Illinois Aviation Academy

★★★★★ 5 out of 5 a month ago

I had an amazing experience training at this flight school. The entire staff was welcoming, supportive, and genuinely invested in helping students succeed. A special thank you to my instructor, Sammy, who was incredibly patient and always believed in me. I’m grateful for everything I learned here and would highly recommend this school to anyone pursuing aviation.

Nicole McPheters

★★★★★ 5 out of 5 2 months ago

I am a current instrument student at Illinois Aviation Academy, and I have had a great experience training here. My CFII, Aleks Mika, genuinely cares about my development as a pilot and does not treat his students as just a way to build flight hours. One example of this was when he allowed me to ride along as a passenger while he trained one of his more advanced students, giving me the opportunity to observe and learn from someone further along in training. He was also willing to cancel lessons when it made sense so that I would not overfly before my stage check. That showed me he prioritizes the student’s progress, readiness, and finances. Illinois Aviation Academy as a flight school by itself stands out because it is likely the only school in the Chicago area with in-house checkride authority from Private Pilot through CFII, which makes the training process much more efficient. The possibility of being able to complete all your checkrides without ever testing with an outside DPE is immensely rare and should not be taken for granted. Overall, I highly recommend IAA, especially if you get the chance to train with Aleks.

Michal Wreczycki

★★★★★ 5 out of 5 2 months ago

I was traveling in the area during a business trip and wanted to find a flight school to time build during the weekend. Illinois Aviation Academy fulfilled my plan! I logged over 17 hours over 3 days and went as far as Mackinac Island! The skyline tour was very nice as well! Big shoutout to the CFIs I had with me - Grant, Eli, and Jacob! Really appreciate your help on these flights and helping me time build!

Nicholas Nemirsky

★★★★★ 5 out of 5 3 months ago

Illinois Aviation Academy has been an incredible place for my flight training. The staff is professional, supportive, and genuinely invested in helping students succeed. The training environment is welcoming, well-organized, and focused on building safe, confident pilots. I want to recognize my CFII, Aleks Mika, for his amazing instruction. He is patient, knowledgeable, and committed to helping his students. I highly recommend Illinois Aviation Academy to anyone looking for quality flight training

Emily Leon

★★★★★ 5 out of 5 3 months ago

As a Flight Instructor and Atlas Air Cadet at Illinois Aviation Academy, I can confidently say that my experience here shaped my aviation career in all the right ways. The school’s location alone is a massive advantage. Flying at the second busiest airport in Illinois gave me the kind of real world, high traffic experience that simply can’t be replicated at smaller fields. My logbook grew quickly, but more importantly, my confidence and decision making skills grew with it. One of the things that sets Illinois Aviation Academy apart is its commitment to flight time frequency. Students aren’t left waiting days between lessons. The part 141 school prioritizes consistent flying, which accelerates learning and keeps skills sharp. That focus on momentum is a huge reason why students progress efficiently through their training. Additionally, being part of the Atlas Cadet Program through IAA opened doors early in my career. The program helped me secure a turbine engine job with a Part 135 partner, giving me the chance to transition into advanced aircraft and operational environments sooner than the typical flight instructor to airline pipeline. On top of that, I was given the opportunity to interview with Atlas Air for a First Officer position in a wide body, international aircraft. This is an incredible advantage that I owe directly to the support and structure of the cadet program. If you’re serious about aviation and want a place that combines high quality training, real world experience, and career building opportunities, IAA delivers on all fronts.

Neil Dohe