NoHo To Van Nuys Airport (KVNY)
North Hollywood runs on call sheets, rehearsals and late nights, and Essence Flight School is built for that kind of calendar. Train at Van Nuys Airport, a short drive west, from 9 AM to 9 PM every day, in 20 airplanes the school owns, with a full-motion Redbird MCX simulator in every program.
Ask around the NoHo Arts District and you will find actors between bookings, editors in late-night sessions, grips and electricians on twelve-hour days, musicians, writers and studio staff from the lots in Burbank and Universal City. Few of them keep a nine-to-five calendar, and a flight school that only works on weekday mornings does not work for them.
Essence Flight School is open seven days a week, 9 AM to 9 PM, and trains under FAA Part 61, so the syllabus moves at your pace. During a heavy shoot you can pause or drop to one lesson a week, then fly every day during a hiatus. Your progress is logged lesson by lesson, so when you come back, your instructor knows exactly where to pick up.
The Redbird MCX full-motion simulator, built into every program, helps on the in-between weeks. A short simulator session keeps procedures and radio calls fresh, so a long gap between flights does not mean starting over.
Your First Flight
A discovery flight begins at $229 for about an hour, and you fly the airplane with an FAA-certified instructor in the right seat. In the Cirrus SR22 Turbo, luxury flights are $499, $699 or $949 for 60, 90 or 120 minutes. Every flight includes the full route, from the Hollywood Sign and downtown to the coast; weather and air traffic control set the final path.
Every flight includes the full route. Enroll within 24 hours of your flight and its full cost is credited toward your training.
North Hollywood sits at the east end of the Valley, and Van Nuys Airport is a short drive west. Two routes are the most common: the 101 west to the Valley's middle, or north on Vineland and west across Roscoe Boulevard on surface streets. Victory Boulevard and Sherman Way are also straightforward cross-Valley options when traffic piles up.
Most North Hollywood students are roughly 12 to 15 minutes from the airport, with Valley Village, Toluca Lake and Studio City in a similar range. Parking is on site at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite D3. That is close enough to fly before an afternoon call time or after a day in the edit bay.
Interactive Hangar
All 20 airplanes at Essence Flight School belong to the school, every single one. The Cessna 162 and Diamond DA20 start you off, the Piper Warrior handles most private and instrument training, the Piper Arrow adds complex-airplane time, the Cirrus SR22 Turbo brings modern performance, and the Piper Seminole twin is used for the multi-engine rating. A standardized cockpit setup keeps every step familiar.
Light Sport Trainer
Four-Seat Trainer
Two-Seat Trainer
New · Discovery Flight For One
A sports car with wings: bubble canopy, center stick and quick, nimble handling. Just you and your instructor.
$349All-In · 60 Min · For One
Complex Airplane
High-Performance Flagship
Twin-Engine Trainer
Tap an aircraft or use the arrow keys to switch. Rental rates are per hour, wet (fuel included), from our rate sheet.
North Hollywood sits between two airports. Hollywood Burbank Airport is just east, and you can hear its airline traffic from most of NoHo. Van Nuys Airport, a few miles west, is focused on general aviation: business jets, helicopters, private airplanes and flight training. It is one of the busiest general-aviation airports in the world, and it is where Essence Flight School has trained pilots since 2007.
Learning between two busy airports teaches you a lot about airspace. In ground school, you will learn how Burbank's airspace and Van Nuys' airspace fit together, how controllers hand airplanes between them, and how to plan a flight that stays clear of the traffic you do not need to be part of. It turns the noise overhead into something you understand.
Hollywood Burbank's airline traffic also makes a good teaching example. Watching how larger airplanes fly predictable departure and arrival paths helps you understand why general-aviation pilots plan routes that keep them out of the way.
One Loop From Van Nuys · KVNY
There is nothing to pick. Every discovery flight flies the same loop: the Valley, the Hollywood Sign, Dodger Stadium and downtown, the coast from Marina del Rey to Malibu, then home over the mountains. Your instructor takes off and lands; you fly 50–80% of it.
