Discovery Flight For Two Over Downtown Los Angeles (90 Minutes)

One of you flies. The other rides along with a headset on and hears every word of it. Ninety minutes over Los Angeles in a real airplane, departing Van Nuys Airport, with an FAA-certificated instructor running the flight — downtown on the way out and the Pacific on the way back.

The extra half hour over the sixty-minute flight buys the coast. An hour covers the city and turns for home; ninety minutes crosses the Santa Monica Mountains, comes out over Santa Monica Bay and runs up the shoreline toward Malibu. It also means more time with your hands on the controls rather than watching the instructor use them.

The Route Of Flight

You depart Van Nuys over the Sepulveda Basin and climb toward the Mulholland ridge, where the Valley stops and the city starts. Cross it and the basin opens at once: the Hollywood Sign, Griffith Observatory a minute behind it, then the LA River east past Dodger Stadium and the downtown towers at 2,500 to 3,500 feet.

From downtown you turn west across the Santa Monica Mountains and out over the water: Santa Monica Bay, the pier below, then northwest toward Malibu with the surf line under the wing, before turning inland for home.

Air traffic control and weather shape the exact track, and ninety minutes leaves room to adjust it in the air. Late afternoon slots get the best light over city and water alike.

What The Number Buys

$399 covers both of you, the airplane, the fuel and the instructor. Nothing is added at the desk.

• Two Seats — One person at the controls, one riding along on the intercom. No second ticket, no per-person surcharge.
• The Pre-Flight Briefing — About five minutes on the ground, for both of you, before anything moves.
• The Walk-Around — The pre-flight inspection every pilot does before every flight, done with the instructor.
• Ninety Minutes Of Flight Time — Flight time, not time at the airport. Allow about two and a half hours end to end.
• An FAA-Certificated Instructor — In the right seat throughout, teaching and working the radios so you can fly.
• More Time At The Controls — The real difference from the hour. You fly the city legs, the crossing to the coast and the coastal run, with time to try climbs, descents and turns at different bank angles.
• A Signed Logbook Entry — Dated, with the airplane and the time: a 1.5-hour first entry.
• Time Toward A Private Pilot License — Every minute counts toward the flight time the FAA requires.

This flight is normally flown in a Piper Warrior PA-28-161, the trainer most American pilots learn in. We cannot promise a particular airframe on a particular day, but the Warrior is what to expect. Specifications are on our Piper Warrior PA-28-161 page.

One Quick Check Before You Book

Free rescheduling up to 24 hours before, and if the weather says no, you do not pay. See our weather and cancellation policy.

Cleared For Departure

Book online or call and we will find a slot with you. We fly seven days a week, 10 AM to 7 PM, from Van Nuys Airport. Your confirmation carries the address, the parking and who to ask for. Bring sunglasses and a phone — whoever is not flying ends up as the photographer.

Worth reading first: what to expect, our discovery flight FAQ, flying out of Van Nuys Airport, and discovery flights in Los Angeles.

Shorter Or Longer

• Discovery Flight For Two (60 Minutes) — the city route alone, $299.
• Discovery Flight For Two (120 Minutes) — the same plus Point Dume and Zuma, and the most hands-on time we offer, $499.
• Discovery Flight In Los Angeles (90 Minutes) — the same ninety minutes, one seat, $299.