Los Angeles Sightseeing Air Tour Alternative: Discovery Flight from Van Nuys Airport
A real discovery flight lesson with a Certified Flight Instructor from Van Nuys Airport (KVNY). Sit up front, learn the controls, and you may fly the airplane yourself.
Many people search for a Los Angeles sightseeing air tour when they want an unforgettable view of the city from the air. Accelerated Flight School offers something better: a real discovery flight lesson with a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) at Van Nuys Airport.
You sit up front in the cockpit, learn the basic flight controls, and — with your instructor's guidance — you may fly the airplane yourself. It is an interactive, hands-on introduction to real flying that just happens to come with incredible scenery.
And it is pure fun. From the moment you add power and climb out over the city, it's thrilling, exciting, and genuinely joyful — you get to fly the airplane yourself, feel it respond to your hands, and with your instructor you can even experience the light, floating sensation of a gentle zero-G maneuver. It's the kind of rush people grin about for days.
What Makes the Van Nuys Discovery Flight Different From an LA Air Tour
On a typical Los Angeles air tour you buckle in behind a pilot and watch the city scroll past the window. Our discovery flight flips that around. From the run-up area at Van Nuys Airport (KVNY) you sit in the left seat of our Piper PA-28 Cherokee Warrior II, N9172Y, with a Certified Flight Instructor next to you. You handle the yoke and throttle for real portions of the flight, so the city below becomes something you are flying over, not just looking at.
Because Van Nuys sits in the heart of the San Fernando Valley, you climb out quickly toward the basin and the kind of wide-open Southern California views people pay tour operators to show them. When airspace, traffic, and weather cooperate, your instructor can steer the route toward recognizable LA scenery while you keep your hands on the controls.
The introductory discovery flight is $230 for one person or $270 for two, and a portion of that hands-on time can later count toward Private Pilot training if you decide to keep going. Call or text 323-332-0585 to pick a day with clear valley skies.
What You Will See From the Air
Exact scenery and routing vary with each flight depending on conditions on the day.
Why a Discovery Flight Beats a Passive Air Tour
A sightseeing charter puts you in the back as a passenger. A discovery flight puts you in the front, with your hands on the controls.
You Fly the Plane
Sit up front and take the controls with your instructor's guidance — this isn't a passive ride in the back.
Fly With a CFI
Every flight is with a Certified Flight Instructor in our 1985 Piper PA-28 Cherokee Warrior II (N9172Y).
Scenic & Educational
Take in Southern California from the air while learning how an airplane actually flies.
A Real First Step
No experience required — and your flight time may count toward Private Pilot training if you continue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Explore More
All LA Sightseeing Flights
Browse all scenic discovery flight routes departing from Van Nuys Airport.
Discovery Flight — $230
Our main 1.5-hour introductory flight. Price, what's included, aircraft details, and how to book.
Continue to Private Pilot
Your discovery flight hours count toward your Private Pilot logbook. See what training looks like.