In July my bf, son and I went to the Eyes to the Skies fest. In passing the SimplyFly booth, they…read morewere offering 30min lessons for $75. Groupon had them for a different company for twice that much. And I was looking to surprise my bf, because in conversation he'd mentioned that's something he wanted to check off his bucket list and do. So, I purchased the deal for $75. Can I say that the staff at the fest was so friendly and nice, took the time to answer any questions we had. Fast Forward to this past Friday (my bf's scheduled pilot lesson) We were late by a few minutes but had called along the way and they were ok with it. Once, we arrived, everyone was just awesome, very nice, and polite and most of all excited. After a few mins, my bf met his instructor and we walked outside to where the planes were. The instructor gave us a quick tour of the plane and information on it, all very interesting. Shortly thereafter, they got ready to take off. Once they landed, the instructor allowed myself and my son to sit in the plane and check out the interior...my bf loved the experience and wants to take more lessons to eventually get his license. I want to now take my 1st lesson with them so I will be booking it soon. I can't rave about this place enough....AMAZING EXPERIENCE, and an AMAZING STAFF!! Can I give this place 20 stars, please?!

Dave is one of the best instructor in the country. He has such a calmness to his tone of voice and…read moreinstructions during the training. Without Dave, we wouldn't have gotten our licenses. We purchased LSA before the training and he didn't even hesitate to instruct us in a different aircraft. If anyone is planning to get their license near Chicago area, this place is a must. Also, if you just want to see / feel how flight instruction is like, then take their introductory flight and/or flight tour of down town Chicago! I would highly suggest to take their introductory flight during the holiday season! Simply fly is simply awesome!

If you've never flown on a small aircraft before, do not hesitate to try Eagle Aircraft. I bought…read morea groupon for me and my husband for a Chicago skyline tour for 1 hour as an anniversary gift. It was definitely an experience that we'll never forget. My husband had flown on small planes before so he wasn't as nervous as I was at first. The flight was smooth and our pilot was professional and friendly. We chose a gorgeous day to fly, too! (Not a cloud in the sky). I highly recommend Eagle Aircraft. In addtion to the skyline tour, they offer a sunset tour with dinner, and other interesting packages. Check em out! Eagle Aircraft also offers flight training for those who are interested in becoming a certified pilot.

My favorite place to be any time of the year. I have completed my private pilot, instrument and…read morefinishing commercial here currently. Everyone is like family and it has become my second home. Best service, great aircraft and best atmosphere. Highly suggest coming here for your pilot needs.

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!

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.

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...

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.

You are looking into obtaining your PPL and have arrived at KPWK looking for a good school. You…read morenotice there are a few located at the airport and are wondering which is the best one. Well my friends, look no more. Boraam Aviation is VERY competitively priced and the quality of instruction here is top notch. I completed a few hours at another school and decided to switch over after my first lesson with Chief CFI Marlon Gualberto. There is no (unneeded) 'shop' or frills to tug at your wallet and if you have the discipline to study you will find BA your best bet at KPWK. From the pre-flight inspection to the actual lesson, this felt like training. Flexible scheduling (I had to reschedule at the very last min once and it was no big deal) and friendly staff keep me recommending it.

Well maintained fleet of airplanes ! Marlon is a great teacher ! Easy to schedule and easy to work…read morewith !

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!

I did my initial training with API back in 2007 and have worked with them on my instrument rating…read moreas well. The head of the flight school, Bill has been working in the aviation business, teaching people to fly for the past 30 years (maybe more, I would have to ask him). They have developed their lesson plans over this time period and he has a very specific way he has instructors teach you how to fly. This way you not only get a method that works (at least for me it did) but you get consistency across students and instructors. The great thing is Bill really looks after his students and tries to make their flights productive. I love the fact that when I show up for a winter flight around 8am, I usually find they were out at the airplanes with a propane heater in the cold heating up the engine for me so I could spend more time flying and less time getting ready. Before I had a car, I would take the orange line to midway and bill or an instructor would pick me up from the train station for my flights and take me back when I was done. The office feels very comfortable and I have spent hours there just talking (hanger flying) with Bill, his instructors, and anyone who walks in the door. Anyone who has questions about my experience with aviation professionals is free to PM me but I would recommend giving them a call and they will answer any questions you have.

Bill was extremely friendly and helpful from the first time that I scheduled the FAA 107 exam until…read moreI walked out today with a passing grade. He seems to really care about people who are taking the exam and he wants everyone to do well. He walked me step by step on what the next steps were and adequately answered all of my questions. A huge bonus is that he's open 7 days a week which is very accommodating to business professionals. I appreciate his efforts and would recommend him to anyone considering doing business with API.

Loved it! Absolutely amazing from the start. We had a very friendly young pilot. It was a birthday…read moregift and surprise for my gf and she enjoyed the experience as well. I have never been that close to Chicago at that height before I've seen Chicago a couple of times taking commercial flights but WOW. That was magnificent. Will never forget with the videos I got.

Took a ride with Adam, and he was such a delight! Today was a perfect day to take a tour because it…read morewas a decent temperature. We got pretty close to the skyline and got some super cool pictures too. The procedure to get in and prepare for going up was super easy and fast. Overall, I would definitely recommend this experience.