Thread: Chicago area flight schools

I am thinking about starting training with the hopes of getting my private ticket. Anyone do flight training in Chicagoland area? If so where did you train and why did you pick that school?

Lake in the hills airport has one. Never done it, but I heard its good.

I have lost contact with an instructor that used to teach for Chicago Flight Training. They are at the Palwaukee airport. If you aren't in a rush I can ask around and see if there is a personal referral I can get.

N360LL are you talking about Palwaukee Flyers/Chicago Executive Flight school? Cause thats the worse place to go to... i worked there for a bit, it was badddd! I can write a book on it.

The flights schools are Chicago:

At Chicago Executive (aka, Palwaukee)
-Windy city flyers
-flight world

Dupage
-Illinois Aviation Academy
-American Flyers

Lake in the Hills
-Blue Skies

There are small schools in Bolingbrook (Clow airport), Romeoville (Lewis Airport), Lansing airport, and a few others but I'm not familiar with those.

Avmaviator-

Any insight on where is good. Also what was so bad about the school you were at. If you don't want it public, please pm me...thanks

Im about 1.5 months into my training, im going for my private also. Im at skill aviation in waukegan airport. I recommend them. Nice people and facility

Originally Posted by mbo285

Avmaviator-

Any insight on where is good. Also what was so bad about the school you were at. If you don't want it public, please pm me...thanks

Mbo285,

Sorry for replying so late but I have been busy at work (flying around ).
Chicago excecutive flight school, aka Palwaukee Flyers, aka AAA flight school, aka Midway flight school, the list goes on, he has TONS of names for that place and he changes it semi often. It is run by a guy named Jim Kwasek, who is one creepy, crafty, crook. By the way, I don't have a personal vendetta (well, a little bit, ) towards Jim Kwasek, more of a quest to educate the public of his bad practices (and dangerous), which I have seen with my own eyes.
His airplanes are not well maintained and I had to refuse taking those planes on many occasions because they were either unsafe or illegal (broken, missing parts, or illegal replacement parts). There has been over 6 major incidents, ie crashes where people walked away from, at his flight school. I have seen him be a major part of a crash which could have killed two people (they were so lucky to walk away from that crash). Jim has been a lucky guy in the sense that nobody has died at his place. He keeps changing the names of his schools so people don't associated with past incidents.
This is just the tip of the iceberg with him. He will promise everyting and deliver a quarter or it. He will push you to spend money in stupid ways which do not help your flying education. You might ask me wh I was a part of that? Well I had my own students and kept a very close eye on them. They only flew with me and I just use the school's building and airplanes. I'm still friends with a lot of past instructors from there and they can verify everything.

Anyways. The school in Waukegan which was mentioned above is good, I've heard good things.
Windy city flyers and Flight world at Chicago Executive are good schools.
Illinois Aviation academy at Dupage is a pretty honest school too.
American flyers loooove to spend your money and go over budget, although their instructing is not bad.

The main thing is to find an instructor you really "click" with. That way you'll be in a better environment to learn and you will take in more of the flying. Stick to a good routine schedule. And enjoy it!

Anyone have experience with API or Midway Aviators out of Midway Airport?

i took lessons at schaumburg airport. would reccomend.