What Long Beach students ask before they fly.

No. Everyone’s flying journey begins with a first lesson, and ours start from zero flight time. Your instructor teaches you everything one-on-one, from the preflight walk-around to your first takeoff.

The best and least expensive way to try your hand at flying — no previous experience needed. The Full Lesson Demo is $269 for 1 full hour of actual flying; the 2-in-1 Demo is $349 (30 minutes each for two people) and the Extended Demo is $449 (90 minutes of flying). You do 90% of the flying, get a FREE in-flight video, and can bring someone along at no extra charge.

Yes. You train in the Cessna 172 — quite possibly the most-used training aircraft in history — kept clean and professionally maintained, with an instructor at a second set of controls on every lesson. From the very beginning until the very end of your training, you will be trained in a safe environment.

Our school average is $23,550–$26,550 from zero time, paid lesson by lesson as you fly — not up front. Aircraft rates are wet and final ($199/hour in a 172P or 172N, $239/hour in a G1000 172) with no fuel surcharge, club fees or tax. How often you fly is the biggest factor in your total.

As fast as your schedule allows: you can train full-time or part-time, and each course is structured around your availability. On average, it takes student pilots between 65-75 hours to complete their private pilot phase; the minimum is 40 hours, including 10 hours of solo flight time. With full-time training, you can get your private pilot certificate in a matter of weeks, and our Career Pilot Program takes you from 0 flight time to 250 hours in as little as 6 months.

Yes — you must obtain a medical certificate from an authorized medical examiner before solo flight. A List of Aviation Medical Examiners is on our Forms & Documents page.

A Cessna 172. Our fleet has four 172s with Garmin G1000 glass cockpits and five 172P and 172N models with traditional instruments, several upgraded with Garmin G5s and modern GPS. Our instructors are rated in all of them and will help you pick the one best suited to you.

Part 61. That lets each course be structured around your schedule, with one-on-one flight and ground instruction, whether you train full-time or part-time.

Yes. Stratus Financial offers full financing for flight training, and AOPA members can apply for AOPA scholarships. Many students simply pay as they go instead, flying and paying at their own pace.

Our office is at 3333 E Spring St., Suite 222, Long Beach, CA 90806, and we fly out of Long Beach Airport (KLGB). We serve students from across Long Beach, the South Bay, and north Orange County.

Yes. Our Career Pilot Program takes you from zero flight time through Private Pilot, Instrument, Commercial and CFI — up to 250 hours in as little as six months. Many pilots then instruct to build the hours airlines require.

Call 866-600-9595 or send us your details, and we’ll help you plan your first steps. Most students begin with a Discovery Flight — a $269 first lesson with you on the controls.

10 aircraft and more coming! Our fleet page lists nine Cessna 172s at Long Beach Airport. Once you complete a checkout, we give you access to our online scheduling platform (Flight Schedule Pro).

Not necessarily, and you don’t need to: our professional flight instructors are rated in all airplanes. If you want to learn on a Garmin G1000 glass cockpit or on traditional gauges, tell us and we’ll plan around it.

Both. Four of our Cessna 172s have the industry-standard Garmin G1000 glass cockpit with an autopilot, and five have traditional steam-gauge panels — several upgraded with Garmin G5 displays and GPS such as the GTN 650 and GNX 375.

Stratus Financial offers full financing for your entire flight training. Exactly what a loan covers, and its rates and terms, are set by the lender when you apply — we’re happy to talk it through first.

No. You can pay as you go, lesson by lesson, at your own pace. If you’d like a lower rate, prepay 10 hours (cash or check) for our block rate.

Long Beach Airport (KLGB), a towered airport in Long Beach, California. From there you’ll train over the Long Beach coast and can fly past LAX, the Griffith Observatory and Catalina.