Mosley Aviation Flight Training
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Private Pilot Training · Part 61

Start in the left seat.

A discovery flight is a real lesson: you preflight the aircraft, take the controls after takeoff, and log the time toward your certificate. No experience required, and nothing to buy first.

Base
KAPV · Apple Valley
Aircraft
3 in the fleet
Instructors
4 CFIs · 2 CFII
Next opening
This week
01 — Programs & ratings

Every rating, in order.

Most students start with a Private Pilot certificate and continue from there. Training is one-on-one, scheduled around your week.

PPL40 hr min

Private Pilot

The first certificate. Fly by yourself, carry passengers, go where you want in day or night VFR conditions.

4–9 months typical
IR40 hr inst

Instrument Rating

Fly in cloud and low visibility on an IFR clearance. The rating that makes a light aircraft genuinely useful.

3–6 months typical
CPL250 hr total

Commercial

Get paid to fly. Tighter maneuvers, complex-aircraft time, and the hour building to reach the minimums.

Timeline varies
CFI / CFIIAdd-on

Flight Instructor

Teach from the right seat and build hours while you do it. We hire from our own CFI graduates first.

2–4 months typical
02 — Requirements & FAA process

From zero hours to a certificate in your wallet.

STEP 01

Discovery flight

One hour with an instructor. If you enroll, the time logs toward your 40.

STEP 02

Medical & student cert

An FAA third-class medical from an AME, plus a student pilot certificate through IACRA. We walk you through both.

STEP 03

Solo

Pattern work, then your first flight alone. Most students solo between 15 and 25 hours.

STEP 04

Written exam

60 questions, 70% to pass. Ground school runs alongside your flying, not after it.

STEP 05

Checkride

An oral exam and a flight with an FAA examiner. You go when your instructor and you agree you're ready.

Minimum age to solo: 16 Minimum age for PPL: 17 Requirement: read, speak and understand English
03 — Pricing

Pay as you fly.

Aircraft rates are wet — fuel and oil included. You're billed per flight, per lesson. No block purchase required and no membership fee.

ItemRateUnit
Cessna 172S — G1000$205/ hr wet
Cessna 172N — analog$165/ hr wet
Piper Archer PA-28-181$185/ hr wet
Flight instruction$75/ hr
Ground instruction$65/ hr
Discovery flight — 1.0 hr, all in$189flat
Typical PPL total
$14,000 — $18,000

At 55–65 hours, which is what most students actually need. We give you a written estimate before you enroll.

Financing
Flight training loans

We work with third-party training lenders and can point you at scholarships through AOPA and EAA.

Also included
No hidden fees

Preflight briefings and post-flight debriefs are part of the lesson, not extra ground time.

04 — Fleet

Three trainers, maintained in house.

Cessna 172S

N——
AVIONICSGarmin G1000 NXi ENGINE180 hp IO-360 USEPPL, IR, checkouts

Cessna 172N

N——
AVIONICSSix-pack, GNS 430 ENGINE160 hp O-320 USEPrimary training

Piper Archer

N——
AVIONICSDual G5, GTN 650 ENGINE180 hp O-360 USEIR, cross-country
05 — Cross-country lesson plans

Real destinations, real decisions.

Our cross-country lessons are built around specific airports, each chosen for the judgment it demands. You fly the trip, brief the threats, and land somewhere worth landing.

KAPV ——> L521.0–1.2 hr + 1.0 ground

Coastal Short-Field Operations

Oceano County Airport: 2,325 feet of asphalt, fourteen feet above the Pacific, and a marine layer that decides when you land. You plan the fuel, brief the go-around, and walk to the beach afterward.

Marine layer ADMShort-fieldHolding strategy
View the lesson briefing
Also in the rotation
Catalina · KAVX
Island operations, one-way commitment, a runway on a plateau.
Shelter Cove · 0Q5
Terrain, fog, and no second chances on the approach.
Half Moon Bay · KHAF
Coastal stratus timing, close to the Bay Area's busiest airspace.

The skills transfer. Once you can read a coast, you can go almost anywhere on it.

06 — Instructors

You keep the same instructor.

One CFI owns your training from the first lesson to the checkride, so nobody re-teaches you what you already know.

[Instructor name]

Chief Flight Instructor · CFII

Short bio: hours, background, what they like teaching.

[Instructor name]

CFI · CFII

Short bio: hours, background, what they like teaching.

[Instructor name]

CFI

Short bio: hours, background, what they like teaching.

07 — Students

"I walked in having never been in a small aircraft. Eleven months later I flew my family to the coast."

[Student name] · PPL 2025

"Scheduling never fell apart. Same instructor, same aircraft, two lessons a week the whole way through."

[Student name] · PPL 2024

"The debriefs are where I learned the most. Nothing was ever hand-waved past me."

[Student name] · IR 2025
More reviews on Yelp
08 — Location & facilities

Find us on the field.

Our office and briefing rooms are in the hangar on the [north/south] ramp. Parking is free, and you're welcome to walk in and look at the aircraft before you commit to anything.

AIRPORTApple Valley Airport · KAPV ADDRESS[Street address, city, state ZIP] HOURSMon–Sat 08:00–18:00 · Sun by appointment PHONE[555-000-0000] EMAIL[training@mosleyaviation.com] REVIEWSMosley Aviation Services on Yelp ON SITEBriefing rooms · Sim · Pilot shop · Self-serve fuel
09 — FAQ

Common questions.

Do I need a medical before my first flight?+

No. You can fly with an instructor from day one. You'll need a third-class medical before your first solo, so we usually recommend starting that paperwork in your first month.

How often should I fly?+

Two to three lessons a week finishes fastest and costs the least overall. Once a week works; less than that and you spend money re-learning.

How long is a lesson?+

Plan on two hours at the airport for about an hour of flight time — briefing, preflight, flying, then a debrief.

What if the weather cancels my lesson?+

No charge. Your instructor will call you before you drive out, and we can usually convert the slot to ground instruction or a sim session.

Do I need my own headset or books?+

Not for the discovery flight — we'll lend you a headset. Once you enroll, expect to spend a few hundred dollars on a headset, a kneeboard and your ground school materials.

Is there an age or fitness limit?+

You can start training at any age; you must be 16 to solo and 17 for the certificate. There's no upper limit as long as you can hold a medical.

10 — Book

Book your discovery flight.

$189 for one hour, instructor included. Bring one passenger if you'd like. Tell us when you're free and we'll confirm a slot within one business day.

CALL[555-000-0000] EMAIL[training@mosleyaviation.com]
Thanks — we'll be in touch within one business day.
Discovery flight
$189 · 1.0 hr
Book now