Sport Pilot Certificate
The fastest and most affordable way to become a pilot. Fly a light sport aircraft with a passenger in daytime VFR conditions, with no medical certificate required.
Why earn a Sport Pilot certificate
The FAA introduced the Sport Pilot certificate in 2004 to open aviation to more people. Compared with the Private Pilot certificate, it has lower training minimums yet carries enough privileges for most people who fly for fun: you can fly a light sport aircraft with one passenger, during the day, in VFR conditions. No medical certificate is required, just a valid driver's license.
Sebring Flight Academy specializes in sport pilot training. Every aircraft in our training fleet is a Bristell NG5 light sport aircraft with Garmin G3X Touch avionics, so you learn on modern equipment from your first lesson, and you can keep flying the same aircraft type after your checkride.
- No FAA medical certificate required
- Lower minimums than Private Pilot: about 50 hours for most students
- Fly with a passenger in daytime VFR conditions
- Pathway to a Sport Pilot Instructor certificate at 150 hours
What you will learn
Our 27-lesson syllabus takes you from zero to checkride in three phases. It covers flight training, ground instruction and solo flights, and it flexes to fit each student's needs. When you're ready, you'll pass an FAA written exam, then a checkride with an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner consisting of an oral exam and a practical flight test.
Eligibility
- At least 17 years of age
- Valid driver's license
- 20 hours of logged flight time (FAA minimum)
- Read, speak and understand English
Estimated time / cost
Our estimate for a typical student. Individual progress varies.
Basic aircraft operation
Aircraft controls and systems, procedures, takeoffs and landings, and the Landing Doctor's Ground Proximity Awareness technique. Phase 1 ends with your first solo.
Navigation and flight planning
Pilotage, dead reckoning, using the G3X Touch for navigation, weather and go/no-go decision-making. Phase 2 ends with your solo cross-country flights.
Checkride preparation
Maneuvers flown to standards, oral exam preparation and a mock checkride so you walk into the practical test confident.
Sport pilot training at Sebring Flight Academy
Modern light sport aircraft
Every trainer is a new Bristell NG5 with Garmin G3X Touch avionics, a coupled autopilot and Electronic Stability Protection.
Landing Doctor certified instruction
Every instructor is trained in-house under founder Lou Mancuso's Landing Doctor Code and Ground Proximity Awareness technique.
Year-round Florida flying
Train from an uncongested, non-towered field with practice areas minutes away and towered airports nearby for the syllabus flights that require them.
Published estimates and financing
About $10,000 for a typical student, with financing available through Stratus Financial and student housing from $500 a month.
Common questions
Start with a discovery flight.
Meet your instructor, tour the school and fly a Bristell yourself. Your discovery flight is the first lesson of the Sport Pilot syllabus.