Whether it is for you or a flying experience gift for someone else, a discovery flight from Beverly Hills starts with the one awkward part of the trip, the Sepulveda Pass, and ends with the flats laid out under the wing. You Fly LA is at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Main Terminal Unit 108 on Van Nuys Airport, about seventeen miles north: 25 to 30 minutes on the 405 at ten in the morning. For $229 you get 60 minutes in the left seat of a Piper Warrior, flying it with a certificated instructor beside you; in the Cirrus SR22 it is $499, or $599 with a passenger. Turn south after takeoff and home arrives early, because the mountains between you and the airport are only a few minutes wide.
Quick Answer: A discovery flight from Beverly Hills is $229 for 60 minutes in a Piper Warrior, or $499 in the Cirrus SR22 ($599 with a passenger), at Van Nuys Airport: 25 to 30 minutes over the Sepulveda Pass at 10 AM, 50 to 70 at 5:30 PM. You fly the airplane, and a gift certificate lets the person you are buying for pick their own date.
Book A Discovery Flight · $229 Book A Free Consultation Call Or Text (818) 330-1318
The Sepulveda Pass Is The Only Hard Part
Everything about this is easy except the 405. From the flats, Santa Monica Blvd west to the 405 north, over the Sepulveda Pass, off at Roscoe Blvd and west to Balboa is seventeen miles. At ten in the morning that is twenty-five to thirty minutes. At half past five on a Thursday it can be seventy.
So the real advice for Beverly Hills is about timing rather than routing. Mid-morning and Sunday are the two windows where the pass behaves, and both of them also happen to be when the air over the mountains is smoothest. Book a 10 am flight and the whole day works.
When the 405 is stopped, the canyon roads are the local's answer and they are genuinely faster: Beverly Glen Blvd north from Sunset over the crest to Ventura Blvd, then west to Balboa and north — about five miles of two-lane canyon and then a straight run. Coldwater Canyon does the same thing a mile east and comes out in Studio City. Neither is quick, but both keep moving.
| Route | Distance | 10 AM | 5:30 PM Weekday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 405 north over the Sepulveda Pass, Roscoe west | ~17 mi | 25–30 min | 50–70 min |
| Beverly Glen Blvd north, Ventura west, Balboa north | ~15 mi | 30–36 min | 40–50 min |
| Coldwater Canyon north, Ventura west, Balboa north | ~16 mi | 32–38 min | 42–52 min |
What You'll See From Beverly Hills' Side Of The Route
The route landmarks nearest Beverly Hills are the Hollywood Sign, Griffith Observatory and Downtown LA, all east along the same ridge you look up at from Sunset. Closer to home, what you will recognize first is described below; the full loop, landmark by landmark, is mapped on our airplane rides page.
The Santa Monica Mountains separate you from the airport, and a southbound leg crosses them within about five minutes of takeoff — so unlike most of our city pages, your own neighborhood shows up early rather than at the far end of the flight.
Franklin Canyon Reservoir is the first thing over the ridge, sitting in a fold of the mountains immediately above the city, and most people are surprised at how close it is to Sunset. Below it the canyon roads — Benedict, Coldwater, Beverly Glen — fan down the slope, and then the Beverly Hills flats arrive, which from the air are the cleanest piece of urban geometry in Los Angeles: a hard diagonal grid set against the north-south streets on either side of it, with the palm rows reading as green lines.
Greystone Mansion sits on its terraces above Loma Vista. The Beverly Hills Hotel and its grounds are obvious on Sunset. Century City's towers stand immediately south-east — the only cluster of height between downtown and the ocean — and the Getty Center is perched on its ridge above the 405, which you will have driven under an hour earlier. Past all of it the ground runs flat to Santa Monica Bay. Turn the other way and the Hollywood Sign and Griffith Observatory are ten minutes east along the same ridge. The routes are set out on the Los Angeles discovery flight overview.
How Your Discovery Flight Works
It is not a charter, a tour or a ride with a pilot pointing out landmarks; it is the first lesson of flight training, sold on its own. Allow two hours at the airport for a 60-minute flight. More at the discovery flight, start to finish.
