Airplane rides near Glendale usually mean a seat behind someone else's shoulder. This one puts you at the controls. You Fly LA flies from Van Nuys Airport, about twenty miles west on the 134 and the 101, 25 to 35 minutes off-peak, and for $229 you get 60 minutes in the left seat of a Piper Warrior with a certificated instructor teaching beside you. Fly east and your side of the basin comes back to meet you: Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood Sign on the ridge you look up at from Riverside Drive, Downtown LA standing on the plain, and the Verdugo Mountains, which turn out to be a narrow ridge with Glendale wrapped around it.
Quick Answer: A discovery flight for Glendale residents is $229 for 60 minutes at Van Nuys Airport, 25 to 35 minutes away off-peak and 40 to 55 at 5 PM on the 134 and 101 (the 5 and 170 run 38 to 48). You fly the airplane, the eastbound landmarks fit inside the hour, and 90 minutes ($299) adds the coast.
Book A Discovery Flight · $229 Book A Free Consultation Call Or Text (818) 330-1318
Glendale To Van Nuys: The 134 Is The Whole Trip
One freeway does most of the work. The 134 west runs out of Glendale, along the north side of Griffith Park, through Burbank, and joins the 101 at the Ventura interchange; from there it is the 101 westbound to the Balboa Blvd exit and just under four miles north on Balboa. Twenty miles, twenty-five to thirty-five minutes off-peak, forty to fifty-five in the weekday evening.
There are two useful alternatives. The 5 north to the 170, then west on Sherman Way or Roscoe Blvd stays clear of the 101 entirely and is often the better bet between four and seven, when the westbound 101 through Sherman Oaks is the bottleneck. And from the north end of Glendale — the 91208 streets under the Verdugos — the 210 west to the 118 west, then south on Balboa is longer in miles but runs across the top of the Valley, and on a bad afternoon it wins.
| Route | Distance | Off-Peak | Weekday 5 PM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 134 west, 101 west, Balboa Blvd exit north | ~20 mi | 25–35 min | 40–55 min |
| 5 north, 170 north, Sherman Way west | ~22 mi | 28–36 min | 38–48 min |
| 210 west, 118 west, Balboa Blvd south | ~27 mi | 32–40 min | 38–50 min |
Glendale is one of the cities where the freeway choice genuinely changes the evening. If you are booking a 6 pm slot on a Tuesday, take the 5 and the 170.
What You'll See From Glendale's Side Of The Route
The three route landmarks nearest Glendale are Griffith Observatory, Downtown LA and the Hollywood Sign, all on the east side of the basin and all comfortably inside a 60-minute flight. The rest of the loop, south past SoFi and LAX to the coast and back over the mountains, is mapped landmark by landmark on our airplane rides page.
An eastbound departure from Van Nuys puts Glendale roughly fifteen minutes into a 60-minute flight, and it arrives in a particular order.
The Verdugo Mountains come first, and they are the revelation. From Glendale they look like a wall; from 2,500 feet they are a narrow ridge with the city wrapped around three sides of it, and the fire roads along the top are clearly drawn. Below the south face, Forest Lawn Memorial Park spreads across the hillside as an unmistakable pattern of lawns and roads. The Glendale Narrows stretch of the Los Angeles River — the part with a soft bottom and actual trees in it — runs between Glendale and Griffith Park and is far easier to read from the air than from Riverside Drive.
Then Griffith Park itself: the Observatory on the south slope of Mount Hollywood with the whole basin behind it, the Greek Theatre, the old zoo, and the Hollywood Sign on Mount Lee just west of it. Downtown Los Angeles stands on the plain to the south-east, close enough from here that the two-person Downtown Los Angeles route at $299 for 60 minutes is the natural pick if two of you are going. On a clear day the San Gabriels fill the entire northern horizon behind Glendale, and the scale of what is immediately behind your own city is the thing people comment on afterwards.
How Your Discovery Flight Works
Nobody narrates a tour at you; the hour is a lesson, wrapped in a briefing, a preflight and a debrief. Allow two hours at the airport for 60 minutes and two and a half for 90. The full account is on what happens on a discovery flight.
-
Choose The Freeway By The Hour
Off-peak, the 134 west to the 101 and the Balboa Blvd exit, then just under four miles north. Between four and seven on a weekday, the 5 north to the 170 and west on Sherman Way. Navigate to 7900 Balboa Blvd, Main Terminal Unit 108, park free on site and arrive fifteen minutes early.
-
Sit Down For The Briefing
About five minutes with your instructor: the controls, the instruments and the route. Ask for the eastbound loop if you want to see Glendale from above.
-
Preflight The Actual Airplane
You inspect the Warrior you are about to fly together: fuel, oil, tires and control surfaces, done with the instructor rather than for you.
-
Takeoff From Van Nuys
You fly from the left seat, but not the takeoff: the instructor has that and the radio, with your hands resting on the controls, and passes the airplane over when the climb is steady.
-
Fly East Toward The Verdugos
Climbs, turns, straight-and-level and descents are yours to make. About fifteen minutes into a 60-minute flight the Verdugo Mountains, Forest Lawn and the Glendale Narrows of the Los Angeles River come up in that order.
-
Home, Debrief, Logbook
The instructor lands, you talk it through, and the hour goes into a logbook as dual instruction received, counting toward the 40-hour Part 61 minimum. The training path beyond it is on the Glendale flight school page.
