Most airplane rides near Burbank put you in the back seat. This one puts you in the left seat, eleven miles west of your house at Van Nuys Airport, with a certificated flight instructor beside you and the controls in your hands for most of the hour. From Burbank it is Victory Blvd almost the whole way: 25 to 32 minutes off-peak, 35 to 45 on a weekday evening. Turn east after takeoff and the first things you recognize are your own: the Universal backlot over the hill, then the Hollywood Sign and Griffith Observatory seen from the Burbank side, the side nobody photographs.
If you have run through the usual list of things to do in Burbank, this is one you cannot do from the ground, and it is a real first lesson rather than a sightseeing tour.
Quick Answer: The nearest discovery flight to Burbank leaves Van Nuys Airport, eleven miles west, and costs $229 for 60 minutes, $299 for 90 or $399 for 120, with nothing added at checkout. You fly the airplane, the instructor handles takeoff and landing, and you should allow about two hours at the airport.
Book A Discovery Flight · $229 Book A Free Consultation Call Or Text (818) 330-1318
Eleven Miles West, Then You Are Flying It
Burbank sits at the east end of the San Fernando Valley; the airport you want is at the west end of it. Victory Blvd runs the entire distance — out of Burbank, through North Hollywood and Van Nuys, to Balboa Blvd — and that single street is the simplest way to make the trip. Reckon on 25 to 32 minutes off-peak and 35 to 45 in the weekday evening, then a right turn north on Balboa for the last mile and a half.
The freeway alternative is the 134 west to the 101 westbound, off at Balboa Blvd, then north. It is quicker than Victory on a Saturday morning and slower than Victory between four and seven on a weekday, because the 101 through Sherman Oaks is where Valley traffic slows to a crawl. The third option, and the one most Burbank residents forget, is the 170 north to Sherman Way and then straight west — longer in miles, but it stays clear of the 101/405 interchange completely.
| Route | Distance | Off-Peak | Weekday Evening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victory Blvd west, north on Balboa | ~11 mi | 25–32 min | 35–45 min |
| 134 west, 101 west, Balboa Blvd exit | ~15 mi | 20–28 min | 40–55 min |
| 170 north, Sherman Way west | ~13 mi | 24–30 min | 32–40 min |
What You'll See From Burbank's Side Of The Route
Three of the route's landmarks sit on Burbank's side of the hills: Universal Studios, the Hollywood Sign and Griffith Observatory. All three come up early on an eastbound flight. The full loop, including the circle around Downtown and the run up the coast, is mapped landmark by landmark on our airplane rides page.
A Burbank booking usually turns east after departure, which means your own neighborhood is the main event rather than a distant corner of the windscreen.
The Warner Bros. lot on Olive and the Disney lot on Riverside are unmistakable from the air — long sound-stage roofs and backlot streets that read as a film set the moment you are above them, which they never quite do from Olive Ave. The Universal backlot sits over the hill to the south. Behind all of it the Verdugo Mountains rise straight out of the neighborhood, and from 1,500 feet you can finally see how thin the ridge is and how the streets of the Burbank hills climb it.
Carry on east and Griffith Park fills the view, with the Hollywood Sign on Mount Lee and Griffith Observatory on the slope below it, both approached from the north — the side almost nobody photographs. Past them the downtown Los Angeles skyline stands alone on the plain. It is a short hop from Burbank airspace, which is why the two-person Downtown route works particularly well from this side of the Valley.
One thing you will notice as a passenger-turned-pilot: Hollywood Burbank Airport is right there below you, and you are not landing at it. That is deliberate.
Driving Past One Airport To Reach Another
Hollywood Burbank is a Class C field built around scheduled airline and charter traffic. Light training aircraft can and do go in there, but it is not where you want your first hour to happen: you would spend a good part of it holding for jets. Van Nuys is Class D — a tower, parallel runways, no radar shelf of its own, sitting beneath the Burbank Class C, just north of the Los Angeles Class B — which is busy enough to be a real education and unclogged enough that your $229 buys flying rather than waiting. The differences are set out on our page about the field itself.
If your interest goes past one hour, the sibling page on flight school near Burbank covers training programs, costs and what a certificate takes from this side of the Valley.
How Your Discovery Flight Works
From the moment you leave Burbank to the logbook entry, this is the sequence. Allow about two hours at the airport for the 60-minute flight, two and a half for 90 minutes and around three for 120; the long version is under what happens on a discovery flight.
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Take Victory, Not The 101
Victory Blvd west through North Hollywood and Van Nuys, then a right turn north on Balboa for the last mile and a half. Navigate to 7900 Balboa Blvd, Main Terminal Unit 108, rather than to the airport name, park free on site and walk in about fifteen minutes before your slot.
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The Briefing
Around five minutes at a table with your instructor: what the yoke, rudder pedals and throttle do, what the instruments tell you and what the plan is. This is the moment to ask for an eastbound route so Burbank comes up early.
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Preflight With A Checklist
You walk around the Piper Warrior together and check it the way every pilot does before every flight: fuel, oil, control surfaces, tires. Your instructor explains what they are looking for and why it matters.
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Takeoff From Van Nuys
You sit in the pilot's seat on the left. The instructor talks to the tower and flies the takeoff with you following through on the controls, then hands the airplane over once the climb is steady.
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Fly East Toward Home
Climbs, turns, holding an altitude, the descent back toward the Valley: all yours. Universal comes up first, then Griffith Park, the Hollywood Sign and the Observatory, with Hollywood Burbank Airport below you and no plan to land there.
