60 Minutes
$229
Piper Warrior · 180 lb Limit
- You fly from the left seat
- Bring your logbook, we sign it
Van Nuys Airport · Los Angeles
Discovery Flight Near Me: Take The Controls At Van Nuys
You Fly LA flies from Van Nuys Airport, 7900 Balboa Blvd, Main Terminal Unit 108, in the middle of the San Fernando Valley. A discovery flight is a real first flying lesson, not a sightseeing ride: you sit in the left seat and fly, and an FAA-certificated instructor beside you handles the takeoff and landing. $229 for 60 minutes, 10 AM to 7 PM, seven days a week.
No tax, no booking fee: $229 is the total · No experience or medical certificate needed
How Far Are You?
How Far Is Your Discovery Flight?
Every discovery flight takes off and lands at Van Nuys Airport. Pick your neighborhood for the straight-line distance to our door, that area’s discovery flight page, and Google directions from wherever you are.
Pick from the list, tap a pin, or type any address for directions.
Straight-line distance from the center of each area to our door. The drive is longer. Open Our Google Business Profile
Discovery Flights Near You
- Lake Balboa2 mi
- Reseda2 mi
- Northridge2 mi
- Mission Hills & North Hills3 mi
- Panorama City3 mi
- Van Nuys3 mi
- Granada Hills4 mi
- Encino4 mi
- Tarzana4 mi
- Winnetka4 mi
- Sherman Oaks5 mi
- Porter Ranch5 mi
- Canoga Park6 mi
- San Fernando6 mi
- Chatsworth6 mi
- Woodland Hills7 mi
- Sylmar7 mi
- North Hollywood8 mi
- Studio City8 mi
- West Hills8 mi
- Calabasas9 mi
- Toluca Lake9 mi
- Burbank11 mi
- Beverly Hills11 mi
- Santa Clarita13 mi
- Santa Monica13 mi
- Glendale15 mi
- Thousand Oaks19 mi
- Pasadena21 mi
Purchase & Schedule · Van Nuys Airport
What's Your
First Flight?
Tap one — we'll show your flight. Pick a duration, then choose your time. Booking runs through our scheduler on the product page, and the weight check happens before the calendar opens.
Most PopularMost Popular
Discovery Flight For Two Over Downtown LA
Hollywood SignGriffith ObservatoryDodger StadiumDowntown Towers
$299
60 Min
One quick check before the calendar opens: weight limit 360 lb combined. Free rescheduling up to 24 hours before · if the weather says no, you do not pay.
The Route
An Hour Over Los Angeles, Landmark By Landmark
Sixty minutes out of Van Nuys Airport: past Universal Studios, the Hollywood Sign and Griffith Observatory, one full circle around Downtown LA, then west along the north side of SoFi Stadium and LAX to the coast, up the shoreline from Venice Beach to Malibu and home over the hills. Your instructor takes off and lands. You fly 50–80% of it.
You’re Flying
Instructor: Takeoff & Landing
We Stay North Of LAX & SoFi
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Van Nuys Airport
Takeoff From Van Nuys
Your instructor handles the takeoff from Van Nuys, one of the busiest general aviation airports anywhere, and explains what is happening the whole way up. Clear of the pattern, you take the controls.
Book Now · From $229
About 1 HourFrom Van Nuys
You Fly50–80%
From $229All-In
No ExperienceNeeded
Typical route, flown without landing anywhere but Van Nuys. Weather and air traffic control set the final path on the day.
How It Works
How A Discovery Flight Works
The minutes you book are minutes in the airplane. The briefing, walk-around and debrief sit around them, so plan on about two hours at the airport for a 60-minute flight. What to expect goes through the day minute by minute.
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Step 1
Book Online
Pick a flight and a time; confirmation arrives by text and email the moment you pay. Moving it is free with 24 hours’ notice, and if the weather says no, you do not pay.
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Step 2
Arrive 15 Minutes Early
Bring a government photo ID and closed-toe shoes; headsets are provided. Give your GPS the street address, 7900 Balboa Blvd, Main Terminal Unit 108, not “Van Nuys Airport”.
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Step 3
Briefing And Walk-Around
A briefing of about 5 minutes with your instructor: the controls, the instruments and the plan. Then the pre-flight inspection together: fuel, oil, control surfaces and tires.
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Step 4
Your Instructor Takes Off, Then You Fly
Your instructor flies the takeoff and works the radios. Once you are established in the climb the airplane is yours: heading, altitude, turns. You fly 50 to 80% of the flight.
