Love the instructors. Prices are a little above market average. Availability of aircraft frequently becomes unavailable due to maintenance, weather, lack of and can get frustrating. Some ground lessons seem unnecessary. Update: I completed my Private Pilot License at TBA for approximately $40,000. Significantly higher than initial expectations. The school increased rates during training, including instructor fees (without corresponding instructor pay increases). During my commercial training using 50% GI Bill benefits, training was halted several months later due to billing disputes. TBA interpreted GI Bill reimbursement as 50% of every invoice up to eligibility limits, while their website policies suggested reimbursement "up to 50%" of total costs. This discrepancy created confusion over payment responsibilities. When I attempted to resolve the overdue balance in good faith, TBA threatened legal action. After I provided documentation showing billing errors, their legal team and leadership agreed to my original settlement offer, though this exceeded what I felt was warranted. Two years later, TBA refused to provide my Biennial Flight Review. I've since found more affordable alternatives for continuing aviation training. Bottom line: Expect higher costs than quoted and carefully review all billing policies before committing. read more

They are not very organized, I heard over and over that they have a lot of students I should expect airplanes to be in maintenance often. When I inquired about their maintenance record they would not share. read more

As a high time ATP/CFI I did my helicopter add on here (pt141), VERY happy with the result, instructors, DPE, aircraft were great, however manager was a little disorganized so you have to be on top of scheduling and the like a little bit, nothing too bad. I would and have recommended them my colleagues who want their rotor add on. read more

If you're looking for a totally unique gift or looking to learn to fly...this is a great choice! You can do introductory flights starting at $100, and do planes or helicopters. Plus your lesson works towards required flying hours if you want to get your license. Additionally they have a flight school if you really want to take it to the next level. The staff is very friendly and accommodating. Our initial plans got rained out, but they were able to get us in the next weekend with no issues. The instructors are well versed and knowledgeable and create a great atmosphere to fly the open skies with ease! Highly recommend! read more

Not even 1 star for facility on Hercules in Clearwater...Worst experience ever (management, guidance, direction for new pilots non-existent) I stopped almost a year ago...not a word from anyone...need to post on social media!!...go somewhere else other than training on Hercules on Clearwater.  Jerry Coles read more

Bucket list - checked! This was one of the coolest experiences. My friend found a deal on Groupon for 3 person helicopter tour for $150. I wish it was longer than 12 mins, nevertheless it was so much fun. This office is located in Clearwater near the airport. There were plenty of parking available. While pulling up to this Aviation office, you can see so many jets lined up, quite a scene to see. Our pilot Grant was amazing. He was very sweet and courteous answering our never-ending questions. We cruised over Clearwater beach, quite a stunning view of our blue waters. Overall, amazing experience. PS bring $ to tip your pilots! read more

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Yes, Yes, Yes!! Besides jumping out a plane, getting to fly one is probably one of the coolest things I've done. I received a present to do an introductory class at Tampa Bay Aviation in Clearwater and I did on my actual birthday. The place was easy to find and check in was very quick. The guys at this facility were very nice and professional. The whole experience starts out with checking in and signing some paperwork. Then you are whisked away to the area where the planes are parked and your "co-pilot" will go over the pre-flight checklist and also educate you on the cessna plane that you will be flying. During the little educational tour of the plane, the pilot was showing me where the gas is kept and how they test it before any flight. There was a little issue because when they did, it started leaking and wouldn't stop. So we had some downtime while they looked for another plane. Finally we were off, there are two yolks (plane steering wheel), for you and the pilot to take over just in case. Obviously, the pilot needed to do the take off and landing but I was then asked to take over once we were airborn and cruising. We flew above clearwater beach and it was the most breathtaking view, although I didn't get to enjoy the view very much once my hands were on the yolk and concentrating too much on flying, I was able to enjoy it after the pilot took over. I cannot recommend this enough to anyone who've ever wondered what it feels like to fly! You won't be disappointed, I promise! read more

Tampa Bay Aviation - Flight Instruction Near Me - Clearwater, Florida

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I got spin endorsement from Tony 10/10 would recommend not only does he teach it but he definitely makes sure you understand the principles behind the actual spin read more

Tampa Bay Aviation - Flight Instruction Near Me - Clearwater, Florida

AMAZING!! Bart was a true professional and skilled helicopter flight instructor. His confidence and mastery makes you feel safe cruising above beautiful Clearwater as well as taking the controls hundreds of feet in the air if you dare! Kind and welcoming staff and great location make this a must for anyone who enjoys a little excitement. Tampa Bay Aviation is fantastic! read more

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We made a Discovery Flight reservation for my husband's 52nd birthday. It was a big surprise for him. We were treated with terrific courtesy and patience. The instructor was very informative and the young woman at the desk was very personable, friendly, polite and efficient. We highly recommend you give them a shot. What a wonderful memory we created. We look forward to many more in the near future! read more

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I got my boyfriend an intro flight lesson for his birthday, and he had such a great time! I went along on the flight as well and had a blast. The instructor Ben was really cool and explained things really well. Honestly we couldn't have had a better experience! read more

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Horrible staff(specially the manager flint), bad record of graduating pilots(when i asked, i was told only 1 pilot graduated in the past 2 years even though they have multiple instructors. read more

I purchased the intro flight as a gift for my boyfriend and we had such a great time! I went along for the ride for $25 extra and it was awesome! Lindsey took us up and she was so knowledgeable and friendly, it was a great experience. We went at 8:30 and the weather was perfect. I would recommend this to anyone and I can't wait to do it again! read more

My daughter and grandson did the Belair experience and were totally happy with everything. We would recommend

