Illinois Aviation Academy

Disclosure: I used to work here but I was an instruction customer first.
I had a couple of false starts getting my airplane ratings with multiple other places. These guys, namely owner Bob Werderich, actually knew what they were talking about. They have a good program here and in training, I went thru to my Private pilot to Instrument, Commercial and all instructor ratings (CFI, CFII, MEI).
They are one of the few schools in the local area with a twin engine trainer/​rental aircraft — it’s old and well used but beware as it has some pretty serious power.
Since leaving them and becoming a regular renter, I am not impressed with their policies, which are a bit heavy handed in comparison to the local rental market. First, if you don’t rent within 30 days, you are locked out of their online aircraft/​instructor reservation system and you have to call in to make a reservation/​appointment. They also now expect you to put $ 500 down in cash (which they hold) and not simply a credit card number — this is usually the first sign of financial distress and once a flight school begins to stumble, they seldom recover and is only a matter of time before they go out of business. While I don’t have explicit information of this, the implication given off by demanding $ 500 upfront as a deposit like this is a bad sign. Want an exception? Heck, I spent over $ 35k in total here over the course of 2 years and I can’t seem to get one — what do you think your chances are?
If they could rethink their procedures I outlined above, they could easily get 4 stars. I was kept from giving 2 stars for this as I have good overall memories of this place.

I was looking for that perfect birthday gift for a friend. You know the one, where everyone wonders, «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!