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Step 5
Debrief And Your Logbook
Your instructor lands and, if you bring a pilot logbook, signs your first entry; the time counts toward a pilot certificate. Enroll in training within 24 hours and 100% of the flight is credited.
Real Photos
First Flights At Van Nuys
You Fly LA airplanes on the ramp at Van Nuys Airport, and the view once you are over Los Angeles.
Santa Monica Bay At Sunset · 1 / 7
Prices
Every Discovery Flight, Priced
Every flight is a lesson with an FAA-certificated instructor, and every price covers the airplane, the fuel, the instructor, headsets, the briefing and the debrief. No tax and no booking fee, so the price is the total.
One Flyer
90 Minutes
$299
Piper Warrior · 180 lb Limit
- More time at the controls
- Room to change the plan in the air
120 Minutes
$399
Piper Warrior · 180 lb Limit
- Our longest flight in the Warrior
- Time to fly out to Catalina Island and back
For Two · Downtown
Most Popular
60 Minutes
$299
Piper Warrior · 360 lb Combined
- One flies, one rides along on a headset
- Hollywood Sign, Griffith, Downtown towers
90 Minutes
$399
Piper Warrior · 360 lb Combined
- One flies, one rides along on a headset
- Hollywood Sign, Griffith, Downtown towers
120 Minutes
$499
Piper Warrior · 360 lb Combined
- One flies, one rides along on a headset
- Hollywood Sign, Griffith, Downtown towers
Malibu Coast For Two
60 Minutes
$299
Piper Warrior · 360 lb Combined
- One flies, one rides along on a headset
- Santa Monica Bay and the Malibu shoreline
90 Minutes
$399
Piper Warrior · 360 lb Combined
- One flies, one rides along on a headset
- Santa Monica Bay and the Malibu shoreline
120 Minutes
$499
Piper Warrior · 360 lb Combined
- One flies, one rides along on a headset
- Santa Monica Bay and the Malibu shoreline
Cirrus SR22
60 Minutes
$499
Cirrus SR22 · 200 lb Per Person
- Glass panel, side yoke, leather seats
- Whole-airframe parachute
With A Passenger · $599
Book 60 Minutes90 Minutes
$649
Cirrus SR22 · 200 lb Per Person
- Glass panel, side yoke, leather seats
- Whole-airframe parachute
With A Passenger · $849
Book 90 Minutes120 Minutes
$799
Cirrus SR22 · 200 lb Per Person
- Glass panel, side yoke, leather seats
- Whole-airframe parachute
With A Passenger · $1,049
Book 120 MinutesNight
One Flyer · 60 Min
$329
Piper Warrior · 180 lb Limit
- The city as a grid of light
- The Hollywood Sign is not lit
For Two · 60 Min
$399
Piper Warrior · 360 lb Combined
- One flies, one rides along
- Fall and winter, back by 7 PM
Multi-Engine For Two
60 Minutes
$499
Piper Seminole · Twin Engine
- One flies, one rides · extra passenger +$100
- Tell us everyone’s weight when you book
Weight limits are the aircraft’s, checked before the calendar opens: 180 lb per person and 360 lb combined in the Piper Warrior, 200 lb and 400 lb in the Cirrus SR22. Near a limit? Call (818) 330-1318 first. Every discovery flight is in one collection.
Not A Ride
You Fly It, And The Time Counts
A discovery flight is instruction, not a ride. You sit in the left seat, the pilot’s seat, with your hands on the controls, and an FAA-certificated instructor sits in the right seat with a second set. The instructor flies the takeoff and the landing and talks to the tower; the climbs, turns and level flight in between are yours.
Two things separate it from a sightseeing flight at a similar price. You are the one flying, and the time is logged. Bring a pilot logbook and your instructor signs the hour into it, and that hour counts toward the flight time the FAA requires for a private pilot certificate. If you would rather read about the view first, airplane rides over Los Angeles covers the same flights from the passenger’s side.
100%
Of what you paid is credited toward a training program if you enroll within 24 hours of your flight. Discovery flights in Los Angeles has the full guide.
Before You Book
Requirements: Age, Weight And ID
No Medical, No License, No Paperwork
You need no FAA medical certificate, no student pilot certificate and no experience, because your instructor is the pilot in command. Bring a government photo ID: a driver’s license, or a passport if you are visiting from outside the US.
