I started taking lessons at Flight School about 2 years ago. Since then, I've spent many hours with my instructor, Dan. It's hard to say just how grateful I am to have him as my instructor. From day 1, Dan has been nice, helpful and very patient in my learning process. He puts a lot of time and effort into making sure I understand new concepts, and can effectively apply them in the cockpit. His teaching method is highly effective, and it has led to me learning a great deal from him, which is the reason for my progression in training. Even beyond the classroom and cockpit, Dan continues to show an interest in my life outside of flying, and works hard with me to ensure I'm able to continue working to improve my knowledge and skills to progress in training. This is so much more than I expected when I first started taking lessons, but I'm so grateful for Dan's commitment to my advancement and passion for aviation. Flying with Dan has taught me skills that will help in and out of the cockpit for the rest of my life.

Zach is a good instructor. He's able to break down complicated issues like weather and systems and explain them in a way that helped me understand.

My flying journey started at this flight school and I cant recommend this place enough for anyone who wants to get into flying. My instructor Tom has been a great mentor and guide in the sky, as well as on the ground. He does a great job of teaching and being serious about operating a plane, but also creates an environment that makes me feel comfortable and confident at the controls. I look forward to continuing my journey here with Tom and obtaining my PPL.

I recently took my discovery flight with the Chief Pilot, Jim Kwasek, and it was such a phenomenal experience. For my first time it was a pretty windy day and I was frightened by the turbulence from the small aircraft but Jim made it look like nothing but another day, kept calm and was very patient with me. He taught me everything I needed to know before, during, and after the flight. He also took really creative and memorable pictures of me (he’s an amazing photographer), couldn’t thank him and the team enough for making my experience amazing, I recommend them for the first timers, very fun and friendly people!

My wife made me a gift and scheduled a flight with this school. The fight itself was a little short compared to all the preparations, but it was exciting and memorable

Our instructor Jim was very welcoming from the onset. He explained everything really well and made things simple, and easy to understand.

My son had his first flight lesson today. He loved it! Jim was great. He spent some time showing him different ways pilots track weather. Then showed him different parts of the plane. The flight itself was fun and exciting! Afterwards he emailed us the flight pattern and other aspects of the day. We will definitely go back for more lessons! My son said this was one of the best days of his life! He loved it!

I’m a current student at Chicago Executive Flight School and my instructor is Zach Nystrom. He’s great and very helpful, always answers my questions and understands how to teach!! Would recommend him for sure.

I did the immersion flight and #2 phase 2 lessons. All of them were fantastic. Everything went exactly as advertised thanks to my instructors, Grady, Luke, and Adrian. Highly recommended for at least what I did.

Had a few issues with flight rescheduling. After some back and forth, we were thankfully able to book a spot for a later date. Scott helped us out, and made sure we were able to reschedule. Giftory Team (experience partner) also stayed on top of it to make sure everything is well communicated. Looking forward to the flying experience!

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Awesome experience. This was a surprise birthday gift. Jakob was an amazing instructor who explained everything clearly, answered questions, and set expectations (and nailed our landing at PWK). A great first exposure to the world of flight.

This school is lucky to have an instructor like Jakob.

Executive flight school is so fun to fly at! My instructor is Jakob and im so glad!! He’s very level headed and calm which is really nice during flying and ground lessons. Whenever I’m unsure of something he always points me in the right direction without judgement which is so awesome and really appreciated. I feel as though I do not have to worry when I fly about anything bad happening because I trust his flying skills and judgement. He’s always very kind and never in a terrible mood. Jakob is also very patient and understanding, and always encourages me to do my best. He always makes sure I know what im doing in advance to make sure I have time to prepare which is incredibly appreciated! Flying has been definitely an awesome experience and I always learn so much during my lessons. I also find ground very helpful as well. Jakob explains all the materials very well and I know what is required of me to get to where I need to go. He has me set goals for what I should do during flying and outside of flying. I also appreciate his sense of humor. Everyone at executive is super kind, calm, and helpful which is awesome! I had the pleasure of taking my 10 hour check with Dave, who is really neat to talk to! I couldn’t have asked for a better flight school and instructor.

My son took his first flight lesson here and absolutley loved it! He couldn't stop singing his instructor Logan's praises. He said everyone was friendly and professional and he will be coming back for more lessons very soon.

Amazing experience. Very hands on! Jim showed me how to port the fuel to make sure their was no water , explained different parts of the plane and instruments very well. Not to mention an amazing flight around the skyline and back, Jim let me take control of the plane most of the time and even did some cool 0G nose dives for me and my friend . I would definitely recommend coming here to have a one of a kind experience!

Great instructors. Really enjoy my time learning to fly.

I started my flight training here at Chicago Executive Flight School summer of 2025 and I have enjoyed the experience so far I have flown with Truman and have learned a lot after taking a 7 month break off flight. This has been a great experience that I recommend anyone that wants to learn to fly!

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Ryan Horvath is a top tier instructor at the Chicago Executive Flight School (C.E.F.S.), and is what I consider to be a product of his own environment. That is to say, Ryan's capabilities and competencies as a flight instructor were forged from the very foundation that C.E.F.S. sets in terms of excellence as it relates to their training, hiring, and selection of flight instructor candidates. As someone who actually completed his CFI rating at C.E.F.S., Ryan has proven to be the embodiment of the standard that C.E.F.S. continues to uphold as one of the premiere flight schools in the greater Chicagoland area. If there is one thing that distinguishes Ryan from his peers and most flight instructors, it's that he brings with him a level of enthusiasm that is unparalleled. Indeed, Ryan genuinely WANTS to teach and flight instruct, as opposed to most CFIs in this world who are merely instructing as an economical means to build their flight time to get to the airlines. For that reason alone, I would highly recommend you sign up to take a discovery flight with Ryan at C.E.F.S. to see if flying is for you!