Bristell over Sebring Regional Airport

Professional
flight training
in Sebring, Florida

Accelerated Part 61 training in a modern Garmin glass-cockpit fleet, taught by instructors trained in-house under The Landing Doctor Code. Learn to fly for the love of it, or go from zero experience to a paid flight instructor job in about a year.

Modern Fleet Financing Available Student Housing from $500/mo
What our students say

Rated 5.0 on Google

★★★★★

10/10 — couldn’t ask for a better flight school. Sebring Flight Academy has excellent aircraft and an outstanding staff. Everyone is supportive, knowledgeable, and makes learning to fly a great experience. I would absolutely recommend them to anyone!

PP
Peyton PrevatteGoogle review
★★★★★

Highly recommend Sebring Flight Academy. I did about 40 hours of flight training and time building here over the course of five weeks. Great people, facilities and newer aircraft. They take maintenance seriously and keep the aircraft in great shape. Brant and Kevin are real pros. Do yourself a favor and book some seaplane training with them!

A
ArthurGoogle review
★★★★★

If you are looking for a flight school that truly cares about your training progress and will work with your schedule to help you reach your flying goals - look no further than Sebring Flight Academy!! Not only will you get to train in brand new airplanes with modern "glass" instrument panels, but you will spend far less money during your time here than any other Florida flight school!!

SJ
Steven JeffersonGoogle review
★★★★★

A great experience. Helpful, friendly and knowledgeable staff. Excellent, up to date modern aircraft.

RD
Richard DiehlGoogle review
★★★★★

A great place to learn how to fly without breaking the bank, their fleet is made up of brand new airplanes and the staff is extremely friendly!

SM
Stefan MonteferranteGoogle review
★★★★★

Who wouldn't love flying a Bristel airplane. I really enjoyed my flight with Timothy.

PF
Paul FerreiraGoogle review
★★★★★

Excellent experience with my flight training I could not have asked for more

H
HalGoogle review
★★★★★

10/10 — couldn’t ask for a better flight school. Sebring Flight Academy has excellent aircraft and an outstanding staff. Everyone is supportive, knowledgeable, and makes learning to fly a great experience. I would absolutely recommend them to anyone!

PP
Peyton PrevatteGoogle review
★★★★★

Highly recommend Sebring Flight Academy. I did about 40 hours of flight training and time building here over the course of five weeks. Great people, facilities and newer aircraft. They take maintenance seriously and keep the aircraft in great shape. Brant and Kevin are real pros. Do yourself a favor and book some seaplane training with them!

A
ArthurGoogle review
★★★★★

If you are looking for a flight school that truly cares about your training progress and will work with your schedule to help you reach your flying goals - look no further than Sebring Flight Academy!! Not only will you get to train in brand new airplanes with modern "glass" instrument panels, but you will spend far less money during your time here than any other Florida flight school!!

SJ
Steven JeffersonGoogle review
★★★★★

A great experience. Helpful, friendly and knowledgeable staff. Excellent, up to date modern aircraft.

RD
Richard DiehlGoogle review
★★★★★

A great place to learn how to fly without breaking the bank, their fleet is made up of brand new airplanes and the staff is extremely friendly!

SM
Stefan MonteferranteGoogle review
★★★★★

Who wouldn't love flying a Bristel airplane. I really enjoyed my flight with Timothy.

PF
Paul FerreiraGoogle review
★★★★★

Excellent experience with my flight training I could not have asked for more

H
HalGoogle review
Why Sebring Flight Academy

Trained like a professional from your first hour

Most flight schools teach you to pass a checkride. We teach you to be the pilot other pilots want in the right seat: safe, precise, and comfortable in a glass cockpit from day one.

Modern fleet

Every trainer is a BRM Aero Bristell NG5 with Garmin G3X Touch avionics, a coupled autopilot and Electronic Stability Protection. Technically Advanced Aircraft status means no complex-aircraft time required for your Commercial.

The Landing Doctor Code

Founder Lou Mancuso's safety-first training philosophy, refined over decades of instruction. His Ground Proximity Awareness technique produces consistent, confident landings even in gusty crosswinds.

Start earning at 150 hours

Our Sport Pilot Instructor pathway lets you get paid to instruct at 150 hours total time. No Instrument rating or Commercial certificate required. That is more than 100 hours sooner than the traditional route.

Fly year-round, uncongested

Central Florida weather means training rarely stops. KSEF is a non-towered field with quick access to practice areas and towered airports nearby, so you spend your money flying, not taxiing.

Instructor and student in the cockpit of a Bristell
~90 minYour first flight
Discovery flight

Your first lesson starts at the controls

You can read about flight training for months. Thirty minutes at the controls will tell you more than any website ever could.

Your discovery flight starts with about an hour on the ground: meet your instructor, ask every question you have, tour the school and sit in the airplanes. Then you take off in a Bristell and fly it yourself, with an instructor beside you the whole time. Afterward, we map out the fastest route to your goal.

  • No experience or medical required to fly with us
  • Hands on the controls in a modern glass-cockpit aircraft
  • A clear, honest plan and cost estimate before you commit to anything
Licenses & ratings

Every certificate and rating we teach

Each can be taken on its own or as part of a training path. Estimates assume consistent training at typical progress. Open any rating for a summary and full details.

