(818) 290-8249 · Open 9 AM–9 PM, 7 Days a Week · ★★★★★ 4.9 · 500+ Reviews · Van Nuys Airport
Turn flying into a paying career. Earn your Commercial Pilot License in Los Angeles with Flight School LA and gain the certificate, hours, and confidence employers look for.
A Commercial Pilot License in Los Angeles is the certificate that lets you fly for compensation. It is the line between flying as a hobby and flying as a profession, and it opens the door to paid work across aviation. At Flight School LA, based at Van Nuys Airport (KVNY) for more than 15 years, we have helped hundreds of pilots make that leap.
With a commercial certificate you can be paid to fly. That includes flight instructing, banner towing, aerial photography and survey work, traffic watch, pipeline patrol, charter operations, and serving as the foundation for an airline career. The CPL raises the standard of your flying: tighter tolerances, sharper decision-making, and advanced maneuvers that mark you as a professional.
The legal threshold to earn money as a pilot across a wide range of aviation jobs.
Higher precision and tighter maneuver tolerances that define a commercial-grade pilot.
The required step before becoming a CFI or moving into airline-track flying.
The Commercial Pilot License carries the most flight-experience requirements of the core certificates. The FAA sets these minimums under Part 61, and we structure your training so every hour counts toward them.
Your commercial training sharpens every skill you have built and adds the advanced maneuvers and judgment the checkride demands. You will train one-on-one with experienced instructors who fly these standards every day.
Chandelles, lazy eights, eights-on-pylons, steep spirals, and precision power-off landings flown to commercial tolerances.
Time in a complex airplane with retractable gear, flaps, and a controllable-pitch propeller to meet the experience requirement.
Long cross-country flights and night operations that build the experience and confidence employers expect.
A full mock checkride, oral exam review, and maneuver polishing so you test with confidence.
Commercial students fly complex, high-performance, and multi-engine aircraft from our Van Nuys fleet, so you log the required experience on the kind of capable airplanes professional flying demands.
The complex airplane at the heart of your commercial training — retractable gear and a constant-speed prop satisfy the FAA experience requirement.
A fast, glass-panel cross-country machine that polishes your IFR skills and the precision commercial maneuvers demand.
Step into twin-engine flying and add the multi-engine experience most commercial employers expect to see in your logbook.
Rehearse advanced maneuvers, emergencies, and IFR procedures on the ground to keep your time-building efficient and affordable.
Sharpen your skills on the ground in our FAA-approved Redbird full-motion simulator — practice procedures, instrument work, and emergencies in any weather, then carry that confidence straight into the cockpit on your Commercial Pilot License training.
Clear, upfront pricing with every hour spelled out — and $500 off this summer. Financing is available so you can invest in your career on a manageable schedule.
Financing: Available — flexible monthly payment plans
Enroll Now →The Commercial Pilot License is where a flying career truly begins. Most of our commercial graduates pair the CPL with a flight instructor certificate to build hours while getting paid, then advance into our airline pilot program. We help you map the route that fits your goals.
Add CFI, CFII, and MEI to get paid to fly and build hours toward the airlines.
Continue into our airline pilot program to work toward an ATP and a flight deck career.
Charter, survey, traffic watch, banner towing, and other paid commercial flying.
"Took the controls over Van Nuys and the whole city opened up below us. Unreal first flight — booking again."
"Kayla is a great instructor — calm, organized, and a real pleasure to fly with. Made my first flight so comfortable."
"Ralph is knowledgeable, patient, and professional. Explained every principle of flight in a way I could follow."
"The owner, Alex, immediately put me at ease. Best intro flight in LA — calm, safe, and let me actually fly the plane."
"Anthony explains everything in a way that actually makes sense. Super chill and a great way to get comfortable in the sky."
"Joseph was patient and a really great teacher. Professional with great energy, and the Diamond was a blast to fly."
"Started with a discovery flight, now working on my private. Welcoming team and genuinely flexible scheduling."
"Gifted the flight for two and we both loved every second. Incredible views of the coastline — worth every dollar."
Earn your Commercial Pilot License with the Los Angeles team pilots have trusted for 15+ years. Book a discovery flight or a free consultation today.
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.
