is a four-seat twin with counter-rotating propellers, and the multi-engine discovery flight is $499 for two people with one flying and one riding, plus $100 for a third passenger, within 200 lb per passenger and 550 lb combined. Almost nobody outside professional training ever gets to fly one. See multi-engine discovery flight.
9. Fly The Airplane With The Parachute
The Cirrus SR22 Turbo has a 310-horsepower turbocharged engine, a full glass cockpit, leather seats, air conditioning, a side yoke instead of a control wheel, and a whole-airframe parachute system. It cruises at 215 knots, so a 60-minute flight covers most of the coastline rather than a section of it. $399 for two people, and it is the booking to pick if the flight is for someone who flies airlines every month and will not be impressed by a trainer. See the Cirrus SR22.
10. Fly A Full-Motion Simulator
The Redbird MCX at Van Nuys is an FAA-approved advanced aviation training device on a full-motion platform, not a game. You can fly an approach into an airport on the other side of the world, or fly Los Angeles in weather that does not exist today. It is $189 for an hour, has no weight limit, and is unaffected by weather, which makes it the one item on this list that is available in any conditions. Details on the full-motion flight simulator.
11. Take A Teenager Flying
There is no FAA minimum age to receive flight instruction or to handle the controls with an instructor beside you; the minimum ages in Part 61 apply to soloing and to certificates. In practice we want someone who can reach the rudder pedals and follow instructions, which is usually about ten. Anyone under 18 needs a parent or guardian present to sign. We run a teen flight training program as well, and flight lessons for younger children.
12. Start A Pilot License By Accident
This happens more often than any of the above. A discovery flight is dual instruction received, logged as such, and it counts toward the 40-hour minimum in 14 CFR 61.109 for a private pilot certificate. If you enroll in a course within 24 hours of your flight we credit the full cost of the flight toward it, which makes the $229 effectively free if you carry on. Our guide to learning to fly in Los Angeles covers what that path looks like and what it costs.
What Each One Costs
| What | Booking | Duration | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hollywood Sign, Griffith and downtown | Discovery Flight | 60 min | $229 |
| Malibu coast and the Santa Monica Bay | Discovery Flight For Two | 60 min | $299 |
| City and coast in one flight | Discovery Flight | 90 min | $299 |
| Land at Catalina Island | Discovery Flight | 120 min | $399 |
| Night flight over the city | Night Discovery Flight | 60 min | $329 |
| Night flight for two | Night Discovery Flight For Two | 60 min | $399 |
| Fly the twin | Multi-Engine Discovery Flight For Two | 60 min | $499 |
| Fly the Cirrus with the parachute | Luxury Cirrus SR22 For Two | 60 min | $399 |
| Full-motion simulator, any weather | Simulator Experience | 60 min | $189 |
Weight limits: 180 lb for a single-person flight in the Piper Warrior, 360 lb combined for two, 400 lb combined in the Cirrus, 200 lb per passenger and 550 lb combined in the Seminole, none in the simulator.
How This Compares With The Rest Of The Los Angeles List
Most unique-things-to-do lists for this city are variations on looking at something from the ground: an observatory, a pier, a hike, a studio tour. They are good, and they are all things you watch.
The difference here is that you operate the thing. An hour in the left seat is not a passive experience; you will be concentrating, you will be told to hold a heading and an altitude, and you will get some of it wrong. That is the reason people remember it years later and the reason it is not the right present for everyone. If the person you are buying for wants to be shown something beautiful without working for it, book the flight for two and put them in the back seat, where they get the view and none of the homework.
Practical notes that apply to all twelve. Book early mornings for the smoothest air and the clearest visibility, or the last ninety minutes before sunset for the best light. May and June bring the marine layer, which mostly affects the coast and mostly clears by late morning. We are open seven days, 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, and if weather moves your booking we reschedule it at no charge under our weather and cancellation policy.
Related Reading
- Airplane rides in Los Angeles — the full ride and route list with every price.
- Airplane tour prices in Los Angeles — how these prices compare per person and per minute.
- Hollywood Sign flight — the most requested route, landmark by landmark.
- Fly to Catalina Island — the only way to land on the island.
- Romantic flight date ideas in Los Angeles — anniversaries, proposals and first dates.
- Best views on a discovery flight — what you see from each route.
- Fly over Los Angeles yourself — the routes in order, from the Sepulveda Basin to the coast.
Things To Do In Los Angeles From The Air FAQ
What Is The Most Unique Thing To Do In Los Angeles?
Flying a small airplane over the city yourself is the one item on most lists that you operate rather than watch. A 60-minute discovery flight from Van Nuys is $229, takes you past the Hollywood Sign, Griffith Observatory and downtown, and is logged as dual instruction toward a pilot certificate.
Can You Fly Over Your Own House In Los Angeles?
Yes, within the altitude rules. Tell your instructor the cross streets at the briefing and they will build the route around it. Over a congested area, 14 CFR 91.119 requires 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a 2,000-foot horizontal radius, so you will see it clearly rather than closely, and we will not orbit low over a residential street.
What Can You Do From The Air That You Cannot Do From The Ground?
See Lake Hollywood, the Universal backlot and the shape of the Santa Monica Mountains all in one sweep; watch kelp beds and sandbars through the water off Point Dume; land on a plateau at Catalina Island; and see the whole street grid of the San Fernando Valley lit up at night.
How Much Does It Cost To Do This?
From $229 for a 60-minute discovery flight with one person flying, $299 for two people, $399 for the Cirrus SR22 for two, $499 for the twin-engine flight for two, and $189 for the full-motion simulator. There is no tax, booking fee or fuel surcharge on top.
What Happens If The Weather Is Bad?
We reschedule at no charge. The most common issue here is the marine layer in May and June, which mostly affects the coast and usually clears by late morning. The full-motion simulator at $189 runs in any weather and is a genuine substitute rather than a consolation.
Do I Need Any Experience Or Paperwork?
No. Bring a government photo ID. You do not need a medical certificate, a student pilot certificate or any prior flying experience to take a discovery flight, because the instructor is pilot in command. Those only come into it if you decide to train.
Pick One And Book It
The 60-minute discovery flight at $229 is the natural starting point, the Malibu Coast flight for two at $299 is the one for an occasion, and the full-motion simulator at $189 works in any weather. If you want help choosing, book a free consultation or call (818) 330-1318, any day from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM. We are at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406, on Van Nuys Airport.