Three generations.
One mission: safer pilots.
Sebring Flight Academy was founded in late 2018 by Lou Mancuso, "The Landing Doctor," with a simple goal: low-cost, professional flight instruction with an emphasis on safety. The story behind it starts in 1946.
A lifetime spent building safer pilots
Louis "Lou" Mancuso, our CEO and founder, has devoted his life to a training program centered on safety that turns out knowledgeable pilots.
In 1992, Lou authored a booklet for the newly certificated pilot: The Personal Limitations Checklist: Expert Decision Making... Think Like a Pro. Known simply as "the PLC," it's a collection of true aviation stories and the lessons learned from them, written to push his students to fly within their limits and stay safety conscious. The safety record at Lou's FBO has been outstanding ever since.
In 2018, Lou founded Sebring Flight Academy to fold those lessons into a training environment and make the next generation of safe pilots in both the professional and general aviation worlds. Today every SFA instructor is trained in-house, and every student trains under the Landing Doctor Code.
Learn more at thelandingdoctor.com
Teaching people to fly since the war years
Before there was a Sebring Flight Academy, there was a Stearman, a runway in Florida, and a young instructor named Louis Mancuso.
The third generation of Mancusos is now carrying on the exceptional work that began in 1946. Family isn't just how we describe the atmosphere here. It's literally who we are.
Training RAF cadets in Florida
Louis Mancuso teaches British Royal Air Force cadets in Stearmans and AT-6s, accumulating thousands of instructor hours during the war years.
The first flight school opens
After the war, Louis returns to Long Island and establishes Deer Park Airport and Mid Island Air Service.
The Personal Limitations Checklist
Lou Mancuso, "The Landing Doctor," authors the PLC booklet on expert decision-making for newly certificated pilots.
Sebring Flight Academy opens
Lou founds SFA in Central Florida with a goal of low-cost, professional flight instruction with an emphasis on safety, flying the Bristell from day one.
The third generation
Graduates flying the PC-12, Hawker 800XP and Lear 60, instructors trained in-house, and a student house five miles from the ramp.
More than a code. A way of thinking.
Developed over thousands of hours of flying and instruction and refined over decades, the Code was created with one goal in mind: to create a safer pilot.
A safety mantra, not a slogan
The Code's time-tested procedures and principles supplement any pilot's training, because a pilot who stops learning can never grow. We believe any pilot, from the green student to the 10,000-hour captain, can always refine their skills.
Ground Proximity Awareness
Very few pilots can jump into an unfamiliar airplane and nail the first landing. GPA is our technique for learning the feel of an airplane so well you can consistently land safely in gusty crosswind conditions. It's the biggest landing challenge for new pilots, solved.
Master and Commander
Becoming master and commander of your aircraft takes time, dedication, perseverance, patience and practice. Before you fly your fancy new airplane with your loved ones, fly a few laps using GPA first.
The Landing Doctor program and its focus on Ground Proximity Awareness are transformative. If “butter” landings are your goal, the Landing Doctor program will get you there.
The people dedicated to exceptional flight training
We train all our CFIs in house. Every one of them is a graduate of the Sebring Flight Academy instructor program, and every one of them flies the Landing Doctor Code.
Lou Mancuso
Founder of Sebring Flight Academy and author of the 1992 Personal Limitations Checklist. Lou has devoted his life to building a training program centered on safety that turns out knowledgeable pilots.
Brant Howell
Over 10,000 hours of flight time in many types of land- and sea-based aircraft across several decades of professional flight training, and instructing in the Bristell since 2018.
Timothy Rex
Started flight lessons at 13 and took his first flight with Brant at 11. One of the most experienced Bristell instructors in the country, now a corporate pilot on the Pilatus PC-12 who still instructs in his free time.
William Powers
Brings a distinctive skill set from flying off a grass strip in a family-owned J-3 Cub. Stick-and-rudder skills, anyone? A flight with William reminds you what your feet are for.
Home of the 12 Hours. And your first solo.
We train out of Sebring Regional Airport (KSEF), overlooking Sebring International Raceway and Highlands County's many fresh-water lakes.
KSEF is a non-towered airport, which keeps training efficient and affordable: no waiting in line for the runway, practice areas minutes away, and towered airports within easy reach for the syllabus flights that need them. Fly year-round, or escape winter and train here full-time from our academy house.
Come meet the team.
The best way to get to know us is to fly with us. Book a discovery flight and spend 90 minutes with an instructor who trained here.