Pictures and infos provided by Thomas Rings

Everybody has seen the magnificent photographs of stored and scrapped aircraft in the deserts of the United States. For aviation enthusiasts, the airports of Southern California Logistics, Victorville and Mojave Air & Space Port are especially popular destinations. These aircraft graveyards are vast, restricted areas, making ground-level photography very limited. That is why many plane spotters choose to capture images from the air by chartering a plane.

Two flight schools in Van Nuys offer flyover flights for spotting above VCV and MHV: Corsair Aviation and Wings Over LA. Other flight schools and similar operators, such as those in Apple Valley, which previously offered these sessions closer to VCV, no longer provide this service. Unfortunately, this means losing quite a lot of time flying to and from Victorville. Depending on air traffic control clearance, the tower will usually allow circuits above the storage areas, offering spectacular views.

We selected Corsair Aviation for our flyover based on the following factors:

• The aircraft is a Cessna 172, with the option to fully open the window for unobstructed photography.
• Price as of March 2026: $170 per hour for the aircraft (2-hour minimum), plus $110 per hour for the pilot (3-hour minimum).
• Very well organized and highly flexible, even on short notice.

Corsair Aviation
7900 Balboa Blvd. Suite E209A
Van Nuys, CA 91406
Ph: 818-906-4024
info@corsairaviation.com

Flight times:

VNY - MHV ≈ 35 minutes
MHV - VCV ≈ 20 minutes
VCV - VNY ≈ 40 minutes