Bristell NG5 on the ramp at Sebring Regional Airport
~50 hrs · est. $10,000 · no medical required

The fastest and most affordable way to become a pilot. Fly a light sport aircraft with a passenger in daytime VFR conditions with only a valid driver's license.

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~60 hrs · est. $12,500 · 3rd Class Medical

The classic first step. Adds night flying, multiple passengers, a wider range of aircraft, and the foundation for every rating that follows.

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~40 hrs · est. $7,500 · up to 20 hrs in the Redbird FMX

Fly safely in the clouds and within the IFR system. Trained on the Garmin G3X Touch, with up to 20 hours in our full-motion simulator.

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Part 61 · TAA qualified · est. < $3,000 within the career path

Fly for compensation or hire. Earned in our Technically Advanced Bristell with no complex-aircraft time required.

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150 hrs total time · 100 hrs PIC · priority hiring at SFA

Get paid to instruct at 150 hours with no Instrument rating or Commercial certificate required. Every SFA instructor started here.

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Beechcraft Travel Air · Aspen and Garmin panel

Add a multi-engine class rating in our Beechcraft Travel Air, including engine-out procedures and Vmc work.

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~5–7 hrs · SES class rating or sport pilot endorsement

Earn a single-engine sea class rating or a sport pilot seaplane endorsement on the lakes of Central Florida.

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$80 / hr wet · TAA hours count toward Commercial

Build hours toward your Commercial, CFI or ATP in a glass-cockpit Bristell for $80 per hour wet.

Learn more
Bristell cockpit with dual Garmin G3X Touch displays
G3XGarmin Touch avionics
Modern fleet

Train in the cockpit you'll actually fly

You'll be flying glass panels for your entire career. So why learn on 40-year-old steam gauges?

Our fleet is built around the BRM Aero Bristell NG5: a sleek, low-wing light sport aircraft with a Rotax 912 engine, a 51-inch-wide cockpit and a full Garmin G3X Touch suite with autopilot. Add our Redbird FMX full-motion simulator for instrument work and a Beechcraft Travel Air for multi-engine training, and you have a fleet that prepares you for the professional world from lesson one.

Garmin G3X Touch Coupled autopilot Electronic Stability Protection Technically Advanced Aircraft Redbird FMX AATD
Meet the fleet
The smarter route to a pilot career

Same cockpit. A fraction of the debt.

A four-year aviation university can run well past $200,000 once tuition, fees and flight costs are added up. Our career pathway gets you to a Commercial Pilot certificate, and a paying instructor job along the way, for a small fraction of that.

Traditional Aviation University

$200K+

Tuition, fees and flight training over four years

  • 4+ years before you earn a paycheck flying
  • Debt that follows you into your first airline job
  • Large classes, rotating instructors
SAVE $160K+

SFA Career Pilot Path

~$60K*

Estimated cost from zero to Commercial Pilot

  • Paid instructing at 150 hours, in about a year
  • Earn while you build toward the airlines
  • One dedicated instructor, one modern aircraft type

*Estimates only. Individual performance affects how long the program takes and therefore its cost. University figure is a general industry comparison, not a quote for any specific school. See Pricing & Financing for details.

Coming from out of town?

Live five miles from the airport and fly every day

The fastest way through training is consistency. Our academy house in the Spring Lake community makes daily flying possible.

A three-bedroom, two-bath home with student desks, a study library, high-speed internet and a full kitchen, ten minutes from the ramp. Rooms start at $50 per night or $500 per month, first come, first served. Make it a flight-training vacation in sunny Central Florida.

Bright modern living room
$500per month
Questions, answered

Everything you want to know before you book

Still have a question? Call us at 863-655-2002 or email [email protected].

See all FAQs
With a discovery flight. You'll spend about an hour with an instructor asking questions and touring the school, then roughly 30 minutes flying the airplane yourself. Afterward we build a plan around your goal and budget. Book one here or call 863-655-2002.
It depends on how often you fly. Our Sport Pilot syllabus is estimated at about 50 hours and Private Pilot at about 60. Students who fly two or more times a week finish fastest, and students in our housing who fly daily finish fastest of all. Our career students earn a Sport Pilot Instructor certificate in under a year.
We publish estimates for every program: Sport Pilot about $10,000, Private Pilot about $12,500, Instrument about $7,500, and our full zero-to-Commercial career pathway around $60,000. Financing is available through Stratus Financial, and we offer limited in-house financing on an individual basis. See Pricing & Financing.
Not for a discovery flight, and not for the Sport Pilot certificate, which only requires a valid driver's license. A Private Pilot certificate requires at least a 3rd Class Medical, and our career students obtain a medical before committing to the program.
Most likely, yes. We are open six days a week and work long hours to accommodate as many students as possible. We recommend flying no less than twice a week to retain what you've learned.
Bristell NG5 in flight at sunset

Ready to take the controls?

Your discovery flight is about an hour with an instructor, a tour of the school, and roughly 30 minutes at the controls of a Bristell. No experience needed.