The plane ride near Santa Monica that puts you at the controls starts twenty miles inland, at Van Nuys Airport: 30 to 36 minutes on the 10 and the 405 mid-morning. You Fly LA flies from 7900 Balboa Blvd, Main Terminal Unit 108, and for $229 you get 60 minutes in the left seat of a Piper Warrior with a certificated instructor beside you. Then the route brings you back to the water, over the same ridge that ends above your house, out to the bay, with the Santa Monica Pier and its wheel below you and Venice Beach and the LAX approach along the shore to the south.
Most lists of things to do in Santa Monica keep you on the sand. This one gives you the coastline from three thousand feet, with your own hands on the controls.
Quick Answer: A discovery flight from Santa Monica is $229 for 60 minutes, $299 for 90 or $399 for 120 at Van Nuys Airport, 30 to 36 minutes away mid-morning (50 to 75 on a weekday afternoon). You fly the airplane; ninety minutes is the length that lets you fly the coast in both directions, and the Malibu Coast flight for two starts at $299.
Book A Discovery Flight · $229 Book A Free Consultation Call Or Text (818) 330-1318
What You'll See From Santa Monica's Side Of The Route
Three of the route's landmarks are yours: the Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach just south of it, and LAX, with airliners on final off the wing as the route passes north of the airport. The whole loop, landmark by landmark, is mapped on our airplane rides page, and the shoreline flight on the Malibu coast flight.
Santa Monica residents come to this with an advantage and a disadvantage. The advantage is that you already know what the coast looks like and therefore notice, immediately, how different it is from three thousand feet. The disadvantage is the drive inland.
The Malibu Coast route is the obvious booking from here. Leaving Van Nuys the airplane crosses the Santa Monica Mountains — the same ridge that ends at the ocean above you — and comes out over the water. From there the coastline runs both ways: Point Dume, Zuma and the Malibu Pier to the north-west; Santa Monica Bay, the Santa Monica Pier with its wheel, the bluffs at Palisades Park, and the long curve down toward Palos Verdes to the south-east.
What changes from the air is the scale of the mountains behind the beach. From PCH the Santa Monica Mountains are a wall you drive along; from above they are a narrow range with canyons — Topanga, Malibu, Las Flores — cutting all the way through, and the relationship between your own street and the Valley on the other side becomes a single obvious picture.
Getting From Santa Monica To 7900 Balboa Blvd
The standard route is the 10 east to the 405 north, over the Sepulveda Pass, off at Roscoe Blvd and west to Balboa. Twenty miles. Thirty minutes when the 405 is clear and fifty to seventy-five when it is not, which is most weekday afternoons.
The surface fallback is Sepulveda Blvd, which runs parallel to the freeway through the pass and is worth taking when the 405 is solid — not fast, but it moves. Mid-morning is the sensible booking window from the Westside: the 405 has cleared, the marine layer has usually lifted, and the air over the mountains is smoother than it will be at three in the afternoon.
| From | Route | Mid-Morning | Weekday Afternoon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown Santa Monica (90401) | 10 east, 405 north, Roscoe Blvd west | 30–36 min | 50–75 min |
| Montana Ave / north of Wilshire | San Vicente to the 405 north | 28–34 min | 48–70 min |
| Ocean Park / Sunset Park | 10 east, 405 north | 32–38 min | 52–75 min |
| Any of the above, 405 gridlocked | Sepulveda Blvd north through the pass | — | 45–60 min |
A fair number of Westside inquiries start with a question about the city's own airfield. The short answer is that Van Nuys is where the training fleet and the instructors are; the longer answer, including what the change at Santa Monica means for people learning to fly, is on our page about Santa Monica Airport and flight training.
How Your Discovery Flight Works
Two hours at the airport for a 60-minute flight, two and a half for 90. The preflight and the briefing are a proper part of the lesson, not a formality; the sequence in full is on our page on first flying lessons.
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10 East, 405 North, Mid-Morning
Mid-morning it is 30 to 36 minutes: the 10 to the 405, north through the Sepulveda Pass, exit at Roscoe and run west to Balboa. On a bad freeway day the surface road alongside it through the pass is the fallback. Park free at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Main Terminal Unit 108, and arrive fifteen minutes early.
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Photo ID And The Briefing
Your instructor sits down with you to cover the route, the airplane and what the controls do. From Santa Monica the plan is usually over the ridge and out to the coast.
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Preflight The Airplane
Fuel, oil, tires, control surfaces and a full walk-round, done together with a checklist before anyone gets in.
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Taxi And Takeoff
You take the left seat. The instructor starts the engine with you, talks you through the taxi and flies the takeoff, then the airplane is yours for most of the hour.
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Over The Ridge To The Bay
You fly it across the Santa Monica Mountains, where Topanga, Malibu and Las Flores canyons cut all the way through, and out over Santa Monica Bay, picking out the Pier, the bluff-top park above the beach and the coast curving away south toward Palos Verdes.
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Land, Debrief, Log The Hour
The instructor lands, you taxi back and debrief, and the hour is logged as dual instruction received toward the 40-hour Part 61 minimum, the same as any lesson that follows it.
The Malibu Coast Route
For two people the coast flight is $299 for 60 minutes, $399 for 90 and $499 for 120. For one person the standard discovery flight is $229, $299 and $399, and it can fly the same ground. The Luxury Cirrus SR22 Discovery Flight — side-yoke, glass panel, whole-airframe parachute — is $499, $649 and $799 for one flyer, or $599, $849 and $1,049 with a passenger.
