Flight training in Long Beach, first lesson to CFI.

From basic maneuvers to navigation, you’ll learn all the essentials of flying under Visual Flight Rules — the foundation for every rating that follows.

Ever want to just hop on over to that amazing bakery in San Francisco? Do your friends want to take a spontaneous ski trip to Big Bear? In just a few weeks, the ability to fly there could be as simple as driving a car.

What’s training like? Learning fun challenging maneuvers such as steep turns, stall recoveries, ground reference maneuvers, forward and side slips, and emergency landings; 1-on-1 ground lessons with your instructor; and flying solo for 10 hours before you even take your private pilot checkride.

Aeronautical experience: 3 hours of cross-country training; 3 hours of night flight training, including one cross-country flight over 100 nautical miles total distance and 10 takeoffs and landings to a full stop; 3 hours of flight training solely by reference to instruments; 3 hours of training in preparation for the practical test; 5 hours of solo cross-country time, including one solo cross-country flight of 150 nautical miles total distance with full-stop landings at 3 points, and 3 takeoffs and landings to a full stop at an airport with an operating control tower.

What do I need to start? Must be able to read, speak, write, and understand English; must be at least 17 years old (16 years old in order to solo); obtain a medical certificate from an authorized medical examiner (before solo flight).

On average, it takes student pilots between 65-75 hours to complete their private pilot phase. The minimum is only 40 hours, including 10 hours of solo flight time — and you’ll fly cross country to places like San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Camarillo and Palm Springs.

Average Private Pilot Training Cost: $23,550–$26,550.

Learn to fly solely by reference to instruments under Instrument Flight Rules, expanding where you can go and what you can do.

Basic requirements: must hold a Private Pilot License; must log at least 50 hours of X-Country time (for part 61 training); must log at least 40 hours of instrument time (a minimum of 15 with an authorized instructor; 10 hours may be completed in a Basic Aviation Training Device).

Average Instrument Rating Training Cost: $21,330.

You will conduct your training in one of the best maintained Cessna 172RG (single-engine) or a Piper Seminole (multi-engine), learning maximum performance maneuvers such as the chandelle, lazy-8 and eights-on-pylons. Not to mention, it lowers your insurance rates!

Basic requirements: must hold a Private Pilot’s License; must log at least 250 total hours (50 hours may be completed in an FTD); must log at least 10 hours in a complex airplane.

Average Commercial Pilot Training Cost: $13,020–$14,220 (possible additional costs outside training for commercial phase).

Ask about the Career Pilot Program if you’re aiming for the airlines from the start.

Help other pilots on their aviation journey while you build hours and deepen your own knowledge before your airline career.

Includes a set foundation of 15 flight hours at $209/hr for plane rental, and 28 hours of Instructor time at $100/hr. More training time provided at additional cost.

Learn to create and implement your own lesson plans, fly to commercial standards in the right seat, and endorse students — all in our advanced G1000 glass cockpit.

Upon completion of our CFI program, you get a guaranteed interview with the owner of the company.