N6312C is a Piper Warrior PA-28-161 operated by You Fly LA at Van Nuys Airport, at $179 per hour wet, the package rate. It is a four-seat, low-wing airplane with a 160-horsepower Lycoming, an IFR-equipped panel and a cruise of about 128 knots.
This page is the operating record for the airframe — rates, what it is flown for, what flying it as pilot in command requires and how to book it. The fleet as a whole, with every rate in one table, is on the airplanes you will fly, and the model reference with V-speeds and handbook detail is the Piper Warrior PA-28-161 page.
N6312C At A Glance
| Item | N6312C |
|---|---|
| Registration | N6312C |
| Type | Piper Warrior PA-28-161 |
| Seats | Four |
| Wing | Low wing |
| Engine | 160 hp Lycoming |
| Typical cruise | About 128 knots |
| Avionics | IFR-equipped |
| Fleet position | One of the Warriors at You Fly LA |
| Based at | Van Nuys Airport (KVNY), 7900 Balboa Blvd, Main Terminal Unit 108 |
| Normally flown for | Instrument and Private Pilot training, discovery flights |
| Package rate | $179 per hour, wet |
Treat every line as the specification for the type as we operate it. The numbers that are unique to this airframe — empty weight, useful load, the installed equipment list — live in the weight and balance section of the handbook carried in the aircraft, and on a four-seat airplane they are what decide whether a proposed load is legal.
What It Costs To Fly N6312C
| Item | Rate | When It Applies |
|---|---|---|
| N6312C, package rate | $179 per hour, wet | Hours flown inside a fixed-price course |
| Flight instructor | $110 per hour | Any dual flight, aircraft or simulator |
| Ground instruction | $110 per hour | Briefings and ground school outside a package |
| Redbird MCX full-motion simulator | $120 per hour | Approaches, holds and procedures on the ground |
Fuel is in the price. The $179 is the package rate that applies to hours flown inside a fixed-price course — the Instrument rating at $11,700, for example. The whole rate card sits on flight school rates at Van Nuys.
What N6312C Is Flown For
Instrument training more than anything else, with private pilot lessons and discovery flights filling the rest of the week. The airplane is IFR-equipped, four-seat and stable, which is the combination an instrument student wants: enough room for an instructor and a safety pilot, and an airframe that holds an altitude while you work the radios.
Instrument Training In An IFR-Equipped Warrior
The rating is defined by 14 CFR 61.65(d), and the numbers are specific. You need 50 hours of cross-country time as pilot in command, 10 of which must be in an airplane; 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument time, of which at least 15 hours must be instrument flight training from an authorized instructor holding an instrument-airplane rating; and inside that, a cross-country flight along airways or ATC-directed routing of at least 250 nautical miles, with an instrument approach at each airport and three different kinds of approach flown with navigation systems. Three of the instrument flight training hours must fall in the two calendar months before the practical test.
Our Instrument course is $11,700 and splits the work deliberately: 20 hours in the airplane, 20 hours in the Redbird MCX full-motion simulator, 40 hours of dual and 10 hours of ground instruction. The simulator is an FAA-approved advanced aviation training device, and using it for 20 of the 40 dual hours is both legal and sensible — an approach can be repeated four times in the time it takes to fly the procedure turn once, and it costs $120 an hour inside a package rather than $179 plus fuel-burn realities.
Los Angeles is a good place to learn this. The airspace is busy and layered, the approaches into Van Nuys and the surrounding fields are real rather than theoretical, and the marine layer supplies genuine instrument meteorological conditions on a reliable seasonal schedule. After the rating, staying legal means the recency rule in 14 CFR 61.57(c): within the preceding six calendar months, six instrument approaches, holding procedures and tasks, and intercepting and tracking courses using navigation systems. The instrument rating page covers the course in full.
Checking Out In N6312C
Acting as pilot in command 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 passengers requires three takeoffs and three landings within the preceding 90 days in the same category, class and type under 14 CFR 61.57(a), to a full stop at night. Filing and flying IFR in it requires the rating and the instrument currency in 61.57(c).
A checkout in the type comes on top: ground instruction on systems and limitations, a flight with one of our instructors, and a sign-off in your file; call or text (818) 330-1318 to talk through checkouts and currency. Instrument-rated pilots usually want a second look at the panel specifically, and we would rather you did that with an instructor than on a night departure. The full requirement is on aircraft checkout requirements for renters.
How To Book N6312C
Call (818) 330-1318 and ask for N6312C by registration. We schedule by airframe, and the Warriors fill earlier than the Skycatchers, especially for the long blocks instrument students need. Book the cross-country flights well ahead. Maintenance removes aircraft from the line without warning, so the live schedule rather than this page is the answer on availability.
New to flying altogether? Start with a discovery flight at $229 for 60 minutes in this type, flown from the left seat and credited in full toward training if you enroll within 24 hours.
Where The Registration Details Come From
We publish the specification we operate to and the rates we charge. The registration record — registered make and model, registrant, airworthiness class, certificate issue and expiry — is the FAA's and is public. Look it up in the FAA aircraft registry entry for N6312C, or search any N-number at registry.faa.gov. The registry is the source of record.
Related Reading
- The airplanes you will fly lists every aircraft with its hourly rate.
- Piper Warrior PA-28-161 is the type reference with model history and performance.
- Instrument rating covers the $11,700 course this airplane is mostly flown for.
- N3034Q is another Warrior, on the same rate and specification.
- The full-motion simulator explains the 20 sim hours inside the instrument course.
- Aircraft checkout requirements for renters lists what a checkout involves.
N6312C FAQ
What Kind Of Airplane Is N6312C?
A Piper Warrior PA-28-161: four seats, a low wing, a 160-horsepower Lycoming engine, an IFR-equipped panel and a cruise of about 128 knots. It is one of the Warriors at You Fly LA.
How Much Does N6312C Cost Per Hour?
$179 per hour wet at the package rate. Instruction is $110 per hour on top for dual flights, and the full-motion simulator is $120 per hour inside a package.
Is This Airplane Used For Instrument Training?
Yes, it is the main instrument trainer on our line. It is IFR-equipped, and the course pairs 20 hours in the airplane with 20 hours in the Redbird MCX full-motion simulator.
How Many Hours Does An Instrument Rating Need?
14 CFR 61.65(d) requires 50 hours of cross-country pilot-in-command time with 10 in an airplane, and 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument time of which at least 15 must be instrument flight training from an authorized instructor with an instrument-airplane rating.
Can Simulator Time Count Toward The Rating?
Yes, within limits. Our Instrument course uses the Redbird MCX, an FAA-approved advanced aviation training device, for 20 of the 40 dual hours, which is cheaper per approach and lets a procedure be repeated immediately.
What Keeps Me Instrument Current After The Checkride?
14 CFR 61.57(c): within the preceding six calendar months, six instrument approaches, holding procedures and tasks, and intercepting and tracking courses using navigation systems. Some or all of it can be done in an approved training device.
Can I Reserve This Tail Number For A Long Cross-Country?
Yes, and you should book it early. We schedule by airframe, and the long blocks instrument students need go first. Call (818) 330-1318 and ask for N6312C.
Fly N6312C From Van Nuys
If the instrument rating is the goal, the fastest way to start is a conversation about hours you already have. Book a free consultation and we will tell you what 14 CFR 61.65 still needs from your logbook and what it will cost. If you are earlier than that, 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.