From Santa Monica specifically, ninety minutes is the length that pays. Sixty gets you over the ridge, out to the water and back; ninety lets you fly the coast in both directions, which is the thing you actually came for. The alternative Downtown Los Angeles route at the same prices goes the other way, over the Hollywood Sign and Griffith Observatory toward the skyline, and is the better choice if you would rather see the city than the sea.
Book A Discovery Flight · $229 Call Or Text (818) 330-1318
Aircraft, Weight And Who Can Fly
The standard airplane is a Piper Warrior PA-28-161, a low-wing four-seat trainer, with weight limits of 180 lb per person and 360 lb combined. The Cirrus SR22 allows 200 lb per person and 400 lb combined.
No experience, no FAA medical certificate — your instructor is the pilot in command — and no minimum age, though anyone under 18 needs a parent or guardian to sign. Bring sunglasses; the light over the bay is bright even in winter.
The airport itself is worth a minute of reading before you drive out. Van Nuys is Class D — tower-controlled, with parallel runways, beneath the Burbank Class C, just north of the Los Angeles Class B — which is a busier and more instructive place to start than a quiet field, and a large part of why Westside students make the trip. See more on Van Nuys Airport.
Prices And Totals
| 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 | — | — |
Nothing is added to these. Our booking products are not taxable and carry no booking fee, so $229 is the total. The comparison across lengths and aircraft is on the cost breakdown, and the certificate path from the Westside is on the Santa Monica flight school page.
Marine Layer Is A Santa Monica Problem You Already Know
You live with the thing that causes most of our rescheduling. The May and June marine layer forms over the bay and pushes inland overnight, and when it is deep enough to cross the Santa Monica Mountains it sits on the Valley into the late morning. Your own sky is not a reliable guide in either direction: a gray morning in Ocean Park frequently coincides with a clear one at Van Nuys, and occasionally the reverse.
The rest of the year the coast is the reason to book. Winter afternoons after a storm give the clearest air of the year over the bay, and you can often see from Point Dume round to Palos Verdes in one look. You pay nothing if weather cancels your flight, and rescheduling is free for any reason up to 24 hours ahead — see the cancellation policy.
The tile shows the live Van Nuys report, which is the one that decides your slot. If it does not load, call or text (818) 330-1318 before you set off.
Give It As A Gift From Santa Monica
For a Santa Monica couple the natural present is the Malibu Coast flight for two: one person at the controls, the other on the intercom with the camera, $299 for 60 minutes or $399 for the 90 minutes that let you fly the coastline both ways. The Discovery Flight Gift Certificate covers it, or any other flight, in thirteen amounts from $189 to $1,049. It arrives by email within minutes, has no blackout dates and never expires.
That last point matters here, because the best days over the bay are winter afternoons after a storm, and the person you give it to can wait for one. $229 is the 60-minute flight for one. For someone ready to train, Flight Training Credit in $500, $1,000 or $2,500 goes toward lessons. Every option is 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 405 you leave at Roscoe Blvd and head west to Balboa. Navigate to the street address rather than "Van Nuys Airport", which can route you to the wrong gate; we are at Main Terminal Unit 108.
How Long Is The Drive From Santa Monica At Rush Hour?
On most weekday afternoons the 10 and 405 take 50 to 75 minutes, against 30 to 36 mid-morning. When the 405 is gridlocked, Sepulveda Blvd through the pass runs 45 to 60. Mid-morning is the sensible window from the Westside.
Can Two People Fly Together?
Yes. For two people the Malibu Coast flight runs $299, $399 and $499 for 60, 90 and 120 minutes, and the Cirrus SR22 starts at $599 with a passenger. Whoever flies takes the left seat; the other rides behind on the intercom, usually holding the camera. Seats are not swapped in the air, so book a flight each if you both want to fly.
Is There An Age Or Weight Limit?
Children and teenagers can fly: there is no minimum age, only the practical need to see over the panel and wear a headset, and a parent or guardian signs for under-18s. The limits in the Warrior are 180 lb per person and 360 lb combined; in the Cirrus SR22, 200 lb and 400 lb.
Will The Flight Go Over The Coast?
Yes. The ridge you see behind Pacific Palisades is the one the airplane crosses on the way out, and on the far side you are over the water, with Point Dume to the north-west and the Pier and the bay to the south-east.
How Long Should I Book?
Ninety minutes if you can. An hour is enough to cross the ridge, reach the water and come home; the extra half hour, $299 in total, is what gives you time to fly along the shoreline rather than turn around at it.
It Is Foggy Here. Will My Flight Fly?
Possibly. The marine layer over Ocean Park and the sky over Van Nuys often disagree, in both directions, so check the live airport report on this page or text (818) 330-1318 rather than looking out of the window. A weather cancellation costs you nothing.
Nearby Pages
- The Santa Monica flight school page — the certificate path from the Westside.
- Flight training for Brentwood and Pacific Palisades — the next neighborhoods north.
- Flight training for Venice — just down the coast.
- Beverly Hills discovery flights — the same pass, a few miles east.
- Encino first flights — the Valley end of the 405.
- Discovery flights across Los Angeles — the coast route alongside every other option.
- Flight gift certificates — thirteen amounts, delivered by email.
Book Your Santa Monica Discovery Flight
Twenty miles inland to reach an airplane, and then eight minutes back out to a coastline you have never actually seen. 7900 Balboa Blvd, Main Terminal Unit 108, Van Nuys, CA 91406, open 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM every day.
Book A Discovery Flight · $229 Book A Free Consultation Call Or Text (818) 330-1318