I took my son here for an introduction flight lesson one Saturday. The flight instructor was very…read moreinformative and attentive to my son's needs. He was helpful and pointed out the landmarks as we flew over them. Needless to say, my son now is a full time flight student at Lumanair and is well on his way to becoming a certified pilot! Not only are the instructors wonderful but the prices are unbeatable here! After "shopping" around for some time Lumanair turned out to be by far the beat price in the Chicagoland area!! Highly recommend.

If you are planning to learn how to fly or even wanting to taking flying lesson here think again…read more Instructor, Shina, I had was very unprofessional. She doesn't know what she is doing and doesn't know what she was talking about half of the time. She has an huge ego to the point she think she is always right. I had a real life system issue with the Seminole in the middle of a flight lesson with her. She would panic and not know what to do. I had to help her understand and troubleshoot the issue. Sometimes I would wonder whether she is the student or the instructor. Sad to say but your going to have a very inexperience instructor when comes to instructing students. Wouldn't trust my hands on her when it come to teaching. She is very unprofessional when it comes to teaching student and treating students. Doesn't get back to you when you have a question or does she pick up her phone. Why even bother to own a phone or even instructor students if you are not going to pick up. Not only that the Seminole constantly breaks and she would always say oh its fine it the way it is. Told them to fix it many times but tells me its normal, until one day it completely breaks then they go and fix the problem that I have told them previously. Its a scam if you are looking to find a place to learn to fly.Not happy with the service that was provided.

The owners was very nice the first day before I signed up. After I signed up, it was like his…read moreattitude was on a light switch. He was incredibly rude and had no time to talk to me. I showed up on time for my first appointment and sat there for a half hour without interaction. When I got up and asked nicely what was taking so long, the lady behind the desk had a huge attitude problem. She was high up in the employee chain as well. The instructor they set me up with was 22 and just graduated from Lewis. I asked him how to move the rudders closer and he had to look it up on his iPhone. After my first lesson I was worried to go back. So I switched to api and was so grateful to find an experienced instructor. Jw aviation is going down hill. Do your self a favor and avoid them. Don't ruin your experience!

I would like to post to let everyone know about the Shady Business Practices of this JW AVIATION…read moreflight school. I have been researching flight schools in the Chicago land area for my CFI license. This is the only school that charges you for the full scheduled 2 hours of dual instructor time. The other 8 schools charges actual Hobbs time or add up to a minimal .3 , so if you fly for 1 hour, you are still paying for 2 hours instructor dual time. Over time this adds up. 50 hours of logged time will cost you an extra 25 hours of dual time at $60 per hour, that equals $1500 of time you paid for no dual instruction. Most of the students are college age with minimal income.. THIS IS SHADY and stealing out of their or their parents pockets...

My son received his Private Pilot License from Illinois Aviation Academy in only 2 months in 2019…read more The school worked so hard to make sure he accomplished this goal while providing awesome support, knowledge and care. About 2 years after achieving his private pilot license my son was training at a Part 141 flight school in Long Island, New York and unfortunately we found out they were not training him properly for his instrument rating. This was very stressful because my son only had to complete his end of course to finish with this school. We had to make a decision to leave the New York school because they were not getting the job done. After some praying and thinking we decided to go back where my son started so we called the owner Robert at Illinois Aviation and explained the New York situation and asked if they could help my son complete his instrument rating end of course. They immediately came up with a plan to get my son completed in two weeks under Part 141. I knew this was going to be a little challenge because my son could only transfer a certain amount of his credits to Illinois Aviation, however the owner, the chief pilot and instructors were ready to get the job done. They started training my son from the moment he arrived off his plane from New York in June 2021. They had an awesome plan that worked so well my son was able to get his Instrument Rating in 9 days!! My son came back home with so much more confidence in himself because of their training and support and I can't thank them enough!! What is priceless to me besides the training is the support, the people and the care they provide because good support is definitely needed during training. Thank you Illinois Aviation for all that you do! I only wish you could duplicate your school around the country. If you are considering a flight school even if you are not living in Illinois it is so worth having your training completed there. Wish you all the best with your training!!

