They closed suddenly within the last year or so. I had paid for a discovery flight which they rescheduled 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. read more

I was interested in Sim lessons. I've been flying for 20 yrs. and wanted to transition to glass. I wrote them an e-mail on Sunday to which they responded, answering my initial questions. I called on Mon. to schedule a lesson and was told Liz would call me back. I didn't hear from Liz so I wrote an e-mail on Thurs to which they did not respond. On Friday, I tried again - - no response. I'm disappointed in the poor customer experience but incredulous at the poor business sense. I'll take my business elsewhere. You blew it. read more

This flight school is one of the finest flight school in Chicagoland and most likely in the Midwest. 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. read more

With all that is going on in our world WCA still was able to help me obtain my instrument rating while keeping me and all the other employees safe from the virus. Besides the covid protocol I was also extremely impressed with the amount of knowledge my instructor and chief pilot have obtained through their years in aviation. Every lesson and stage check I left feeling that I learned something new, and each lesson was well prepared and delivered in a way that was easy to understand. My recommendation to people that choose WCA is to come prepared to every lesson and you will get the most out of that day because there is a wealth of knowledge to be shared. Overall great experience and lookin forward to applying all I have learned in the near future. read more

Just passed my PPL checkride! Couldn't have had a better experience with Windy City! Everyone was incredibly kind, very professional and they've got a great fleet of well maintained Cessnas to boot! I had the privilege of flying with several Windy City CFI's. I would recommend them all! Additionally, I know things are a little tough with the pandemic were currently dealing with, and flight training definitely has you in close proximity to others. That said, I felt completely safe at all times! Everyone wore a mask and the airplanes were always clean and disinfected. read more

This is utterly pathetic laughable joke of an organization from top to bottom. I should have listened to all the people around the Chicago Executive Airport that told me about horrible reputation this place has but i guess i needed to learn my own lessons. And lessons did i learn. The instructors there are just a bunch of kids that are building hours so that they can join airlines. I don't really blame them, you gotta do what you gotta do. But if you consider taking lessons in that place, know that they cannot care less about you and about your goals and about your life. I was flying/training for my IFR license with the guy Mohammed Altuwairgi. Nice talking fellow from Saudi Arabia. He was my primary instructor and just when i was about to be ready for a check ride he sends me a text message saying that he is dropping me as a student because he does not want to work as many hours as an instructor. He says that his boss, chief instructor Steward Kerr is aware and will get me a new instructor. That's after 4 months of training with them and $$$ spent. Of course i never hear from anyone again. Steward Kerr is a special character all together: socially awkward with charisma and personality of a cactus he once gave me a 4 hour mock oral check ride so ridiculous i wish i have recorded it so i can play it when i need a laugh or two. Oh, by the way they used to administer FAA testing on site there and got shot down by FAA because of non-compliance. there maintenance/aviation shop in hangar 8 has such a horrible reputation that people in hangars next to them (hangar 5 and 6) are afraid to let them change oil. They literally cant even taxi a plane on a ramp without hitting a cone and bending a prop. Still considering them? Stop by their building and take the elevator up to their "corporate/management" level, the place looks like Berlin in May 1945. THAT'S WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE, THAT'S HOW THEY ACT LIKE , THAT'S WHO THEY ARE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

We just did the Discovery Flight over downtown Chicago this morning & it was amazing! Charlie, our flight instructor, was awesome...super nice & funny, personable guy & incredibly good at explaining any & all details. We had a blast & would highly recommend Charlie @ Windy City Flyers if you are looking for flight instruction! Totally awesome experience & everyone there was great :) read more

Windy City Aviation - Discover Flight with Windy City Flyers (ask for Charlie :) - Flight Instruction Near Me - Wheeling, Illinois

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I was looking for a place to sign up for a basic intro flight lesson to sign my girlfriend and I up for what would be a Christmas gift. Aside from safety and reliability, I was looking for a place that didn't treat it's flight lesson like a roller coaster ride (AKA take-off, snap photos, and land). I called 5-6 places, some from Groupon others from searching Google, but as soon as I called Windy City Flyers I know it was going to the best. Liz was great about telling me about all the options and helping me schedule. Charlie e-mailed me the morning of our flight to confirm our 2:00pm flight. Around 1:00pm he e-mailed me again letting me know that our plane was arriving a few minutes late and that we would start around 2:00pm. Since we were coming from the city we had already left, but our early arrival was welcomed with an extended briefing. Charlie went over all the options and encouraged us to discuss what we wanted to do. In our 2 hour flight on the Cessna 172S we flew over my parent's home in Highland Park, my apartment in the city, my girlfriends home in Munster, IN. We landed and took off at Gary Airport, then did a few touch-n-go's in Wheeling. Charlie was more of a coach than an instructor. He was quickly able to assess our flying aptitude and pushed us accordingly. I can keep going on forever, but honestly it was an awesome experience. I love adrenaline sports, and my girlfriend is on the more cautious side. Never have I seen someone who was able to keep both types of people entertained and comfortable at the same time. read more

