Groups, Proposals And Events

A discovery flight is a good gift and an unusually good group activity, because everybody gets their own hour in the left seat rather than a shared seat at the back of a bus. This page covers how groups work at Van Nuys, what a proposal flight actually involves, what we can and cannot do, and how to plan the day so it runs properly.

For anything on this page, the fastest route is the phone: (818) 330-1318, 9 AM to 9 PM, seven days a week.

Proposals

This is the request we take most seriously and the one with the most moving parts, so it is worth reading properly before you book anything.

What Works

The Luxury Cirrus SR22 Discovery Flight, with its $100 passenger option, is the flight people plan proposals around, and for good reason: a modern glass cockpit, air conditioning, leather seats and enough speed that sixty minutes covers a serious amount of Southern California. The 90-minute Malibu Coast Discovery Flight For Two is the other strong option, because ninety minutes buys the time to follow the shoreline at a civilized pace rather than turning around the moment the water appears.

The best-timed proposals we see happen after landing rather than in the air. You come back with the flight behind you, the headsets off, the ramp in front of you and the airplane you have just flown ten feet away. Nobody is on an intercom, nobody is monitoring a radio, and the moment belongs to you. Tell us in advance and we will make sure the ramp works for it.

What To Tell Us When You Book

• That it is a proposal, so we plan the aircraft, the timing and the ground handling around it rather than around a normal booking.
• Who is flying. Weight and balance is calculated on the ground before you go, so you cannot swap seats in the air. Decide beforehand.
• Whether anyone else will be at the airport. Family waiting on the ground works well and needs a heads-up.
• Whether you want photographs. Bring a phone or a camera; you will have both hands busy for a good part of the flight, so pictures usually happen when your instructor has the controls back.
• Any surprise element. If your partner does not know what they are turning up for, tell us how much they do know so nobody spoils it at the desk.

What We Can't Do

We cannot fly outside the certificated weight and balance limits, we cannot fly in weather the pilot in command judges unsuitable, and we cannot guarantee a specific route — air traffic control gives us what the day allows. Sunset slots are the most requested time of the year and they go first, so book those well ahead. Call (818) 330-1318 and we will tell you honestly what is realistic for your date.

Birthdays And Milestones

A discovery flight is a strong birthday present precisely because it is not a passive one. The person you are giving it to does not sit and watch — they do a pre-flight walk-around, take the controls, and come back down with a story about something they did.

Two ways to do it. Book a specific flight on a specific date, which works when you know their diary. Or buy a You Fly LA gift card at any of thirteen amounts from $189 to $1,049 and let them choose their own date and their own airplane — which is the version that actually gets used, particularly for somebody who has talked about flying for years without ever doing anything about it. If you are weighing the two up, giving a discovery flight as a gift and flying lesson gift certificates go through what each one is like to receive.

For a milestone birthday with family along, the Discovery Flight For Two Over Downtown Los Angeles is the practical choice: one person flies from the left seat and one rides along on the intercom hearing everything, including the tower.

Bachelor And Bachelorette Parties

These work well at Van Nuys because a group can be split across a couple of aircraft and a simulator session, running through an afternoon while the people not currently flying watch from the ground. It is a genuinely different thing to do in Los Angeles, and it is one of the few group activities where everybody comes away having personally done something.

Practical notes for a party booking:

• Two people per aircraft, one of whom is flying. Plan the pairings in advance.
• Absolutely no alcohol beforehand. This is not a house rule, it is federal regulation and the pilot in command will refuse the flight. Fly first, celebrate afterwards.
• Everybody needs photo ID. Non-US visitors should bring a passport.
• The full-motion simulator is the useful piece of a group day: it runs regardless of weather, it has no weight limit, and it gives the group somewhere to be between flights.

Corporate Days And Team Events

Companies book discovery flights for client entertainment, sales incentives, team days and executive gifts. The appeal is the same as everywhere else on this page — nobody is a spectator.

Three formats that work:

• A rolling afternoon. Flights scheduled back to back so a group of six to ten cycles through, with the simulator running alongside for the people waiting.
• An incentive prize. Gift cards issued to the winners, redeemed on their own schedule. No calendar coordination required from you.
• A client thank-you. One flight, one date, arranged directly with the recipient.

Call (818) 330-1318 with your headcount, your date and your budget and we will tell you what fits. We will also tell you if it does not fit, which is more useful.

Families, Parents And Teenagers

Parents book these for teenagers more often than any other single group, usually for somebody who has been interested in aviation for years. It is a good present for exactly that person: the hour goes into a logbook in their name, signed by the instructor, and counts toward the flight time the FAA requires for a private pilot certificate later on.

Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, who signs on their behalf. There is no minimum age for a lesson, but a young child needs to be big enough to see over the panel and to wear a headset comfortably — call us and we will tell you honestly whether it is worth doing yet or worth waiting a year for. For a younger child, flight lessons for kids in Los Angeles covers what they can actually do at the controls at each age.

Parents who would rather watch than hear about it should book the flight for two and take the back seat.

Filming, Photography And Content

Bring a phone or a camera; the views over the Santa Monica Mountains, the Malibu coastline and downtown Los Angeles are the reason people bring them. Two practical constraints: nothing may obstruct the controls or the instructor's view, and mounted equipment needs to be discussed with us before the day rather than produced at the airplane. If you have a specific production requirement rather than a personal one, call us and we will tell you what is possible.

Planning The Day

Flights To Choose From

Where Everyone Meets

We are at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Main Terminal Unit 108, Van Nuys, CA 91406 , on the western side of Van Nuys Airport (KVNY). Give a group the street address rather than "Van Nuys Airport" — the field has several public gates over a mile of frontage and the wrong one means a locked fence and a fifteen-minute detour. Directions and Metro options are on our Flying Out Of Van Nuys Airport page.

Useful next: What To Expect On Your Discovery Flight · The Airplanes You'll Fly · Weather And Cancellation Policy · Discovery Flight FAQ · Contact You Fly LA.