I was looking for that perfect birthday gift for a friend. You know the one, where everyone…read morewonders, "Why didn't I think of that?". So after considering all the options for this special guy (everything from sports memorabilia to electronics) I finally decided on a gift that would put his head in the clouds. That's right! Airplane rental! Now, of course, it helped that he is a licensed pilot so that part was taken care of. But I had to find an airport and someplace that would rent him a plane- and the kind of plane that he knows how to fly. Enter Illinois Aviation Academy. They are located out at the Du Page airport and rent about 6 different types of airplanes, from Arrow to Cesna, Piper to Diamond. Since an Arrow was what I was looking for, my search was over. And the even better news is that they have licensed instructors that will do the pre-flight approval. Prices are in line with other places with the Arrow going for $165 an hour (wet) with the pre flight coming in at around $65. It was also nice to see it was a new plane (2004). This is a well run place with the school located at one end of the hanger, and for the more experienced pilots, the lounge and preflight room are like being in a nice club somewhere. And the lucky part? My friend wanted to take me with him when he went flying and so we were off for a picnic lunch in another state soaring over the lakes and trees. And all I could do was marvel that you can rent a plane almost as simply as you can rent a car. Talk about a perfect day! Not for everyone- but if you are looking to rent a plane- give Illinois Aviation Academy a call. And your head can be in the clouds too!

Had a fun, exciting private flight around Chicago for my fiancé's birthday. Mo was super friendly…read moreand accommodating and we felt very safe. Thanks Mo!

We (two passengers) went in a 6-seater plane ride over scenic downtown Chicago! We had a great…read moreexperience and felt very safe throughout the ride! Pilot was experienced and provided great information throughout. We would highly recommend, even for those who may be a little nervous/apprehensive beforehand.

Great flying school. I got my sport pilot license in 6 months. Call Larry at (630) 390-5024read more

WAir offers flight instruction in both G-1000 glass cockpit and more traditional C172 aircraft,…read moreboth of which are of recent vintage. It has a brand new Redbird full-motion simulator for instrument training. It has a full hangar right outside its offices, for maintancen and for not freezing your butt off in the winter months during pre-flight. And it has first-rate flight instruction and maintenance staffs, couches, offices for debriefings, and an app for scheduling. This is the place to train and maintain!!

So glad we found WAir. Our instructor Dave was very professional. My son had a great time and…read morelearned a lot. Thank you again WAir!

At 4pm, Friday, October 17, 2025 on the 103rd birthday of my grandfather Morris Swartz, flight…read moreinstructor Katy of K2 Aviation, LLC and I took off in the Cessna 150, N101FA from Campbell Airport in Grayslake, Illinois. A truly sentimental place as the airport is located right behind my grandparents' home. I am forever grateful to Katy and her husband Kurt for this most special of my lifetime events. There is no better flight instructor than Katy Crihfield. We thank Katy for her service as a Naval pilot. In addition to flight instruction, she is also a master teacher of physics. It was so great to also meet Katy's two dogs, Olivia and Fiona, as we are all animal lovers too! This marks the beginning of learning with K2 Aviation, LLC and to many more safe and wonderful flights! A special video presentation will be aired in the coming days. I hope you will all enjoy the flight! Thank you Katy and Kurt! ~ Kyle O'Malley

From the owner: K2 Aviation was founded in 2024 with the aim of providing quality flight instruction in small…read moresingle-engine aircraft. Students who learn stick-and-rudder flying in the smallest, simplest airplanes with just steam gauges can later advance to fly any aircraft in the world. We believe in starting with fundamental airmanship skills before working up to a glass cockpit, multi-engine, or jets should that be your goal.

Did my private here and I have never felt more of a sense of belonging. Instructors are great,…read moreaircraft are very well maintained, and I feel cared about personally here. My testing center experience was very smooth as well. I spent a semester continuing my flight training at an accredited big name university just to find out that Blue Skies is simply the best training I would find. This place has been such a positive experience in my life that I even felt a great sense of homesickness towards Blue Skies while I was flying at another school. When AOPA names Blue Skies as best in the nation, as well as Mike B as the best instructor in the nation, they are completely right. It will be an honor doing the rest of my ratings here.

I enjoyed my experience at Chicago O'Hare! There were many food options, everything was well kept,…read moreand they even had a cool light tunnel. Overall a really good experience!

This flight school is one of the finest flight school in Chicagoland and most likely in the…read moreMidwest. My background was establishing and selling to Fixed based Operators the Cessna Pilot Center program. So I spent a LONG time visiting flighr schools in the Midwest. Carolinas. Tenn , Kentucky Virginia,Ohio Michigan The Professional standards intimidate some. I get that. But if your looking to fly the best of the best. Fly here It is more money but I think my life and passengers are worth it Up to you.

They closed suddenly within the last year or so. I had paid for a discovery flight which they…read morerescheduled several times due to bad weather, and when I called back to reschedule once again, no one answered. I learned Dean Ellis shut down operations abruptly and I can't get a refund.Apparently Dean also owes his former employees money but he disappeared. I tried contacting multiple people to get a refund but they were unable to help. What a shitty thing to do.