Stop 01 Of 10Instructor Flying
Your instructor handles the takeoff from one of the busiest general aviation airports in the country, then the controls are yours.
Stop 02 Of 10You’re Flying
First turns, first climb: the Valley spreads out below as you learn how little pressure it takes to bank the airplane.
Stop 03 Of 10You’re Flying
The sign on Mount Lee looks closer and bigger than you expect, with Griffith Observatory on the next ridge.
Stop 04 Of 10You’re Flying
The stadium bowl opens up below, with downtown rising just beyond it.
Stop 05 Of 10You’re Flying
The skyline comes up level with the windshield as you fly a smooth turn so everyone on board gets the view.
Stop 06 Of 10You’re Flying
The city gives way to the marina, the breakwaters and the open Pacific, staying clear of LAX airspace to the south.
Stop 07 Of 10You’re Flying
The pier, the beach and the whole curve of Santa Monica Bay: the photo everyone wants.
Stop 08 Of 10You’re Flying
Up the coast, the Santa Monica Mountains drop straight into the ocean.
Stop 09 Of 10You’re Flying
Back across the mountains toward the Valley, with canyons and ridgelines below and Van Nuys ahead.
Stop 10 Of 10Instructor Flying
Your instructor flies the approach and landing, then a short debrief on the ground and your flight time is logged.
Every Flight Includes The Full Route
Pick who is flying and how long. The route stays the same.
Typical route. Weather and air traffic control set the final path on the day.
Courses Offered
Every program North Hollywood students can take at Van Nuys, with the price on our site. Filter by goal and tick up to three courses to compare them side by side.
$229 (Luxury Cirrus $499 / $699 / $949)
About 1 hour (luxury 60, 90 or 120 minutes)
A memorable gift or a day-off adventure for NoHo residents. You fly the airplane with an instructor beside you, and the Hollywood Sign and Griffith Observatory are often within view on the way back.
From $4,200
Ages 10 to 15, flight and simulator time included
For Valley Village and Toluca Lake kids who watch the Burbank departures from the yard. Real lessons and simulator time with an FAA-certified instructor, in a fixed package parents can plan around a school year.
From $8,400
Fixed course, 25 hours of flight time
A simpler license built on the two-seat Cessna 162, for daylight flying with one guest. Ideal for east Valley creatives who want a weekend hobby that fits around production schedules and does not need nights or instruments.
$10,400 / $15,400 / $22,000
Commonly about 3 to 6 months at a steady pace
The full certificate for flying passengers across the country, day or night. Part 61 flexibility lets you speed up during a hiatus and slow down during a shoot without losing your place.
Cirrus upgrade +$300/hr
Built around your goals
Training in the Cirrus SR22 Turbo for NoHo pilots who want a fast, modern airplane for trips to location shoots, festivals or family weekends across California and the West, learned the right way from day one.
From $11,700
Commonly about 6 to 8 weeks
The rating that makes flying practical for real travel through clouds and low visibility. Simulator sessions on the MCX can be logged toward it, which suits North Hollywood students with irregular and unpredictable schedules.
From $15,400
Set by your hours and schedule
The license that turns flying into paid work. For NoHo residents ready to turn a passion into a profession, it is the step that opens instructing and other flying jobs.
From $5,100
Accelerated 7-day course
Seven straight days in the twin-engine Seminole. Freelancers between projects can often finish it in a single stretch of free days, then return to work with twin-engine privileges and a stronger resume.
From $15,400
Set by your schedule
Teaching uses skills many NoHo performers already have: clear communication, patience and presence. It also builds the flight hours that airline careers require, and the schedule can be shaped around other work.
From $84,000
9 months, zero to professional certificate
Nine months from day one to professional certificate, then a guaranteed paid flight instructor position at $48,000 a year full-time. A clear second act for career changers in the east Valley.
| Course | Price | Duration |
|---|
Short-term financing is available, with plans from $2,500 down. Training in the Cirrus SR22 Turbo instead of a standard trainer is a +$300/hr upgrade.
