The place in Van Nuys is Heliclass, tel 1 661 253 1437,
www.heliclass.com. It's run by a chap called Phillippe Lesourd, and I flew with him for a week in April 2002. He was charging $120/hr; Chuck at the same time was $160/hr. He'll find accommodation for you too, if you want. It's 6-9am and 4-6 pm, Mon-Fri, and mainly straight and level flying, though you can go and do other stuff when there's time. It's good fun, and probably worth doing for a week, though not too much longer.