Your Training Record
After you fly, your hours and signed instruction tickets appear automatically. Each flight ticket is saved as a PDF with both your instructor's and your signature.
📞 (818) 960-1285 · Open 9 AM – 9 PM, 7 Days a Week
★★★★★ 4.9 · 600+ Reviews · Van Nuys Airport (VNY)
The Only LA Flight School With Its Own Student App
The Essence Flight School App: Your Hours, Records And Study Guides In One Place
A free flight school app for iPhone and iPad. Book a discovery flight, compare every program price, and once you fly with us, watch your hours and signed instruction tickets appear on their own.
★ 4.9Google & Yelp600+ Reviews
Everything About Your Training, In Your Pocket
A student pilot app built by the school you fly with, so what you see in it is your real Essence training.
Study Guides And Courses
Read on iPhone or iPad and pick up exactly where you stopped. The Multi-Engine course, for example:
274pages
16chapters
200+diagrams
50question final
Book A Discovery Flight
No account needed. About an hour, and you fly the airplane.
$229
from
See Every Program Price
Sport Pilot to the Airline Pilot Program, each with its price, so you can plan before you call.
Know The School
A fleet of 20 aircraft the school owns outright, plus the Redbird MCX full-motion simulator.
What The App Does At Every Stage Of Training
Pick a stage to see how students use it.
Before You Enroll
Browse every program with its price before you ever call us: the Sport Pilot License at $8,400, the Private Pilot License at $10,400, $15,400 or $22,000, the Instrument Rating at $11,700, the Commercial Pilot course at $15,400 and the Airline Pilot Program at $84,000.
You can also see the school, the fleet of 20 aircraft we own and the Redbird MCX full-motion simulator, then book a discovery flight from $229 without creating an account.
While You Train
Once you fly with us, the app becomes your training record. After each flight, your hours and your signed instruction ticket appear on their own. Every flight ticket is saved as a PDF carrying both your instructor's signature and yours.
That means no chasing paperwork at the front desk and no guessing how many hours you have logged. You can check your progress between lessons and arrive at the next one knowing exactly where you stand.
Between Lessons
The study guides and courses in the app save your place as you go, so ten spare minutes on a lunch break still move your training forward. The Multi-Engine course is a 274-page guide in 16 chapters with more than 200 diagrams, a 10-question quiz at the end of every chapter and a 50-question final exam.
Pair your reading with practice: enrolled students use the Redbird TD2 desktop trainer free, and time in the full-motion Redbird MCX is already built into every program.
Before Your Checkride
Every checkride application asks for your flight time by category, and the examiner checks it against your logbook. With your hours and signed tickets already in the app, cross-checking your totals before you fill in the application takes minutes. Our IACRA guide walks through the application itself.
Your official pilot logbook still matters, and your instructor keeps it right with you. The app makes it easy to confirm nothing is missing.
Why A Flight School App Matters For Student Pilots
Most flight training records still live on paper: a logbook in your flight bag, receipts in an email folder and lesson notes on a kneeboard. That works until you need a number in a hurry, such as your solo time before a cross-country or your total dual hours before a checkride application.
The Essence app puts the record the school keeps for you in your pocket. You see what you flew and who signed it, lesson by lesson, so the question "how far along am I?" always has an answer. Because every program price is listed in the same app, you can also see how your training compares with the package you chose and plan your budget without a phone call.
Students tell us the biggest benefit is simpler than that: knowing exactly what comes next. When you can see your progress, it is easier to keep flying two or three times a week, and steady flying is what keeps total hours, and total cost, down.
How It Works For Students
Three steps. The third one is the fun part.
Download It Free
Get the Essence app from the App Store on your iPhone or iPad.
Create An Account
Sign up with your email. Browsing and booking a discovery flight work without one.
Fly With Us
After each flight, your hours and signed instruction tickets fill in on their own.
Questions about the app or your training? Talk to a flight advisor, 9 AM to 9 PM, 7 days a week.
Redbird MCX Full-Motion Simulator
The App Tracks Your Training. The Simulator Builds It.
Every program at Essence Flight School has time in the FAA-approved Redbird MCX built into its price: 2 hours in the Standard private pilot package, 5 in Comprehensive, 20 in the Instrument Rating and 50 in the Airline Pilot Program. You practice procedures before you fly them and keep them sharp between flights.
Because the MCX is an FAA-approved Advanced Aviation Training Device, time you fly in it with an authorized instructor is loggable within FAA limits, including up to 20 hours toward the instrument rating under its Letter of Authorization.
Built Into Every ProgramNot an add-on. Practice before and between flights.
FAA-Approved, LoggableUp to 20 hours toward the instrument rating under its LOA.
Discovery Flight · From $229
Book Your First Flight In The App Or Online
About an hour in the air over Los Angeles, and you fly the airplane yourself with an instructor beside you. Enroll within 24 hours and 100% of the cost is credited toward your training.
Essence App FAQs
Is The Essence App Free?
Yes. The app is free to download and free to use.
Do I Need To Be An Essence Student?
No. Anyone can use it to explore programs, prices and the fleet, or to book a discovery flight. Your training record appears once you've flown with us.
Which Devices Does It Run On?
iPhone and iPad running iOS 17 or later.
Does It Replace My Paper Logbook?
The app keeps your Essence hours and your signed instruction tickets. For your official pilot logbook, ask your instructor.
Can I Book A Discovery Flight In The App Without An Account?
Yes. Booking a discovery flight and browsing programs, prices and the fleet work without an account. Discovery flights start at $229 for about an hour, and you fly the airplane yourself.
What Study Guides Are In The App?
The app includes study guides and courses that save your place as you go. The Multi-Engine course, for example, is a 274-page guide in 16 chapters with more than 200 diagrams, a 10-question quiz per chapter and a 50-question final exam.
How Can I See The Redbird MCX Simulator?
Book a free, in-person consultation at Van Nuys Airport and see the Redbird MCX for yourself, or book a one-hour simulator demo for $189 and fly it with an instructor.
Free 2026 Course Brochure
Prefer To Read It All First?
Get The Brochure.
Every course and price, the fleet, the Redbird MCX simulator, financing and how training works at Van Nuys, in one brochure you can read in five minutes and share with your family.
✓ Free · Instant · No spam, ever
Essence Flight School
2026 Course & Pricing Brochure
✈
See It In Person
Meet Your Instructor. See The Fleet And The Simulator.
A free, 30-minute visit at Van Nuys Airport: tour the school, see the Redbird MCX full-motion simulator and the airplanes, and leave with a written training plan and exact pricing.
1
Bring Your QuestionsAbout the app, the training or the cost.
2
See The Redbird MCXThe FAA-approved simulator built into every program.
3
Leave With A PlanA written plan and price, only if you are ready.
✓ Beginner-friendly✓ 30 minutes✓ 100% free
Reserve Your Visit
In-Person Consultation
Duration30 minutes
Format1-on-1, in person
PriceFree
No pressure, ever.
Start With The App, Then Start Flying
Download the Essence app, then take the controls on a discovery flight at Van Nuys Airport.
4.9 stars on 600+ reviews · Training pilots since 2007 · Open 9 AM–9 PM daily