New students often say the radio is the most intimidating part of flying out of Van Nuys. Performers in North Hollywood tend to pick it up quickly. Pilot radio work has a structure, a rhythm and a script: who you are calling, who you are, where you are, and what you want. Learn the format, rehearse it, and it becomes second nature.
Your instructor will model the calls on early flights and hand them over to you a piece at a time. Between lessons, you can rehearse in the Redbird MCX, which puts you at Van Nuys or any other airport, so the first time you hear a controller give you a complicated instruction, you have already practiced the answer.
The east Valley mix is wide. There are creative professionals who want a hobby that clears the head after a long project. There are families in Valley Village and Toluca Lake with kids who watch the Burbank departures from the backyard. And there are people in their twenties and thirties who have decided that aviation could be the career they actually want.
Each group lands in a different place on the program list, and every program has a published price. Discovery flights cost $229. The Teen Aviation Course is $4,200 for ages 10 to 15. Private pilot packages run $10,400, $15,400 or $22,000. The Airline Pilot Program is $84,000 for nine months from zero experience to a professional certificate.
A private pilot license gives you a skill that demands full attention, which is exactly why it is so refreshing after a long week.
The Teen Aviation Course offers real lessons with an instructor, and teens can solo at 16.
Airline Program graduates are guaranteed a paid flight instructor position, $48,000 a year full-time.
Questions about the drive from North Hollywood, scheduling, prices or financing? A real person at Van Nuys answers, 9 AM to 9 PM, seven days a week.
Because the school is open until 9 PM, North Hollywood students who work days can fly in the evening. During the shorter days of fall and winter, that often means flying after sunset, and night flying over Los Angeles is one of the most beautiful things a pilot can see. The grid of the Valley lights up below, with the dark outline of the Santa Monica Mountains and the glow of Hollywood beyond.
Night experience is also part of the private pilot requirements, so those evening flights count. Your instructor will teach you how vision, navigation and emergency planning change after dark, and you will come away with a deeper understanding of how much planning good night flying requires.
Redbird MCX Full-Motion Simulator
You never pay extra for the Redbird MCX full-motion simulator. It is part of every program, and for North Hollywood students it is the bridge across busy production weeks: a short session keeps radio calls and procedures rehearsed when the airplane is out of reach. It banks, pitches and responds like the real thing, at any airport, in any weather.
Sessions count. Under its FAA Letter of Authorization, you can log up to 20 hours toward the instrument rating, up to 50 hours toward the commercial certificate, up to 25 hours toward the airline transport pilot certificate and up to 2.5 hours toward the private pilot certificate. Ask to see it, and the Redbird TD2 desktop trainer next to it, at your free consultation.
Hours That Count Toward
Up To 20 Hours 14 CFR 61.65
Under its FAA Letter of Authorization, up to 20 of the 40 instrument hours can be flown in the Redbird MCX.
You see the MCX up close at your free consultation. Book A Free Consultation
North Hollywood runs on crews, and crews run on gifts at the end of a show: jackets, hoodies, mugs. A discovery flight is a different kind of thank-you. For $229, the person you give it to flies an airplane for about an hour with an FAA-certified instructor beside them, and they will talk about it far longer than they would wear another shirt.
For something bigger, the luxury flights in the Cirrus SR22 Turbo run 60, 90 or 120 minutes for $499, $699 or $949. More than 2,000 discovery flights have been flown at Essence Flight School, and for many people they are the first step toward a license.
Free 2026 Course Brochure
Courses and exact pricing, the fleet, the full-motion simulator, financing options and how training works at Van Nuys, in a brochure you can read in five minutes and share with your family.
Essence Flight School owns every one of its 20 airplanes. That gives the school direct control over maintenance, scheduling and standards, and it means your lesson does not depend on an outside owner's plans. The fleet covers every stage, from the two-seat Cessna 162 to the Cirrus SR22 Turbo and the twin-engine Piper Seminole.