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Over The Pass At Ten
Take Santa Monica Blvd to the 405, cross the Sepulveda Pass and leave at Roscoe for the short run west to Balboa: 25 to 30 minutes at 10 AM. If the 405 is jammed, Beverly Glen to Ventura and Balboa holds at 40 to 50. Parking is free at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Main Terminal Unit 108; arrive fifteen minutes early.
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The Briefing
About five minutes on the controls, the instruments and the plan. Ask for the southbound leg over the ridge if you want to see home.
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The Preflight
You inspect the airplane with your instructor rather than watching from a lounge: fuel, oil, tires, control surfaces and a full walk round.
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Takeoff
You sit in the left seat; the instructor works the tower and flies the takeoff with your hands following, then gives you the controls in the climb.
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Back Over The Ridge To The Flats
Within about five minutes you are flying over Franklin Canyon Reservoir, down the line of the canyon roads to the diagonal grid of the flats, with Century City just south-east. Climbs, turns and level flight are yours; the instructor stays on the controls throughout.
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Debrief And A Logbook Entry
The instructor lands, you talk through the flight, and the hour is recorded as dual instruction received toward the 40-hour Part 61 minimum for a private pilot certificate. No medical certificate is needed for this flight.
The Cirrus SR22 Option
The Luxury Cirrus SR22 flight is worth explaining rather than just listing, because of what the extra money buys. The SR22 is a different airplane from a training Piper: a side-yoke rather than a control column, a large glass panel, leather, and a whole-airframe parachute system. You fly it, and a passenger can ride along for $100 more and see everything.
It is $499 for 60 minutes, $649 for 90 and $799 for 120 for one flyer; with a passenger it is $599, $849 and $1,049. Weight limits are 200 lb per person and 400 lb combined. If you would rather start in the trainer, the standard discovery flight is $229, $299 and $399 in a Piper Warrior PA-28-161, with limits of 180 lb per person and 360 lb combined. Neither is the "real" version — the Warrior is the airplane most people learn in, and the Cirrus is the one most people want to be seen getting out of.
Book A Discovery Flight · $229
Lengths, Routes And Prices
| Flight | 60 Min | 90 Min | 120 Min |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery Flight, one person | $229 | $299 | $399 |
| For Two — Malibu Coast | $299 | $399 | $499 |
| For Two — Downtown Los Angeles | $299 | $399 | $499 |
| Luxury Cirrus SR22 Discovery Flight | $499 | $649 | $799 |
| Luxury Cirrus SR22 Discovery Flight, With A Passenger | $599 | $849 | $1,049 |
| Full-Motion Simulator | $189 | — | — |
No tax, no booking fee: $229 is the total, and $499 is the total for the Cirrus hour. Given the drive, ninety minutes is usually the better buy from Beverly Hills — it adds the Malibu coastline to a flight that would otherwise turn around at Santa Monica Bay. The reasoning behind the figures is on what you pay, and what you don't, and the training programs are on the Beverly Hills flight school page.
Requirements And Weight Limits
Photo ID, and that is essentially it. No experience is assumed. No FAA medical certificate is required, because the instructor is the pilot in command — that only matters once you start flying solo. There is no minimum age; under-18s need a parent or guardian to sign the paperwork. Friends can come and watch from the airport, but only booked seats fly.
Weather And Rescheduling
Beverly Hills sits on the coastal side of the mountains, so in May and June your morning is often gray while the Valley has already cleared, and occasionally the reverse. Judge by the airport rather than by Sunset Blvd; we are on (818) 330-1318 from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM.
In midsummer the heat over the Valley raises density altitude, so climbs are slower and the air over the ridge is rougher after lunch — another argument for the mid-morning slot that also solves the 405. Weather cancellations cost you nothing, and rescheduling is free for any reason up to 24 hours before your flight: see our rescheduling policy.