Age
There is no minimum age for a lesson. Anyone under 18 needs a parent or legal guardian who signs for them, and the person flying must be big enough to see over the panel and wear a headset comfortably. Booking for someone young? Call and we will tell you honestly whether it is worth doing now. Ages 10 to 15 can also join the teens pilot course.
| Aircraft | Per Person | Combined |
|---|---|---|
| Piper Warrior | 180 lb | 360 lb |
| Cirrus SR22 | 200 lb | 400 lb |
| Full-motion simulator | No limit | No limit |
These are the aircraft’s certificated limits, not a house rule. Close to one? Call (818) 330-1318 before you book: the Cirrus carries more, and the simulator carries anyone.
Van Nuys Airport · West Side
Where Your Discovery Flight Starts
Every discovery flight starts and ends at You Fly LA, 7900 Balboa Blvd, Main Terminal Unit 108, on the west side of Van Nuys Airport. We are open seven days a week, 9 AM to 9 PM, with flights from 10 AM to 7 PM, and a 60-minute flight is about two hours door to door. Friends and family are welcome to come and watch.
Find Us
You Fly LA
7900 Balboa Blvd, Main Terminal Unit 108Van Nuys, CA 91406
Van Nuys Airport (KVNY), west side of the field
Open 7 Days9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Before You Leave Home
0 / 5 Ready
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01
Navigate To 7900 Balboa Blvd
Give GPS or a rideshare driver the street address, not “Van Nuys Airport”: the field has several gates, and the wrong one means a locked fence.
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From The 405, 101 Or 118
405: exit Sherman Way, west about a mile and a half to Balboa. 101: exit Balboa Blvd, north past Victory. 118: south on Balboa.
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Park On Site
There is parking on site. Weekdays 4 to 7 PM, allow extra time, and call (818) 330-1318 from the road if you are late.
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Arrive 15 Minutes Early
Bring a government photo ID and closed-toe shoes; headsets are provided. Lost? Call and someone will talk you in.
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05
No Car? Take The G Line
The Metro G Line busway crosses Balboa at the south end of the airport; Van Nuys Metrolink is a short ride away.
Questions
Discovery Flight Near Me: Questions
Anything else? Call or text (818) 330-1318, 9 AM to 9 PM, seven days a week.
For most of the San Fernando Valley and the Westside, it is You Fly LA at Van Nuys Airport, 7900 Balboa Blvd, Main Terminal Unit 108. In a straight line we are about 4 miles from Encino, 5 from Sherman Oaks, 8 from Studio City, 11 from Burbank and 13 from Santa Monica.
$229 for 60 minutes in a Piper Warrior, $299 for 90 and $399 for 120, with no tax and no booking fee. Flights for two start at $299, and the Cirrus SR22 flight starts at $499.
Yes. You sit in the left seat and fly the climbs, turns and level flight, about 50 to 80% of it. Your FAA-certificated instructor sits beside you with a second set of controls and flies the takeoff and landing.
No license, no medical certificate and no experience, because the instructor is the pilot in command. Bring a government photo ID. The medical and student pilot certificate come later, if you decide to train.
Yes. On a flight for two, one of you flies and the other rides along on a headset: $299 for 60 minutes over Downtown LA or the Malibu coast. In the Cirrus SR22 a passenger adds $100 at 60 minutes. Seats cannot be swapped in the air.
No minimum age; under 18 needs a parent or guardian who signs, and the person flying must see over the panel. Weight: 180 lb per person and 360 lb combined in the Piper Warrior, 200 lb and 400 lb in the Cirrus SR22.
If the weather says no, you do not pay: a canceled flight is rebooked or refunded, never charged. You can move a booking free with at least 24 hours’ notice. The simulator is never canceled by weather.
Yes. It is logged as dual instruction and counts toward the flight time required for a private pilot certificate. Enroll in a training program within 24 hours and 100% of what you paid is credited toward it.
Yes. Gift cards never expire, arrive by email within minutes and come in thirteen amounts from $189 to $1,049, one for every flight. They work on any flight or simulator session, so they pick the day.
No question matches. Call (818) 330-1318 and ask us directly.
Van Nuys Airport · Open 7 Days
Book A Discovery Flight
Sixty minutes, $229 total, seven days a week. You fly it, it logs toward a license, and nothing is added at checkout.
Open 7 Days9:00 AM – 9:00 PM