N308EF is a Diamond DA20-C1 on the You Fly LA line at Van Nuys Airport, and it flies at $229 per hour wet, the package rate. It is a two-seat, low-wing composite airplane with a 125-horsepower Continental IO-240, a Garmin 430, a control stick and a bubble canopy, certificated in the utility category and approved for intentional spins.
This is the operating record for that airframe: rates, the flying it does, what flying it as pilot in command requires and how to book it. The whole fleet with rates side by side is on the airplanes you will fly, and the model reference with performance figures and handbook detail is the Diamond DA20-C1 page.
N308EF At A Glance
| Item | N308EF |
|---|---|
| Registration | N308EF |
| Type | Diamond DA20-C1 |
| Seats | Two, side by side |
| Wing | Low wing |
| Engine | 125 hp Continental IO-240 |
| Controls | Control stick |
| Canopy | Bubble canopy |
| Avionics | Garmin 430 |
| Category | Utility, approved for spins |
| Fleet position | One of the DA20-C1s at You Fly LA |
| Based at | Van Nuys Airport (KVNY), 7900 Balboa Blvd, Main Terminal Unit 108 |
| Package rate | $229 per hour, wet |
Those figures describe the type as we operate it. Empty weight, useful load and the installed equipment list belong to the individual airframe and are recorded in the weight and balance section of the handbook carried aboard. On an airplane used for spins, the limitations section of that same handbook is the document that governs what may legally be flown in it, including weight and center of gravity limits for the maneuver.
What It Costs To Fly N308EF
| Item | Rate | When It Applies |
|---|---|---|
| N308EF, package rate | $229 per hour, wet | Hours flown inside a fixed-price course |
| Spin training course | $2,000, fixed | 3 hours aircraft, 2 hours simulator, plus classroom |
| Flight instructor | $110 per hour | Any dual flight, aircraft or simulator |
| Ground instruction | $110 per hour | Briefings and ground school outside a package |
The hourly rate is wet, so fuel is included. The spin course is priced as a fixed package rather than by the hour, for the same reason we fix the complex and high-performance endorsements: the regulation sets no minimum hours, and an open meter is the wrong way to buy training that ends with a proficiency judgment. Every rate we charge is published on flight school rates at Van Nuys.
What N308EF Is Flown For
Spin training above all, plus private and commercial lessons for pilots who want the handling. Two seats, a stick and a utility-category airframe make it the right airplane for the work and a poor airplane for carrying people. It is also the quietest way to learn slow flight and stalls properly, because everything the airplane does at low speed is visible through the canopy rather than inferred.
Spin Training And The CFI Endorsement
Anyone applying for a flight instructor certificate with an airplane rating has to satisfy 14 CFR 61.183(i). That paragraph requires a logbook endorsement from an authorized instructor certifying that the applicant is competent and possesses instructional proficiency in stall awareness, spin entry, spins and spin recovery procedures, after receiving flight training in those areas in an aircraft certificated for the maneuver. The examiner may accept that endorsement as evidence at the practical test, except on a retest after a failure involving spin knowledge or skill, when the demonstration has to be flown.
Two things follow from the wording. The first is that the training must happen in an aircraft approved for intentional spins, which is why it happens in a DA20 and not in a Warrior. The second is that the standard is instructional proficiency rather than survival: you have to be able to teach the entry and the recovery, explain what the airplane is doing and why, and demonstrate it while talking. That is a different skill from having done a few spins once.
Our spin course is $2,000 and covers 3 hours of aircraft time in the Diamond, 2 hours in the Redbird MCX full-motion simulator and classroom instruction alongside. The simulator hours are not a substitute for the spins; they are where the aerodynamics, the incipient phase and the recovery sequence get talked through and rehearsed before the airplane leaves the ramp. Pilots who are not on the instructor track take the same course for confidence, and it is a better answer to a fear of stalls than avoiding them. The whole picture, including what the endorsement does and does not say, is on the CFI spin endorsement page.