Sixty Minutes Versus Ninety From Glendale
Because Glendale is on the east side of the basin and the airport is in the middle of the Valley, the eastbound landmarks — Griffith Park, the Hollywood Sign, downtown — are comfortably inside a 60-minute flight at $229. What sixty minutes will not do is add the coast.
Ninety minutes at $299 buys the second half: over the Santa Monica Mountains, out to Santa Monica Bay, and back. A hundred and twenty at $399 is for people who intend to keep flying and want the first lesson to be a proper one. For two people the named routes are $299, $399 and $499, and the Luxury Cirrus SR22 Discovery Flight is $499, $649 and $799 for one flyer, or $599, $849 and $1,049 with a passenger.
Book A Discovery Flight · $229 Call Or Text (818) 330-1318
The Airplane You Will Be Flying
A Piper Warrior PA-28-161: four seats, low wing, predictable and honest, which is exactly what a first hour needs. The luxury option is a Cirrus SR22, room for one passenger, with a side-yoke, a large glass panel and a whole-airframe parachute system.
Weight limits are 180 lb per person and 360 lb combined in the Warrior and 200 lb and 400 lb in the Cirrus. No medical certificate, no experience, no minimum age — under-18s need a parent or guardian signature, and everyone needs photo ID. Van Nuys itself is a tower-controlled Class D field with parallel runways, described on our page about the airport guide.
What It Costs, All In
| Flight | 60 Min | 90 Min | 120 Min |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery Flight, one person | $229 | $299 | $399 |
| For Two — Downtown Los Angeles | $299 | $399 | $499 |
| For Two — Malibu Coast | $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 and no booking fee apply to these, so $229 is the total you pay. The breakdown across lengths and aircraft is on discovery flight prices in detail, and a free consultation at the airport costs nothing if you would rather ask in person first.
Weather Days
Glendale is usually the last part of the region to lose its morning sun, and that is misleading. The May and June marine layer sits deepest on the west side of the basin and over the Valley, so a clear morning on Brand Blvd tells you very little about conditions at Van Nuys. Check with us rather than with the window.
Summer afternoons bring high density altitude — slower climbs and rougher air over the Verdugos and the San Gabriel foothills — so an early or late slot flies better. You pay nothing when weather cancels a flight, and rescheduling is free for any reason up to 24 hours ahead: see what happens if the weather is bad.
Use the live Van Nuys report above rather than the view from Brand Blvd. If the tile has not loaded, text (818) 330-1318 and we will tell you what the Valley side is doing.
Give It As A Gift From Glendale
For two people from Glendale the obvious present is the Downtown Los Angeles flight for two, $299 for 60 minutes: one flies, the other rides along on the intercom, and the route goes over the ground you both know, from Griffith Park to the Downtown towers. The Discovery Flight Gift Certificate covers it, or anything else we fly, 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.
$229 is the 60-minute flight for one. For someone who has been looking at the Verdugos for years and wants to learn properly, Flight Training Credit in $500, $1,000 or $2,500 goes toward lessons. See every amount on our flight gift certificates page.
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 101 Balboa exit it is just under four miles north. Put the street address into your map app rather than "Van Nuys Airport", because the airport's gates are spread along a mile of frontage; we are at Main Terminal Unit 108.
How Long Is The Drive From Glendale At Rush Hour?
At 5 PM on a weekday the 134 and 101 take 40 to 55 minutes, the 5 and 170 to Sherman Way 38 to 48, and the 210 and 118 from north Glendale 38 to 50. If you are booked at 6 PM on a Tuesday, the 5 and the 170 are the route to use.
Can Two People Fly Together?
Yes. The Downtown Los Angeles flight for two is $299 for 60 minutes and suits Glendale best; the Cirrus SR22 with a passenger is $599. One person flies from the left seat and the other rides in the back on the intercom. If you both want to fly, book a flight each.
Is There An Age Or Weight Limit?
There is no lower age limit and no upper one. The person at the controls needs to see over the panel and wear a headset, and a parent or guardian signs for anyone under 18. The Warrior carries up to 180 lb a person and 360 lb in total; the Cirrus, 200 lb and 400 lb.
Will I Fly Over Glendale Itself?
On an eastbound flight, yes. Roughly a quarter of an hour into a 60-minute flight the Verdugo Mountains appear, then Forest Lawn Memorial Park on its hillside and the Los Angeles River's Glendale Narrows.
Is 60 Minutes Enough From Glendale?
For the eastbound landmarks, yes: Griffith Park, the Hollywood Sign and Downtown all fit in a 60-minute flight at $229. Adding the coast is the one thing sixty minutes cannot do; that takes 90 minutes at $299.
Does It Count Toward Flight Training?
Yes. It is logged as dual instruction received and counts toward the 40-hour Part 61 minimum for a private pilot certificate.
Nearby Discovery Flight Pages
- Flight school near Glendale — the certificate path from the east side of the basin.
- Burbank discovery flights — the next city west on the 134.
- Pasadena first flights — eastbound on the same freeway.
- Toluca Lake discovery flights — over the hill from Griffith Park.
- Every discovery flight we run in LA — routes, lengths and aircraft.
- Flight gift certificates — from $189, delivered by email.
- Service areas around Van Nuys — drive times from the east side of the basin and beyond.
Book Your Glendale Discovery Flight
Twenty miles of the 134, and then a look at the Verdugos that no hiking trail gives you. 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