Rates partly published · Van Nuys, CA
Flight training at ActivePILOT Flight Academy
No instructor rate. ActivePILOT publishes rates for all 7 of its airplanes and nothing for instruction, so there is no total on this page.
Checked August 6, 2026 against ActivePILOT fleet guide.
- Based at
- Van Nuys Airport(VNY)
- FAA part
- Not stated on their site
- Phone
- (818) 650-3318
- Website
- activepilot.com
Section 1What is published
ActivePILOT's own figures
Checked August 20, 2026 · Source
| Aircraft | Published rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Piper PA-28-151 Warrior (N1064X, 1975)1975 | $165/hr | |
| Piper PA-28-151 Warrior (N26132, 1975)1975 | $165/hr | |
| Piper PA-28-151 Warrior (N32291, 1974)1974 | $165/hr | |
| Piper PA-28-151 Warrior (N40798, 1973)1973 | $175/hr | |
| Piper PA-28-151 Warrior (N41380, 1974)1974 | $175/hr | |
| Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II (N40057, 1977)1977 | $185/hr | |
| Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche (N7738Y, 1965)1965 | $320/hr | Twin, for the multi-engine ratings. |
Airframes built 1965 to 1977. Years of manufacture from the FAA aircraft registry, read September 20, 2026.
These rates come from ActivePILOT's own fleet guide article rather than a rate page, where they are described as current listed rates. The article itself advises asking what the hourly rate includes and whether renter insurance, checkout, fuel or account terms apply, so the fuel basis is genuinely unsettled rather than merely unstated. A 10% CFI discount is advertised for enrolled students, without the CFI rate it discounts. The simulator is free for active students and $90/hr flown with an instructor, and that $90 bundles the two rather than pricing the instructor.
Section 2Discovery flight
$249
Checked September 14, 2026
45 minutes in the air.
Section 3Why there is no total
An estimate needs an instructor rate.
A training total is hours multiplied by rates. With instruction unpriced there is nothing to multiply, and we will not fill the gap with a plausible number: every figure on this site carries a link that shows it today.
Instructor rateMissing from their site
Instruction is the second biggest line on a training bill, after the airplane.
What to compare their answer against
Not ActivePILOT's rates. The middle of what 63 California schools charge, to hold your phone quote against.
- Trainer, medianWhat the airplane costsRange $95 to $269 per hour.
- $159
- Instruction, medianWhat the instructor costsAcross 63 schools with published rates.
- $80
From the schools here that publish full rate cards, the same sample behind the Flight Training Cost Report. ActivePILOT is not in it.
Section 4Paying for it
Two ways to pay for it.
Win what you can first, then borrow only what is left. Neither figure assumes anything about you: one is what our scholarship directory holds, the other is what the lenders publish.
- Money you keepScholarships you could apply for46 open to anyone, plus 1 in California. Top awards reach $22,200.
- Hiller Aviation Museum Flight Training Scholarship$15,000 · San Francisco Bay Area · Opens Feb 5, 2027
- 47
- Money you pay backLenders that fund flight trainingSix lenders, compared on the limits and rates they publish. That is what is on offer, not whether you would be approved.
- 6
Section 5What to ask
What to ask when you call
The marked ones are what ActivePILOT's site never answers. The rest are what turns an hourly rate into a real bill.
What do you charge per hour for flight instruction, and is ground instruction billed at the same rate?Missing from their site
This is the number that is missing from the site. Ground is often billed separately and at a different rate.
Does the instructor rate change for the Instrument, Commercial, or CFI, or is it flat across everything?Missing from their site
Plenty of schools charge more for advanced instruction. A flat rate quoted for the Private can climb later.
Do the published aircraft rates include fuel, or is fuel billed separately?
The site does not say, and it is the difference between two rates that look identical and are not.
What is the CFI rate, before the 10% enrolled-student discount?Missing from their site
The discount is advertised and the rate it applies to is not, which makes the discount impossible to value.
Do the hourly rates include fuel, and what else is added at checkout?
Your own fleet guide tells renters to ask this, so it is worth asking.
Is the Twin Comanche available for multi training, and what does multi instruction cost?
A twin at $320/hr makes the multi rating possible here, and none of the instruction side is priced.
Do you offer block rates or prepay discounts, and what is the refund policy if I stop partway?
