(818) 399-9905 · Open 9 AM–9 PM, 7 Days a Week · ★★★★★ 4.9 · 500+ Reviews · Van Nuys Airport
Cirrus built an entire training philosophy around its airplanes — and it works. Here is what Cirrus Approach and the Embark owner program actually are, and how to complete that style of training locally at Van Nuys Airport instead of flying across the country for it.
Cirrus Approach is the manufacturer’s official training ecosystem — the standardized courseware, syllabi, and instructor network that turned the SR-series into one of the best-supported airplanes a pilot can learn. It is not a single class. It is a way of training built on three pillars: a standardized, syllabus-driven curriculum instead of ad-hoc lessons; scenario-based instruction where decision-making — especially around the CAPS parachute and the autopilot — is taught before stick-and-rudder polish; and a recurrent rhythm that expects Cirrus pilots to refresh formally every 12 to 24 months rather than treating a checkout as a lifetime pass.
Insurance underwriters have noticed that pilots trained this way have better outcomes, which is why Approach-style training and a documented recurrent cadence increasingly show up as policy requirements, not suggestions.
Embark is the Cirrus-sponsored transition program offered to buyers of pre-owned Cirrus aircraft — factory-backed training with a standardized instructor so that every owner, not just new-airplane customers, starts with a proper foundation. It is an excellent kickoff. But Embark is a beginning, not a finish line: it covers your initial transition, and then you need a local training home for recurrent work, instrument proficiency, and honest answers when a system behaves strangely on a Tuesday.
That is the role LA Flight School plays at Van Nuys. We deliver Approach-style initial and recurrent training in our own Turbo Cirrus SR22, coordinate with your Embark benefits when you purchase, and keep your logbook — and your insurance file — current year after year. Learn the airplane on our Cirrus SR22 page, or start from zero in our Turbo Cirrus private pilot program.
SR22 electrical, fuel, and turbo engine management plus deep Garmin Perspective+ work — flight plan logic, VNAV, and every autopilot mode flown until the automation is a tool, not a mystery.
Deployment criteria by altitude and phase of flight, briefed on every takeoff, then drilled as scenarios. The goal is a pre-made decision — so the moment never has to be a debate.
Real missions in the airspace you will actually use — Van Nuys departures, the LA Class B, coastal routes, and high-desert density altitude — flown as scenarios with realistic weather and ATC decisions.
Approach-style training leans hard on scenarios, and the safest place to fly the ugly ones is our Redbird MCX full-motion, FAA-approved simulator. Engine failure at 800 feet, alternator loss in the clouds, an autopilot doing something you did not command, and the full CAPS decision drill — in the sim we run each event to its conclusion, debrief it, and run it again until your hands move before your heart rate does.
Simulator sessions slot between flight lessons, count toward your training record, and cost a fraction of Cirrus time — which is exactly why our transition and recurrent courses weave them throughout. Ready for the initial course instead? See our Cirrus SR22 transition training.
Approach-style initial and recurrent training, a Turbo SR22, and a full-motion simulator, all seven days a week at KVNY. Start with a flight in the airplane.
Real students, real first flights, real ratings — straight from Google and Yelp.
The fastest way to know if the left seat is for you is to stand on the flight line. Book a free consultation — or reach us whichever way you like.
Tour the school, meet your instructors, sit in the cockpit, and leave with a personal training plan and exact pricing. Your Discovery Flight fee is credited toward training when you enroll within 24 hours.
One minute, a few details, fast answers from a real person on our team.