The discovery flight lesson was one of the best experiences I've had! We did a night lesson over downtown Chicago & it was simply amazing. I highly recommend you have Charlie as your instructor. Charlie is great at what he does & really puts you at ease with any concerns you have, & is very accommodating. Overall, we had an amazing experience with a great instructor! read more

Windy City Aviation - Flight Lesson over downtown Chicago - Flight Instruction Near Me - Wheeling, Illinois

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We waited for a hour for them to say our instructor was rescheduled and the plane was in reapers and they made us pay in advance F them

I'll update this review when I actually fly a plane, but from my experience so far, which has been via e-mail and phone, the folks here are very friendly and answer all your questions. They have even offered to let me and my fiance take our engagement photos with the planes months before we can take a lesson. I love good customer service! They made everything so easy for me and I know absolutely nothing about planes or lessons. I recommend them for their service. (Especially Liz, she's fantastic!) Can't wait to update this review! read more

This is not a one size fits all kind of school. They really go out of their way to create a program that fits with your strengths. I highly recommend the team there. They really care. read more

I've been a customer at Windy City Flyers for quite some time now earning several ratings including Private Pilot Single and Multi Engine, Instrument, High Performance, Complex, High Altitude as well as advanced Cirrus transition training, whilst they were the first company I've ever flown with during my time as a customer I frequently looked around at others flight schools at clubs to see if there were any better options. Yet over the past 3 years of being a frequent customer it was been near impossible to find a company that came even close to the high standard of Windy City Flyers. There are many important elements that a potential customer considers when "shopping" for a flight school and/or flying club such as quality of instruction, aircraft availability, success rate, quality of aircraft and most importantly how much money will be handed over at the end of the day. Windy City provided me with 24 access to their aircraft, with no overnight fees as well as a stellar fuel compensation programme. They have everything from Diamonds, Cessnas to a few posh new Cirruses...Cirri? You get the picture! Most of their C172 are G1000 equipped whilst having a standard gauge 172 on the line therefore you are prepared no matter what you step into in the future. On the topic of instruction, I have worked with several Windy City CFI's, and I have yet to find one that disappointed me. To be honest they probably have the highest pass rate in Illinois on every rating - don't quote me but I don't think I've ever met anyone who has failed. Now to be completely honest, Windy City trains their pilots and students above and beyond the average training. They train super pilots. While this may cost that bit extra - you will be prepared for everything and be confident every time you taxi onto the runway. Think about it this way, when you're flying some black magic sorcery flying contraption you want to be sure you know what you're doing. It's a flying club and flight school that you will want to keep coming back to even on the days your not flying. You'll make friends and discover new places to fly to, see things that most of the world will never see and have an experience of a life time. read more

Liz was great in arranging my written exams. While I did not train there, they have always been helpful, professional and cordial.

I bought a discovery flight as a birthday gift for my boyfriend, and it completely exceeded all of our expectations due to our instructor Dan! He was the best, very knowledgeable and excited to share the experience with us. Would highly recommend requesting him! We were able to see several Chicago landmarks including two loops around downtown, Wrigley, the Baha'i temple, northwestern, etc. Thank you for an incredible experience! read more

Date: Jan 2013 Pilot: Charlie Hilbrant Sometime during the desperate search for an appropriate birthday gift for my wife, the stars aligned, the wind changed, and I hit upon the uncharacteristically brilliant idea of getting an air-tour of Chicago for my wife. She isn't really after material gifts, but really enjoys new experiences, and architecture, so I thought that this would be good. Little did I know that it would turn out to be perfect. I didn't tell my wife anything about this - she assumed that we were going grocery shopping and was surprised when we reached the airport in Wheeling. Surprise would be an understatement. Our pilot was the absolute best. He was calm and professional and very thorough in explaining the whole process - this clearly is his calling and he enjoys flying enormously - which means you are getting the most out of it all. Once we were in the air, he let my wife (who was in the pilot's seat - imagine that - the pilot's seat!) take control of the flight so that she could maneuver it around. She loved it! All I can say that if you are looking for the BEST gift for your significant other for any occasion, or your friend, and they are the kind who love to try new things - this is beyond perfect. I have never seen her so excited and so happy about a gift. If I could give this six stars, I would. Edit: minor detail changed on same day of posting. read more

