Windy City Flyers Reviews

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.

Lousy customer service. Highly unethical. Checked them out but after talking to other people at the Executive , have decided to go in another direction. Very glad i did.

I did all of my private and instrument flight training with Windy City and was totally satisfied with the level of instruction I received. They have a whole slate of knowledgeable, patient instructors who all follow a comprehensive curriculum that had me well prepared for my checkrides. They also do a great job of maintaining a fleet of airplanes available for rent, so I have continued to enjoy working with Windy City after learning to fly. I highly recommend them!

Probably THE best experience I have ever had at a flight school all the way from their dispatch to their maintenance facility. The instructors are great, very knowledgeable of the regulations, the fleet is amazing. Who doesn t like having access to 172s G1000s, 182 G1000, multiple citrus aircraft available for solo rental as well as several twins. All around it s an awesome place.

Started flying about 11 years ago, probably been through 3 or 4 schools. Never have I seen a maintenance facility who cares more about the quality of the work than just getting it done, out the door, and paid. The fleet is maintained to the highest level I ve ever seen.

Customer service is top notch. They actually take the time to check in on current students and how the whole process is going with the instructor and the training material that they provide.

If you want to become a better pilot and feel safe in a rental plane when you take your family in, on a trip or whenever you re just cruising around Chicago, there s no other place to be.

Windy City's staff was extremely professional and accommodating in helping me reach my goals. In addition, the aircraft were well maintained and being enrolled in the membership helped save a lot of money. Would highly recommend for anyone; from pilots looking to rent for fun, or for those looking to pursue a professional career.

Windy City Aviation 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 to fly every time I come home to visit. Windy City Aviation 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.

Great team, good value and very knowledgeable instructors. I especially liked the administrator, Liz. She was quick to respond and has great communication skills.

Easily the worst flight school in Chicagoland!
Fees are ok but the level of training and overall competence is super low. So many better choices around. Try Fly there or Leading Edge at pwk, skill aviation at Waukegan or Blue Sky Aviation at Lake at the hills. All those will make you a much better pilot.

Really enjoyed learning to fly at WCA. All of the instructors were professional and very accommodating to my schedule. They took me from zero hours through my private license with solid ground and flight training. They did a great job keeping the planes healthy and available for lessons. Thanks WCA for helping me pursue my dream of flying!

Avoid Windy City Flyers / Aviation maintenance! I blew a nose tire on taxi and I called them as they are the only piston mechanics on field to help change out the tube on my Grumman. The gentleman I spoke to on the phone said they wouldn t be able to get to it that day but the next day. I said no rush as I had to work the next few days anyways.

Fast forward 2 weeks now with multiple phone calls. I never heard back from Windy City. I went to the airport on a beautiful day to fly and there is my Grumman sitting there and it s not fixed. I called and they said they were slammed busy the week prior. I was told on the phone you didn t pick a good time to schedule maintenance. Like I want to blow a tire?!? They said they would get to it on Tuesday if not Wednesday morning for sure.

Went to the airport Saturday. Plane is still broken. No phone calls from Windy City to explain why they haven t gotten to it after multiple promises.

Yesterday was almost 3 weeks after my initial call and luckily for some family help, I was able to get all the tools I needed to change the tube out myself. I went to a different aviation shop to buy my tube as to not support this business.

They seem to care only about their main customers which I assume is the flight schools on field. I will avoid using them if I can. I spoke with another individual at a different airport who seemed to confirm that this is the norm for this company.

Glad my aircraft is fixed to no help of that of Windy City. Once again... avoid them.

Context is important - this review is specifically for a Discovery Flight for my teenage son. I can't comment on or review their pilot training programs.

I bought a Discovery Flight for my teenage son. After a few reschedules necessitated by weather, we met Donovan Hampton on a recent Sunday afternoon. He offered my son two choices - practice work (like a lesson) near Wisconsin, or flights around the Chicago downtown area. We ended up heading towards downtown, which was great by me. Equipment was a Cessna 172 (four seats), and both my son and I were given headsets to use for the flight.

Five star review for several reasons. First, I found the dispatch group and Windy City to be responsive and communicative. They were straightforward about weather requirements, and worked with me several times to reschedule. Easy to work with from that perspective. Second, Donovan did a GREAT job talking to and working directly with my son. Too often people want to talk to the adult - I made it clear up front that my son was the "customer" for the flight, and Donovan spent the rest of the time talking directly to my son. Third, Donovan really encouraged my son to do the flying - helping my son (no previous flight experience) to do the take off, all of the actual flying and much of the landing as well. He had my son controlling the throttle, flaps, brakes (during taxi), etc. - I'm sure he was there "in the background" helping, but my son felt like he was flying the plane almost the whole time.

Overall a really great experience for a highschool junior. Wish Donovan the best, and would highly recommend him!

They are a fast food version of flight training. They are always open. Always available. Low quality of everything. Will make you feel sick. Mostly serve naive young kids that don t know any better. Should call themselves Windy City Sh..t & Fries

I moved to Chicago and had already had my PPL. The instructors for my checkout were great and the fleet is clean and modern. Friendly dispatchers and easy to book the aircraft.

A place really has to leave a bad taste in my mouth to deserve a one star review, in that sense Windy City went above and beyond. My main issue here is not set prices for their planes. They have a price list with the "average price paid" for the prior month. Their $700 member fee is a really unnecessary because the "discounted" prices end up being the same as the non-member pricing. I flew in both of their 172 G1000's. They both had little issues that were never fixed. In 38V the seat backrest was always broken and full reclined. Their solution... Give you a pillow to use a backrest. If you are charging top dollar, you should provide great service. To this day, I receive phone calls from Liz asking to come back and fly with them. I couldn't get a sit down with Liz (she was always "busy") to discuss my concerns while I was a student there. There are many flight schools in the area who provide better service for a better price. A quick google search will tell you everything you need to know. Formally known as "Windy City Flyers"

Great experience with all the instructors I worked with during my first 150+ hours of flying from PPL - IFR - Cirrus training. Nice fleet , operation, and training is thorough.

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 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!