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Landing, Debrief And Your Logbook
The instructor lands at Van Nuys, you taxi in and go over the flight together. The hour is logged as dual instruction received in a logbook that belongs to you, and it counts toward the 40-hour Part 61 minimum for a private pilot certificate. No FAA medical is needed for this flight; bring photo ID.
What It Costs From Burbank
| Option | Who It Suits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery Flight, 60 min | One person, first time | $229 |
| Discovery Flight, 90 min | One person, time for the coast as well | $299 |
| Discovery Flight, 120 min | One person, treating it as lesson one | $399 |
| For Two — Downtown Los Angeles, 60 min | Two people, east-side route | $299 |
| Luxury Cirrus SR22 Discovery Flight, 60 min | You fly; a passenger is $100 more. Glass panel and leather | $499 ($599 with a passenger) |
| Full-Motion Simulator, 60 min | Nervous flyers, or a rained-out day | $189 |
No tax, no booking fee: $229 is the total, not a starting point that grows at checkout. Weight limits are 180 lb per person and 360 lb combined in the Warrior, 200 lb and 400 lb in the Cirrus. Our page on discovery flight cost shows where each number comes from.
Book A Discovery Flight · $229 Call Or Text (818) 330-1318
Weather, Marine Layer And Rescheduling
Burbank sits at the dry end of the Valley and often burns off earlier than the west side does, but the airport does not, so judge the weather by Van Nuys rather than by your own street. May and June bring the marine layer inland overnight and morning slots in that window move most often. Summer afternoons are hot, which raises density altitude and makes the climb lazier and the air over the Verdugos choppier — a 10 am or a 6 pm flight is a smoother introduction.
If we cancel for weather you pay nothing, and rescheduling is free for any reason up to 24 hours before your slot. See how rescheduling works.
That tile is the live Van Nuys report, and it is the one to check, not the sky over Magnolia Blvd. If it is blank, the Van Nuys Airport page explains the field, and a call or text to (818) 330-1318 gets you today's conditions.
Give It As A Gift From Burbank
Burbank runs on studio schedules, which is exactly why a date-free present works here: the Discovery Flight Gift Certificate arrives by email within minutes, has no blackout dates and never expires, so the person you give it to books around their own call times. Thirteen amounts run from $189 to $1,049. $229 matches the 60-minute flight; $299 is the Downtown flight for two, the east-side route that suits Burbank because Downtown is a short hop from the Burbank end of the Valley.
For a parent flying with a teenager, or a couple marking a birthday, the $299 card puts one person at the controls and the other on the intercom in the back. For someone already set on a certificate, Flight Training Credit comes in $500, $1,000 and $2,500 and goes toward lessons. Every option is laid out on our flight gift certificates page.
Give A Flight · From $189 Call Or Text (818) 330-1318
Frequently Asked Questions
Where Do I Park When I Get To Van Nuys?
On site and free, at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Main Terminal Unit 108, on the west side of the field. Coming from Burbank on Victory, turn right on Balboa. Put the street address into your map app rather than "Van Nuys Airport", because the airport's gates are spread over a mile; we are at Main Terminal Unit 108.
How Long Is The Drive From Burbank At Rush Hour?
Victory Blvd west takes 35 to 45 minutes on a weekday evening against 25 to 32 off-peak. The 134 and 101 are quicker on a Saturday morning but run 40 to 55 minutes between four and seven on weekdays, and the 170 north to Sherman Way holds at 32 to 40.
Can Two People Fly Together?
Yes. For two, book the Downtown Los Angeles flight at $299 for 60 minutes, or the Cirrus SR22 at $499 plus $100 for a passenger. One of you flies from the left seat; the other sits in the back on the intercom. Seats are not swapped in the air, so if you each want a turn at the controls, book a flight each.
Is There An Age Or Weight Limit?
Teenagers can fly this too: there is no minimum age, provided the person flying can see over the panel and wear a headset, and a parent or guardian signs for under-18s. The Piper Warrior takes 180 lb per person and 360 lb combined, the Cirrus SR22 200 lb and 400 lb, and the $189 full-motion simulator has no weight limit.
Can I Do A Discovery Flight At Hollywood Burbank Airport Instead?
Not practically. At Hollywood Burbank, a Class C field, scheduled airline and charter traffic comes first, so a first lesson there would spend a good part of its hour holding for jets.
Will I See The Studio Lots From The Air?
Yes. From the air you cannot miss Warner Bros. on Olive or Disney on Riverside, and Universal's backlot is just south of them, over the hill.
What Is The Best Time Of Day To Book From Burbank?
Early or late. Summer afternoons are hot: the climb is lazier and the Verdugos are choppier, so the first slot of the morning or a 6 PM slot makes a smoother introduction.
Related Reading
- Flight school near Burbank — programs, prices and the certificate path.
- Learning to fly in Burbank — what the first months look like from this end of the Valley.
- Toluca Lake discovery flights — two miles west, same drive.
- First flights from Glendale — the next city east on the 134.
- Pasadena discovery flights — the far end of the same freeway.
- Our main discovery flight page — every route and length in one place.
- Flight gift certificates — every amount and what it buys.
- Service areas around Van Nuys — drive times from Burbank and every other neighborhood we serve.
Book Your First Flight From Burbank
Eleven miles of Victory Blvd separates you from the left seat. We are at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Main Terminal Unit 108, Van Nuys, CA 91406, open 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, seven days a week.
Book A Discovery Flight · $229 Book A Free Consultation Call Or Text (818) 330-1318