Malibu Coast Discovery Flight For Two (90 Minutes)

Ninety minutes, two seats, and the whole coastline. You climb out of Van Nuys, cross the Santa Monica Mountains, and come out over the water somewhere around Santa Monica Bay — at which point the flight stops being about the city and starts being about the Pacific. One of you flies it. The other rides along with a headset and hears every word.

The extra thirty minutes is what buys the coast. An hour is enough to see Los Angeles; ninety minutes gets you out past Point Dume, over Zuma from the seaward side, and still back past the Hollywood Sign on the way in.

The Route Of Flight

Off Van Nuys, out over the Valley, then a climb across the Santa Monica Mountains — canyons and ridge lines underneath, the ocean showing up ahead long before you reach it. You cross into Santa Monica Bay and turn northwest, following the coast past Malibu with the surf line unrolling under your wing. Point Dume is the turn point. From there, back down the beach past Zuma, inland over the mountains, and home past the Hollywood Sign.

Weather, air traffic control and the marine layer shape the exact track on the day, and your instructor briefs the plan on the ground. The coast is at its best in the late afternoon — say so when you call and we will steer you toward those slots.

What The Number Buys

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

• Two Seats — One at the controls, one riding along on the intercom. No second ticket, no per-person surcharge.
• The Pre-Flight Briefing — Around 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 your instructor.
• Ninety Minutes Of Flight Time — Flight time, not time at the airport. Allow around two and a half hours from arrival to leaving.
• An FAA-Certificated Instructor — In the right seat throughout, teaching and working the radios so you can fly.
• The Controls — Yours once you are established in the climb, and for most of the coastal legs. Heading, altitude, turns, power changes.
• A Signed Logbook Entry — Dated, with the airplane and the time, signed by the instructor.
• Time Toward A Private Pilot License — Ninety minutes counts toward the flight time the FAA requires, and it is a longer first entry than most people get.

This flight is normally flown in a Piper Warrior PA-28-161, the four-seat trainer most American pilots learn in. We cannot guarantee a specific airframe on a specific day, but that is what to expect — the full specifications are on our Piper Warrior PA-28-161 reference page.

One Quick Check Before You Book

Free rescheduling up to 24 hours before, and if the weather says no, you do not pay. The coast has its own moods, and a marine layer sitting on the shoreline is a reason to move a booking rather than fly it. Our weather and cancellation policy spells out how that works.

Cleared For Departure

Book online or call us. We fly seven days a week, 10 AM to 7 PM, from Van Nuys Airport. Your confirmation has the address, the parking and who to ask for. Bring sunglasses — over water they matter more than you would think — and a phone. Whoever is not flying ends up as the photographer.

Worth reading first: what to expect on your discovery flight, our discovery flight FAQ, and flying out of Van Nuys Airport.

The Other Flights

• Discovery Flight For Two Over Downtown Los Angeles — sixty minutes, the city route, $299.
• Discovery Flight In Los Angeles — sixty minutes, one seat, $229.
• Luxury Cirrus SR22 Discovery Flight — glass panel and leather seats, $499 for one flyer or $599 with a passenger.
• Full-Motion Flight Simulator Experience — indoors, no weight limit, never weather-canceled, $189.