Briefing · For UK & EASA Pilots
300+ flyable days a year. 50–70 hours in weeks, not months.
A Southern California flight school run by a British owner, and the school British Airways A380 captains rent from when they are not flying the line.
Several British pilots come through our doors every year: UK ATPL hour-builders, frozen ATPL holders chasing CPL minimums, and weekend warriors finally cashing in some annual leave. We have been doing this for over a decade. The weather here actually flies, the rates beat what you are paying at home, and you can knock out the bulk of your hour-building in two to three weeks if you want to.
W · 01
Long Beach averages over 300 flyable VFR days a year. A typical day brings a low marine layer that burns off by 09:00 and clear, dry, smooth air through the afternoon and evening. Compare that to the UK average of roughly 100–120 truly flyable days. You are buying back time.
W · 02
C152 wet rates are $140/hr standard, $155/hr for IFR-equipped. C172 G1000 at $200/hr. Once you factor exchange rate, landing fees at only about 5% of US airports, the absence of VFR airspace user charges, and no club joining or monthly minimums, the gap widens further. We are running a full cost breakdown below. Full rate sheet →
W · 03
We run nine Cessna 152s (four IFR-equipped), two Cessna 172s, and a DA-42, meaning the aircraft is never the bottleneck. If you have the stamina, you can schedule 5–8 block hours per day across morning and afternoon slots. Most UK time-builders settle around 4–5 hours daily for two to three weeks and walk away with 50–70 hours logged. The schedule bends to you, not the other way around.
W · 04
Long Beach Airport (KLGB) sits a half-hour south of LAX. Direct British Airways and Virgin Atlantic flights into LAX get you on a rental aircraft within 48 hours of touchdown. Long Beach itself has a walkable downtown, decent food, and a beach. Not the worst place to spend three weeks.
Numbers below are May 2026 figures, sourced from FLYER’s 2026 UK PPL cost survey, FTN’s April 2026 AVGAS report, and published rate sheets across both markets. UK side uses a typical mid-market PA-28 (the standard UK hour-builder); Aces side uses our own posted Cessna 152 rate. Exchange rate: £1 = $1.34.
The Net · ~£7,400 saved on 50 hours
Roughly 58% cheaper per flying hour, before factoring in that California weather lets you actually fly the trip in three weeks instead of stretching it across six to nine months at home. Step up to our C172 G1000 at $200/hr wet and you are still under $230/hr all-in, well below a typical UK PA-28.
F · 01
Class B (Los Angeles, San Diego), Class C (Burbank, Ontario, John Wayne), Class D (Long Beach, Van Nuys, Torrance): all accept VFR transits and landings at zero per-movement cost. Flight following, clearance, radar service: all free. The FAA is taxpayer-funded.
F · 02
Virtually every uncontrolled and Class D GA field in SoCal is free for transient light singles: Chino, Riverside, Corona, Brackett, Whiteman, French Valley, KLGB itself. A typical UK touring day (Goodwood → Sandown → Solent → home) costs £60–£90; the SoCal equivalent costs nothing.
F · 03
Show up, announce on CTAF, land. No phoning ahead, no online slot booking, no "sorry we’re full." UK pilots find this genuinely strange for the first 48 hours, then deeply convenient.
F · 04
UK self-fly hire, fuel, instruction, and landing fees all carry 20% VAT, baked in. US flight instruction and aircraft hire are not subject to sales tax. On a 50-hour build, that VAT differential alone is worth more than £2,000.
F · 05
UK AVGAS averages £2.32 per litre (about $11.76 per US gallon) in May 2026. US national average is around $7.40 per US gallon. Even in California (which runs above national average) the fuel is meaningfully cheaper, and almost every Aces rate is wet, so the saving lands on you.
F · 06
SoCal schools almost universally bill on Hobbs (actual flight time). UK clubs often charge brakes-off-to-brakes-on, adding taxi and run-up time to every "hour." Over 50 hours that is meaningful real money on top of the headline rate.
You are not just hour-building, you are spending two to three weeks in the heart of Southern California, the bit of America that exports its weather, its beaches, and its theme parks to the rest of the world. Most UK pilots arrive thinking it is a flying trip and leave realising it was also the holiday they had not had in years. KLGB sits in the middle of all of it.
T · 01
Disneyland Resort (Anaheim) is a 30-minute drive up the 605 from Long Beach, closer than most UK airfields are to a decent pub. Disneyland park, California Adventure, Downtown Disney shopping. The original Magic Kingdom, where Walt actually planted his flag. Worth a full day off the schedule.
T · 02
Hollywood Walk of Fame, Griffith Observatory at sunset, Universal Studios, Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach boardwalk, the Getty Center, Rodeo Drive if that is your thing. All within 30–60 minutes of KLGB. One Saturday will not cover it: pick three.