As excited as I was for this experience, I have to say that it was really underwhelming unless you're willing to spend a ton of extra money. I spent over $150 to just sit on the ground waiting to take off. That being said, the people were really friendly. But I really think that there is something they could have offered to do to make up for the lost time flying. I was supposed to be able to fly for 30-40 minutes with what I paid, but my instructor informed me that I would just be able to take off and then immediately come back and land unless I wanted to pay extra to actually get about 5 minutes flying up in the air. I do agree with the other people in that they are really friendly. But I just don't think it's worth the cost for the experience. There are other places that will be just as friendly and accommodating but without all the bs in not actually letting me get in my time flying. read more

I bought the discovery flight for my husband's birthday. We flew from the airport, over the city, then around the lakefront and skyline. I checked several different companies, and what set this one apart for me was how seriously they took the "first flight" portion of it (it really is like a very basic flight lesson). It was similarly priced to other tours, but unlike other companies you could possibly take up to two passengers besides the person taking the lesson, and it was an hour long. Our pilot, John, was really great. He was able to both give an excellent tour and give the lesson. He answered all our questions, gave a lot of information, and was a very competent pilot. We had some pop up thunderstorms on the day of our flight, but they were able to work with us and still give a superb, and safe, flight experience. My husband loved it, and he got to spend the majority of the time flying. I'd highly recommend this to anyone interested in flying and seeing the amazing views of the city. A once in a lifetime experience. read more

I did my Private Pilot training in 2015-2016 here and I still look back on my experience with a positive light. There seemed to be a great culture with both staff and students, and was very comfortable around the office and the hangar. Liz was extremely professional and honest in guiding me into my aviation career. Definitely the premier flight school in the Chicagoland area. Whether you are looking for a discovery flight or flight training, this is certainly the place to go. The airport is an excellent level of sophistication to get your flight training out of-busy enough to learn flying near different types of flight operations, but not too busy where there are consistent departure/arrival delays. Thank you Windy City for all the great times! Would definitely recommend this facility for anyone in the area. It's hard to find this level of quality and diligence in the Midwest. I've flown and instructed in many areas across the country and the standards are very high here. And that sets you up for success for the rest of your career! read more

Best experience ever and worth every penny. We coordinated fly byes over the houses of friends and family while being exposed to the greatest view of the city I've ever seen. Fly with Charlie! read more

MY best friend gave me a certificate for our first flight clas with Windy City Flyers and it was amazing. Jason Gatz was our instructor and while has a uber baby face don't let that fool you-- he is great! he knows everything about planes- is very patient and we left feeling like we leanred alot. We are most defintely going back and may try and earn enough flight hours to get out private pilot's licenses. This is one of THE best experiences you can every have-- you see beautiful scenery while actually flying a plane-- I mean what else could be better? highly highly recommend this place. read more

Windy City Flyers is hands down the best flight school in the Chicagoland Area. Every single one of the flight instructors is passionate about their career and super patient when teaching their students. When I did my private pilot training at Windy City, my instructor would go out of his way to ensure I understood every topic even if he had to repeat it to me over and over again until I could fully grasp it. As I was leaving for college at the end of the summer, I only had a few months to get my license and Liz, the director of client services, sat down and worked with me to figure out a plan so I could finish my training as quickly as possible. Before every lesson, I was greeted by a friendly dispatcher behind the front desk who would brief me with all of the necessary information for my flight. While I am currently pursuing the rest of my ratings through my university, I continue to come back to Windy City Flyers to fly every time I come home to visit. Windy City Flyers helped me make my lifelong dream of becoming a pilot come true, and I cannot be more grateful for all they have done for me. read more

Instructors who only want to build hours and the company wants to rip you off with hidden fees. Especially gas surcharges and BS "mandatory" check rides. Also you join the "flight club" and you can never take the airplane you've trained in anywhere for a trip. Guess what, you'll need to check out a more expensive plane and need a performance endorsement and G1000 training. This place is a joke. I left for another school and it was the best decision I've ever made. There are people at Windy City who haven't even soloed after 60 hours because the incompetent instructors want to jump around the syllabus! SAVE YOUR MONEY AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDY CITY FLYERS! read more

This review is based on my experience, as my situation was different from other students who are looking to start new training. I am ppl holder from different country so i wanted to convert my ppl licence to FAA, mind you i have more than minimum required hours to take checkride but according to windycity aviation instructor i had to redo all procedures required by their syllabus in order for instructor to OK me to take checkride. What's disappointing is that instead of doing mock checkride and see where i am deficient ( if any) was not acceptable by this flying school, instead i had to redo all procedures which is totally stupid and in aviation world its called ( milking money from students) and on top of that instructor that i was working on wanted to do all ground school syllabus with me, and when i told him i have already got ppl so why do i need all ground school training his answer " it is requirement for FAA" mind you i already spoke to FAA and i met all requirements to take checkride. I went to different flying school and now ready for my checkride and already completed faa knowledge test without ground school which windy city required. read more