March 15, 2014-I attended an air show at the Clearwater Air Park off Hercules Avenue in Clearwater. It was a sunny and very warm Saturday and I had seen a promo on WTSP so I headed over before noon. It's great to see so many families and children. Owners of local single planes were giving tours and rides. The US Coast Guard gave tours of their Orange & white helicopter and the medical helicopter "Bayflight," was there as well. I have always wanted to ride in a helicopter so when I visited Tampa Bay Aviation and realized a single flight was quite affordable ($39) I jumped at the chance. There was a short wait and my anticipation built until I entered the copter with blades spinning. An 8 year old boy sat in the front next to the pilot and I comfortably in the rear next to the boy's father. I've flown a lot domestically on wide bodied jets but never in a copter so I didn't know what to expect. The pilot provided us with noise eliminating headphones so we could talk to each other. We couldn't hear any engine noise. As we lifted off until we returned 10-15 minutes later the ride was smooth as silk. We were cruising at 1,000 feet as we headed toward Clearwater Beach, then we flew south over Sand Key and headed back. From this outstanding viewpoint we saw the aqua colored Gulf, the white sandy beaches, the intracoastal waterway, downtown Clearwater, the marinas, Island Estates north to Dunedin-we saw it all! It was definitely worth the price of admission. What a value. I highly recommend Tampa Bay Aviation. According to their brochure I understand they have tours of Tampa Bay, the Sunshine Skyway, historic St. Petersburg and you can even create your own tour! This was on my bucket list and although completed I look forward to flying again. read more

My husband and I recently decided we both had an interest in obtaining our pilots license as a side hobby to our daily, crazy lives. We called around a few spots in Tampa Bay and landed at the Tampa Bay Aviation. We spoke to an operator midday Saturday who prompted us to do an intro flight the following week with Casey Kalita. We showed up not knowing A SINGLE THING as far as Airplanes, mechanics, ground school education- NOTHING. Casey was very welcoming and extremely educated on all parts of our pre & post flight. She was able to breakdown "aviation lingo" into terms that made sense to us. We each had a turn to take controls mid flight as she gave us tasks similar to ones taught during a private license lesson. She showed us a stall mid-flight and demonstrated "turning on a point" over Honeymoon island. Our flight was about an hour each and even went towards our private license flight time. Overall it was a great experience! read more

Took my toddlers on their first helicopter tour! Bart was very patient and friendly with them. Definitely made the trip enjoyable. He was very knowledgeable and friendly ! Recommend him and Tampa bay aviation ! read more

I had a very unprofessional experience with my instructor Allison at Tampa Bay Aviation. She sat on her phone most lessons, showed up late daily, made unsafe decisions, and was very difficult to work with. With one final absolutely inappropriate instance, I dropped her as my instructor. Though I received an email saying that they could provide me with a different instructor, no phone calls were made for inquiries or apologies, and no repercussions were placed upon the instructor. For that, I'll take my business and thousands of dollars in flight training elsewhere. read more

Our Sunday afternoon tour with Josh was awesome! Josh was very professional and knowledgeable. Living in the area it was cool to see things from a different view. It was my first helicopter ride and it definitely was a great first experience. I would highly recommend if you're in the area and looking for some good views of the beautiful beaches! read more

Had a Groupon for a 45 minute instructional flight. Went up with Mike, who was very professional, understanding and affable. I know the Groupon deal is generally an appetizer for full flight school, but at no point did he give me the hard sell. Just an all-around fun experience. read more

I absolutely CANNOT say enough good things about this operation! Just got my CFI from them, and had fun doing it (which I'm told is not a common phenomenon). It took minimal time, and the cost was about what you'd expect to pay at American Flyers, or ATP for CFI. However, the quality of training you will receive here will far exceed the standard of the "pilot mills". Larry was my primary instructor but I also flew with Josh, Durant and Mike, all of whom were very knowledgeable and professional (in addition being "down to earth", and cool). Look no further than these guys for all of your flight training needs! They're awesome!!! read more

In town to visit grandma and decided to go for a local flight with Tampa Bay Aviation through OpenAirplane. What a great experience! Lauren at the front desk promptly responded to my emails and warmly greeted me the morning of the rental. The clouds cut my flight a bit short, but otherwise it was a fabulous experience. Definitely will come back the next time I'm in town! read more

I chartered a helicopter for the purpose of proposing to my girlfriend and was blown away (pun acknowledged) by the service quality and overall experience. Zack personally handled much of the coordination and correspondence regarding my admittedly ambitious (read: over-planned) proposal involving strategic stops at specific GPS coordinates to correlate with a series of mementos given to her which were related to the stops. The experience was not only very cool/unique, but Zack made arrangements to have the whole event take place at sunset & gave up some of his Sunday evening to do so. I am deeply appreciative of the effort and time everyone at the company took to cater to our special evening. I can't recommend this company enough if you are looking for a personalized/fun view of the bay area that you just can't get any other way! We're already talking about taking another tour soon because of how cool the experience was. Thank you T.B.A. -Wesley read more

I rent a plane a couple times a year for a flight up the coast with my son. It's always been a great experience thanks to the friendly staff at Tampa Bay Aviation. Thanks much, the Berger family. read more

I am a pilot from Ohio that visits the Clearwater area annually. This year I researched the possibility of renting a local airplane for some sightseeing flights and found Tampa Bay Aviation. My experience could not have been any better. Their staff is very friendly. The instructor I flew with, Jose, was professional, patient and very helpful at explaining the local procedures. They have a large fleet of aircraft and their rental rates are reasonable. I felt at home from the moment I walked through their door. read more