The Van Nuys observation above is taken on the far side of the Santa Monica Mountains from you, so trust it over the sky on Sunset. No tile? Call or text (818) 330-1318 before you commit to the pass.
Give It As A Gift From Beverly Hills
As a flying experience gift, the showpiece is the Luxury Cirrus SR22 flight: $499 for 60 minutes, $649 for 90 and $799 for two hours down the coast for one flyer ($599, $849 and $1,049 with a passenger), in a glass-panel airplane with leather seats and a whole-airframe parachute. If the point is simply to put someone at the controls, $229 covers the 60-minute Warrior flight, and $299 the Downtown or Malibu Coast flight for two. The Discovery Flight Gift Certificate comes in thirteen amounts from $189 to $1,049.
It arrives by email within minutes, has no blackout dates, can be passed on and never expires. If you would rather hand over something in person, call (818) 330-1318 and we will prepare a printed card for pickup at the airport. For someone serious about a certificate, Flight Training Credit in $500, $1,000 or $2,500 goes toward lessons. Every option is on our flight gift certificates page, and gift ideas by occasion are on discovery flight gift ideas.
Give A Flight · From $189 Call Or Text (818) 330-1318
Frequently Asked Questions
Where Do I Park At Van Nuys Airport?
Free, on site, at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Main Terminal Unit 108. From the 405 you exit at Roscoe Blvd and head west to Balboa. Use the street address in your map app rather than "Van Nuys Airport", which can send you to the wrong gate; we are at Main Terminal Unit 108.
How Long Is The Drive From Beverly Hills At Rush Hour?
At 5:30 PM on a weekday the 405 over the Sepulveda Pass can take 50 to 70 minutes, against 25 to 30 at 10 AM. Beverly Glen Blvd over the crest to Ventura and Balboa holds at 40 to 50, and Coldwater Canyon at 42 to 52.
Can Two People Fly Together?
Yes. The Cirrus SR22 is $599 for 60 minutes with a passenger ($499 for one flyer), and the Warrior flights for two, Downtown or Malibu Coast, are $299. One person flies from the left seat and the other rides along on the intercom; if you both want to fly, book a flight each. Anyone else in your group is welcome at the airport, but only the booked seats go up.
Is There An Age Or Weight Limit?
No minimum age as long as the person flying can see over the panel and wear a headset; under-18s need a parent or guardian to sign. The Cirrus SR22 takes 200 lb per person and 400 lb combined and the Piper Warrior 180 lb per person and 360 lb combined.
Will I Fly Over Beverly Hills Itself?
On a southbound leg, yes, and early, since the mountains take only a few minutes to cross. Look for the flats, where the streets run on a diagonal set against everything around them, then Century City just to the south-east.
Is The Cirrus Worth The Extra?
If the occasion matters, usually. You get leather seats, a big glass panel, a side-yoke and a parachute for the whole airplane, and $499 covers the hour, or $599 with a passenger. If the point is learning, the Warrior is the airplane our students train in, and neither is the more authentic choice.
Can I Give The Flight As A Gift?
Yes. The gift certificate is emailed within minutes in amounts from $189 to $1,049, has no blackout dates and never expires, and the person you give it to books their own date. A printed card for pickup at the airport is available if you call.
Nearby Pages
- The Beverly Hills flight school page — the training programs beyond the first hour.
- Santa Monica discovery flights — the coast end of the same ridge.
- Sherman Oaks first flights — the Valley side of the pass.
- Studio City discovery flights — over Coldwater Canyon.
- The Los Angeles discovery flight overview — every route and length.
- Flight gift certificates — thirteen amounts, including the Cirrus flights.
- Van Nuys Airport — Class D, parallel runways, beneath the Burbank Class C.
Book Your Beverly Hills Discovery Flight
One pass north, and then five minutes later you are looking down at the flats from the pilot's seat. 7900 Balboa Blvd, Main Terminal Unit 108, Van Nuys, CA 91406, open 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM daily.
Book A Discovery Flight · $229 Book A Free Consultation Call Or Text (818) 330-1318