T · 03
The Queen Mary permanently moored in the harbour, the Aquarium of the Pacific, the Naples canals (gondoliers and all), Belmont Shore for evenings out, a genuine walkable downtown with good food. The marina is two miles from the airport. The beach is three. You will not feel stranded.
T · 04
Twenty-six miles off the coast, Catalina Island (KAVX) is the iconic SoCal cross-country: a runway literally carved into a hilltop, a famous cafe at the airfield, a short bus down to Avalon for the afternoon. You fly there yourself, log the time, eat lunch, fly home. Every UK pilot leaves with the same photograph.
T · 05
San Diego (2 hr drive or 35 min flight), Palm Springs (2 hr drive into the desert), Joshua Tree National Park, Big Bear Lake (mountain ops at 6,750 ft, skiing if you come in winter), Santa Barbara, Las Vegas if you push it (4 hr drive, 1.5 hr flight). The training day ends; the real estate keeps going.
T · 06
LA Dodgers (MLB), Lakers (NBA), Rams (NFL), Galaxy (MLS): one home game during your trip if the calendar lines up. Surfing lessons in Huntington Beach (~25 minutes south). Hiking the Hollywood Sign trail. The Mexican food in Long Beach alone is reason to extend the trip by a week.
D · 01–02
Land at LAX, taxi to Long Beach, sleep off the jet lag. Day one: paperwork, a checkout flight in the C152, area familiarization. Day two: pattern work and a short local XC.
D · 03–07
Catalina Island for a $100 hamburger, Santa Monica, Camarillo, San Diego, Oceanside. Coastal cross-countries build solo PIC time quickly. Two flights a day at this stage.
D · 08–12
Big Bear (mountain ops at 6,750 ft elevation), Palm Springs, the Joshua Tree corridor, Apple Valley. Density altitude work, longer XCs, mixed terrain. Three flights some days.
D · 13–14
Night currency if you want it, simulated instrument under the hood, IFR-equipped 152 if you are an IR holder. Final pattern work, last-minute logbook checks.
5–8 hours a day is achievable but it is hard work. Most pilots find their sustainable pace around 4–5. We will build the schedule you want, but we will tell you honestly when fatigue is showing up in your flying. The point is good hours, not just lots of hours.
L · 01
FAA Form AC 8060-71 processing runs 45–90 days. Start before you book flights. We have a full walkthrough on the Foreign Pilot Conversion page including the form link and the Airmen Certification Branch submission process. Jamie’s Guide on that page covers everything else.
L · 02
All solo renters carry a current US renters insurance policy. Expect $300–$350 per year through providers like Avemco or AOPA Aircraft Insurance.
L · 03
Long Beach has plenty of mid-tier hotels and serviced apartments within ten minutes of the airport. Airbnb works well for a two-to-three-week stay. We can point you to options most UK alumni have used.
L · 04
A rental car makes life easier but is not essential. Uber and Lyft are reliable, and the airport is well-connected. Your UK driving licence is accepted in California for short visits. One quirk: car rental agencies in the US require drivers to be at least 25 years old (some accept 21+ with a daily under-25 surcharge). If you are younger, plan on rideshare or arrange with a 25+ travelling companion.
Q · 01
Yes. EASA recognises FAA-logged hours for the hour-building requirements of EASA CPL and frozen ATPL. Confirm specifics with the UK CAA before you fly out, but the standard FAA logbook entries and instructor sign-offs are accepted.
Q · 02
Yes. We have four Garmin 650Xi-equipped IFR C152s, plus C172 G1000 and a Diamond DA-42 Twin Star. If you are converting an IR or working an FAA IR alongside time-building, we have the platform and the instructors.
Q · 03
Yes. We host UK pilots travelling together regularly. Mutual hour-building works well in our two-seat C152s with a willing safety pilot, and a shared Airbnb cuts cost. Bring them.
Q · 04
Bring your own headset if you can. Comfort matters over a 6-hour flying day. iPad and ADS-B receiver covered in detail in Jamie’s Guide. The short version: yes to both, and the receiver must support 978 UAT.
Q · 05
No visa needed. Time-building on your verified foreign licence is treated as recreational flying, not formal training. UK pilots enter on the standard ESTA (free, online, takes minutes) for stays up to 90 days. Ample for any reasonable hour-building trip. No M-1, no I-20, no embassy interview.
Step Zero · Before You Book Flights
FAA Form AC 8060-71 processing runs 45 to 90 days. Begin this before booking flights, accommodation, or dates. Our Foreign Pilot Conversion page walks through every step of the verification, includes the FAA form link, and houses Jamie’s Guide, the closest thing to a pre-trip briefing we can give you.
Begin
Email or WhatsApp us with your dates and your hour target. We will come back with a sample schedule, an aircraft, and the verification timeline. Most UK pilots are flying within 12 weeks of their first email.