The cockpits are standardized, so when you move from one airplane to another the layout feels familiar. And once you are licensed, you can rent the same airplanes after a checkout, from $179 an hour with fuel included.
A license is the start, not the end. After a checkout, NoHo pilots can take out the same airplanes they learned in, priced from $179 an hour with fuel included. The aircraft rental page has the details.
| Aircraft | Seats | Package | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna 162 Skycatcher | 2 | $179 | $269 |
| Piper Warrior | 4 | $179 | $269 |
| Diamond DA20 | 2 | $229 | $329 |
| Piper Arrow | 4 | $229 | $349 |
| Cirrus SR22 Turbo | 4 | $449 | $649 |
| Piper Seminole | 4 | $449 | $649 |
Also In Your Pocket: Secondary but useful: the free Essence Flight School app for iPhone and iPad books discovery flights without an account and displays every program with pricing. While you train, your hours and signed instruction tickets land in the app after each flight. Download On The App Store
The school's record is public. Essence Flight School holds a 4.9-star rating across 600+ Google and Yelp reviews, a 98% first-time checkride pass rate and a 100% safety record with zero accidents. More than 2,000 people have taken a discovery flight here, and the school offers a lowest price guarantee on its published prices.
Short-term financing is available if you would rather spread the cost, and ground school is included, in person at Van Nuys or online.
Ground school is included with the programs and can be taken in person at Van Nuys or online. For North Hollywood students with unpredictable days, the online option is often the better fit: study on set during downtime, at home late at night or on a free weekday afternoon.
The curriculum covers aerodynamics, regulations, airspace, weather, navigation, aircraft systems and communication, and it prepares you fully for the FAA knowledge test. When something does not click, an instructor can go over it with you before your next flight.
Free Consultation
Pick a slot on the week planner, including evenings and weekends, and meet an instructor at Van Nuys Airport. You will see the Redbird MCX simulator and the airplanes on the ramp, talk about schedules and budgets, and leave with a written plan built around your calendar.
There is no cost and no obligation. If you want to feel the controls the same day, add a discovery flight.
Prefer to talk first? Call (818) 960-1285, 9 AM to 9 PM, seven days a week.
Start Pilot Training
Ready to work toward a pilot certificate? Lesson One is a two-hour training lesson at Van Nuys: ground school, your own preflight, about 70 minutes of flying and a debrief, logged as dual instruction.
See Private Pilot LessonsTwo hours each, paid at booking.
FAQ
Expect roughly 12 to 15 minutes from most of North Hollywood. Take the 101 west, or go north on Vineland and west on Roscoe.
Hollywood Burbank is primarily an airline airport. Van Nuys Airport is focused on general aviation and is home to Essence Flight School's 20 school-owned airplanes and Redbird MCX simulator.
Yes. Part 61 training lets you slow down or pause, and the simulator keeps skills fresh. Your progress is logged, so you pick up where you left off.
Yes. The school is open until 9 PM every day, and night flying is part of the private pilot requirements.
Yes. The Hollywood Sign and the Hollywood Hills are part of the full route every flight flies, weather and air traffic control permitting.
Private pilot packages are $10,400, $15,400 or $22,000, and the Sport Pilot License is $8,400. All are published up front, covered by a lowest price guarantee, and can be financed.
Use the week planner to pick a free consultation time, or phone (818) 960-1285. You will find the school at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite D3, Van Nuys.
Lock in a discovery flight from $229, download the brochure, or schedule a free consultation to see the fleet and the simulator before your next call time. Call (818) 960-1285 any day, 9 AM to 9 PM.
The moment every Discovery Flight is built around — you fly the airplane, with an FAA-certified instructor beside you and Los Angeles below.
Keep Exploring
Check your inbox in the next few minutes. Questions in the meantime? Call (818) 960-1285
Questions about programs, pricing, or financing? Send a note and an Essence Flight advisor will reach out — usually the same day.
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