Checking Out In N308EF
Acting as pilot in command of it needs a pilot certificate with the appropriate privileges, a current FAA medical certificate or BasicMed qualification, and a flight review completed since the beginning of the 24th calendar month before the month of the flight, under 14 CFR 61.56. Carrying a passenger adds the recent experience in 14 CFR 61.57(a): three takeoffs and three landings within the preceding 90 days in the same category, class and type, to a full stop if the flight is at night.
A checkout in the type is a proper session; call or text (818) 330-1318 to talk through checkouts and currency. The stick, the canopy, a clean composite airframe that does not slow down willingly and the Garmin 430 are all unfamiliar to pilots arriving from Cherokees and Cessnas. A checkout does not include spin training and does not authorize you to spin the airplane; that is a separate course with a separate briefing. The rest of what a checkout usually asks for is on aircraft checkout requirements for renters.
How To Book N308EF
Call (818) 330-1318 and ask for N308EF by registration. We schedule by airframe, and spin blocks need booking further ahead than ordinary lessons because they need an instructor qualified and current for the work as well as an available airplane. Maintenance takes aircraft off the line without warning, so the live schedule is the real answer on availability.
If you have not flown a light airplane yet, the place to start is not a spin. A discovery flight in the Piper Warrior is $229 for 60 minutes from the left seat, credited in full toward training if you enroll within 24 hours.
Where The Registration Details Come From
We publish our operating specification and our rates here. The registration record — registered make and model, registrant, airworthiness class, certificate issue and expiry — is held by the FAA and is public. Check the FAA aircraft registry entry for N308EF, or search any N-number at registry.faa.gov. The registry is the source of record and outranks this page.
Related Reading
- The airplanes you will fly lists every aircraft with its hourly rate.
- Diamond DA20-C1 is the type reference with performance and handbook detail.
- CFI spin endorsement explains 14 CFR 61.183(i) and the $2,000 course.
- N306EF is another Diamond on the same rate.
- Flight instructor course covers the certificate the endorsement belongs to.
- Aircraft checkout requirements for renters lists what a checkout involves.
N308EF FAQ
What Kind Of Airplane Is N308EF?
A Diamond DA20-C1: a two-seat, low-wing composite trainer with a 125-horsepower Continental IO-240, a Garmin 430, a control stick and a bubble canopy, certificated in the utility category and approved for intentional spins.
Why Is Spin Training Flown In This Airplane?
Because 14 CFR 61.183(i) requires the training to be received in an aircraft certificated for the maneuver, and the DA20-C1 is the airplane on our line that is. Our Warriors, Skycatchers, Arrow, Seminole and Cirrus are not used for intentional spins.
What Does The Spin Course Cost?
$2,000 fixed, covering 3 hours of aircraft time, 2 hours in the Redbird MCX full-motion simulator and classroom instruction. It is priced as a package because the regulation sets a proficiency standard rather than an hour minimum.
Do I Have To Be A CFI Candidate To Take It?
No. Flight instructor applicants need it to satisfy 14 CFR 61.183(i), but private and commercial pilots take the same course to understand stalls and spins properly, and it is a more useful answer to nervousness about stalls than avoidance.
How Much Is N308EF Per Hour Outside The Spin Course?
$229 per hour wet at the package rate, the $179 standard rate plus $50, with an instructor at $110 per hour on top for dual flights.
Does A Checkout Let Me Spin The Airplane?
No. A checkout signs you off to fly the airplane normally. Intentional spins are taught in a separate course with their own briefing, and the limitations section of the aircraft's handbook governs the maneuver.
Can I Book This Tail Number Specifically?
Yes. Call (818) 330-1318 and ask for N308EF. Spin blocks need more notice than ordinary lessons because they need both the airplane and an instructor qualified for the work.
Fly N308EF From Van Nuys
If you are heading for a flight instructor certificate, the spin endorsement is one of the few parts of the process that is genuinely enjoyable, and it is $2,000 in this airplane. Book a free consultation and we will fit it around the rest of your training. If you are earlier in the journey, a discovery flight is $229 for 60 minutes from the left seat, credited in full toward training if you enroll within 24 hours. Call (818) 330-1318. We are at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Main Terminal Unit 108, Van Nuys, CA 91406, open 9 AM to 9 PM seven days a week.
