Learn to Fly Big Sur at Monterey Peninsula Airport
About this experience
Discover the unparalleled joy and exhilaration of flight as you take the controls and learn to fly!
No Expiration
DatesFlexible
BookingFree
ExchangesInstant
Delivery
Incredible adventure. Instructor pilot was outstanding. Would absolutely go again, and purchase as a gift for friends.
What's Included
- Learn from FAA certified flight instructors from Northern California's leading flight school with over 50 years experience of training
- Hop aboard and fly a Cessna 172 - one of the world's finest training aircrafts
- Fly above California's legendary Big Sur coastline, arguably the most beautiful line of coastal beaches and cliffs in the U.S.
- Get a bird's eye view of sites such as the Monterey Peninsula, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and more!
What happens on the day
Fly aboard a Cessna 172 with a FAA Certified Instructor at your side. You'll start with a guided tour of the airplane and its controls before taking off for a beautiful flight along the Big Sur coastline.
You'll learn how to manage complex airspace, learn about aircraft flight and have a chance to take the controls yourself.
Your 1.5-hour flight will start with beautiful views of Monterey Bay. Then you'll follow the lovely beaches to the Monterey Peninsula and take in views of the historic Pebble Beach golf course and 17 mile drive.
Then fly over Carmel, Point Lobos and the dramatic Big Sur coast with its mountains dropping straight into the sea. If you're lucky, you might even spot whales or dolphins below in the raging Pacific.
Soon you'll spot Pt. Sur Lighthouse on its lonely rock outcrop attached to the mainland by a sandbar. You may also see a colony of sea lions or seals resting along the coast.
Lastly, you'll head back through the spectacular mountains of Big Sur, crossing Carmel Valley with its farm fields and the Salinas River below you.
Prepare for an unforgettable experience and learn to fly!
Location
Locations shown shouldn't be used for route planning
Availability
When Do I Choose A Date?
Either yourself or the lucky recipient can make a booking and select dates once you are in receipt of the voucher. You’ll register the voucher, follow the booking instructions, and your experience with us begins!
Year-Round:
Daily - 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
*Pending pilot availability
Important Details
Essential Information
- No experience necessary
- Recommended minimum age for the student participant is 10 years old
- Students under 18 must have a parent or guardian present to sign a waiver
- Maximum individual participant weight is 250 pounds
- Combined weight for 1 student and all passengers cannot exceed 500 pounds
- Please note, this is a one-time introductory experience. The aviation company can only provide one voucher per customer and offers cannot be combined with any other discounts. Additional flight lessons must be booked directly with the aviation company.
Duration
Experience Provider Info
Maximum Participants
Spectators
Weather Dependent
What to Wear
FAQs
Is there a weight restriction?
Maximum individual participant weight is 250 pounds and the combined weight of all participants cannot exceed 500 pounds.
Is there a minimum age requirement?
It is recommended that students are at least 10 years old. If participants are under 18 years old a parent or legal guardian must join them and sign a liability waiver.
Returns, Exchanges & Cancellations
Returns
Experience Vouchers that have not been redeemed can be returned hassle-free within 14 days. All refunds will be made to the original purchaser.
Exchanges
Experience Vouchers that have not been redeemed can be exchanged for anything else in our marketplace at any time. If you choose to exchange for an experience that costs more, you'll simply have to pay the difference. If you choose to exchange for an experience that costs less, you'll have a credit towards your next booking with Virgin Gifts.
Cancellation Policy
Once you have scheduled a date and received a booking confirmation, rescheduling is allowed with at least 72 hours notice to your experience provider. Failure to appear on your booked date or to cancel and reschedule at least 72 hours prior to your booked date will result in the loss of the value of your experience.
Customer Reviews
Incredible adventure. Instructor pilot was outstanding. Would absolutely go again, and purchase as a gift for friends.
My flying lesson with AeroDynamic Aviation in Monterey, CA was absolutely incredible and something I would highly recommend to anyone who is thinking of doing it. You are allowed to take a passenger as well, which made it extra fun. We had the good fortune of taking off just before sunset, so we had spectacular views of the sunset over the ocean and the Big Sur landscape. It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience! Bert was our flight instructor for the session, he was personable and immediately made us feel at ease and comfortable. First we had a ~20 minute briefing on the ground where we went over the takeoff procedure, the basics of how to handle the plane on the ground and in the air, and discussed what route we wanted to take. This is the time to bring up any concerns, route preferences, and possibly discuss how much control you would like to take - though I suppose its up to the instructor in the end. Then we headed out to the plane, and after some safety checks started the takeoff procedure. After that, we had a 1.5 hour flight which was the perfect amount of time to take a scenic flight route all the way down to Bixby Bridge in Big Sur, then turn around and do some training maneuvers such as Turns around a point, a touch-and-go landing, and even an engine stall recovery. Bert had control during the landing procedures, and I was happy to just feel how he was handling the yoke and observe the throttle adjustments. Overall it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, a huge part of that was our excellent instructor Bert who did a great job making us feel comfortable (it was our first time in a small plane and my first time flying anything!), and teaching me at just the right level that he assessed I could learn. You get a pilot's log book at the end of the session with notes on how long you flew and what procedures you did, which will count toward a license should you ever pursue it. One note is that the plane was very small (Cessna 172M Skyhawk) which may make it somewhat uncomfortable for anyone of a larger stature - I'm 5'8 and it felt fairly tight in there.
Great experience the pilot was amazing the sight was amazing
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