How a Gift Certificate Works
Choose the gift and the occasion
Pick a lesson, a VR session or a bundle, then the certificate art: birthday, classic, or seasonal during the holidays.
Personalize it and pay
Add who it is for, who it is from and an optional message, then pay securely by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
Print it or forward it
The certificate arrives in your inbox and downloads as a JPG. Hand it over in person or forward the email.
They book online
The recipient books a time online with the certificate code. VR gifts work the same way.
Your first lesson
What Happens in the Lesson?
Every lesson is structured, and our instructors include active airline pilots and airline pilot-mentored CFIs.
1-Hour Young Aviators · Ages 8-13 · $215
1 Hour Total
Pre-flight briefing 10 minutes, Simulator session 45 minutes, Post-flight debrief 5 minutesPre-flight briefing 10 min
- Meet your instructor and the simulator
- Instruments and controls
- Today's flight plan
- Lift, thrust and drag
Simulator session 45 min
- Get comfortable in the pilot seat
- Start the engine with the checklist
- Your first takeoff
- Climbs, turns and descents
- Straight and level
- Land with your instructor's help
Post-flight debrief 5 min
- Debrief with your instructor
- Log the flight time
- What comes next
2-Hour Complete Experience · Ages 13+ / Adults · $430
2 Hours Total
Pre-flight briefing 15 minutes, Simulator session 95 minutes, Post-flight debrief 10 minutesPre-flight briefing 15 min
- Meet your instructor and the simulator
- Where private pilot training leads
- Engine, avionics and controls
- Today's route: departure, maneuvers, approach
- Safety and emergency basics
Simulator session 95 min
- Start cold and dark with the checklist
- Power, radios, engine and flaps
- Taxi with pedals and brakes
- Take off and climb on heading
- Turns, climbs, descents, slow flight
- Engine failure and diversion
- Navigate with the G1000
- Fly the pattern and approach
Post-flight debrief 10 min
- Review your flying
- Log the time (it counts toward a license)
- Your training roadmap
- Medical certificate basics
Gift Certificate FAQs
Prices, delivery, VR sessions, validity and the duration promise.
Common Questions From Gift Buyers
What the recipient gets, how delivery works, and how long a certificate lasts.
A G1000 simulator lesson with a flight instructor costs $215 for one hour, $322.50 for 1.5 hours and $430 for two hours. A VR simulator session costs $95 with an operator and $195 with a flight instructor. Training bundles run 6 hours for $1,080 (save $210) and 10 hours for $1,750 (save $400).
- G1000 lesson certificates start at $215
- Prices include the instructor or operator, with nothing extra to pay at the studio
- If prices increase, we will honor the duration for any gift certificate.
In a G1000 lesson the recipient flies an FAA-approved G1000 NXi simulator with a flight instructor beside them. This is simulator training with real procedures, not a ride.
- Takeoffs, landings, approaches and navigation, with the recipient at the controls
- The instructor adapts the lesson to a first-timer or a student pilot
- Time flown with an instructor is loggable toward FAA pilot certificates
Yes. A VR simulator session is 60 minutes with 45 minutes in the simulator, either with an operator who guides the flight or with a flight instructor. VR gifts are booked online with the certificate code.
- A VR gift certificate carries a dollar value and is redeemed when booking opens
- The certificate is not a booked date or a time slot
- No experience is needed for a session with an operator
You receive the certificate. It is emailed to you the moment payment clears and downloads as a JPG, so you can print it or forward it on the day you choose.
- Choose birthday or classic certificate art, plus seasonal art during the holidays
- Add a personal message of up to 450 characters
- The recipient books a time online with the certificate code
If prices increase, we will honor the duration for any gift certificate. A certificate bought for a 1-hour lesson still covers a 1-hour lesson after a price change.
- The duration is noted on the certificate record when it is issued
- Bundles cover the hours they were sold with
Lesson and VR gift certificates are valid for one year from purchase. Training bundles are valid for 90 days.
- Lesson and VR certificates: 12 months to redeem
- Training bundles: 90 days to use all the hours
Yes. Most recipients have never touched flight controls, and no experience is needed for a G1000 lesson or a VR session with an operator.
- G1000 lessons are open to ages 8 and up
- Good for birthdays, anniversaries and bucket-list gifts
Aviator.NYC runs flight simulator birthday parties for kids, led by instructors in Manhattan, booked separately from gift certificates.
- Small groups take turns flying the simulator
- Each child gets their own time at the controls