Block discounts are common and rarely published. The refund terms matter more than the discount.
What do you charge for the written test, the checkride, and the examiner's fee?
The DPE fee alone runs $800 to $1,200 in most of the country and is almost never in a quoted hourly rate.
How many trainers and how many full-time instructors do you have right now?
Availability decides your pace, and pace decides your total more than the hourly rate does.
Called them? Send us what they said.
Send the number over and ActivePILOT Flight Academy gets a full listing with an estimate, marked as sourced by phone on the date you called.
Send what they told youSection 6Nearby schools
14 other schools fly from Van Nuys Airport.
9 of them publish at least one rate. VNY is the identifier to give when you ask.
- Ascent Aviation AcademyFull rate card, Piper Warrior at $145/hr and $75/hr instructionVan Nuys
- Aviators Flight AcademyFull rate card, Czech Sport Aircraft SportCruiser at $165/hr and $85/hr instructionVan Nuys
- Corsair AviationFull rate card, Cessna 162 Skycatcher at $140/hr and $110/hr instructionVan Nuys
- Essence Flight AcademyFull rate card, Piper Warrior at $269/hr and $150 to $300/hr instructionVan Nuys
- Vertical AviationFull rate card, Sling 2 at $180/hr and $100/hr instructionVan Nuys
- 30 DAY CFI Flight Training AcademyPublishes no ratesVan Nuys
- AFI Flight TrainingPublishes no ratesVan Nuys
- American Aviation Sales & Services IncPublishes no ratesVan Nuys
- California Flight SchoolPublishes a $120/hr aircraft rate, no instructor rateVan Nuys
- Clipper AviationPublishes no ratesVan Nuys
- Flying Academy Van NuysPublishes a $64/hr instructor rate, no aircraft rateVan Nuys
- LA Flight AcademyPublishes Cessna 172N at $180/hr, no instructor rateVan Nuys
- Mach 1 AviationPublishes Cirrus SR20 at $259/hr, no instructor rateVan Nuys
- US AviatorsPublishes no ratesVan Nuys
63 California schools publish a full rate card.
Each one has an estimate built on its own published rates. Listed alphabetically, because ordering them by price would be a ranking this page is not making.
- Above All AviationSanta Barbara, CA · Checked September 16, 2026$154/hr$104 to $124/hr instruction
- Aces High AviationLong Beach, CA · Checked September 16, 2026$140/hr$90 to $100/hr instruction
- Aero AviationLong Beach, CA · Checked September 10, 2026$135/hr$100 to $120/hr instruction
- AeroDynamic AviationSan Jose, CA · Checked September 16, 2026$143/hr$82/hr instruction
- Air Paso Flight ServicesPaso Robles, CA · Checked September 16, 2026$125/hr$95/hr instruction
- Ascent Aviation AcademyVan Nuys, CA · Checked August 20, 2026$145/hr$75/hr instruction
Section 7Sources
- That the school exists
- ActivePILOT fleet guideChecked August 6, 2026
- The rates above
- ActivePILOT fleet guideChecked August 20, 2026
Are you ActivePILOT Flight Academy? Send your rate card and this becomes a full listing with an estimate, free. Or have it removed.
This page says one thing is not stated on your site. Send us where it is published and it shows here instead.
- What instruction costs per hourSend it
PilotBound is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by ActivePILOT Flight Academy. School names are used only to identify the school. Rates shown are the school's own published figures with the date we checked them. This page carries no PilotBound estimate, because the school does not publish enough for one. Disclaimer & removal policy.
Other California flight schools
- 30 DAY CFI Flight Training Academy · Van Nuys
- A.F.I.T. Accelerated Flight and Instrument Training · Newport Beach
- Above All Aviation · Santa Barbara
- Acampo Flying Club · Acampo
- Aces High Aviation · Long Beach
- Advantage Aviation · Palo Alto
- Adventure Air · Chino
- Adventure Flight · Lincoln
- Aero Aviation · Long Beach
Plan the money before you commit
A program price only makes sense next to what each rating costs on its own, what free money exists, and what borrowing actually looks like.
What each rating costs
Honest per-rating ranges, with the fees most quotes leave out.
Free money first
Verified flight training scholarships. Every scholarship dollar is a dollar you never finance.
If you borrow
Compare lenders and see the real monthly payment before you sign.