Accelerated academy · West Chicago, IL

What Illinois Aviation Academy's program costs

A full-time, integrated career program sold at a fixed price, not an hourly rate. Every figure below is Illinois Aviation Academy's own published price, with the source and the date we read it. This is the published sticker, not a personalized quote.

Illinois Aviation campuses in Illinois

West Chicago (DPA)

Published program price

$97.8K

Part 141 career track (sum of published course estimates)

Assumes planned hours

Assumes the program's planned hours. Most students fly over the minimums, and the extra flight time is billed separately.

Illinois Aviation states its instruction and flight times are estimates only and additional training may be necessary, so hours beyond each course's plan add cost. There is no single career-package sticker; the total shown sums the published course estimates.

The academy's own published price. It does not reduce the 1,500-hour airline minimum (only a qualifying degree does). Prices change. Confirm current figures with Illinois Aviation Academy.

Step 2 · Plan

Turn this into a route to your checkride, with Illinois Aviation's published price built in.

Add to plan

The programs, with sources

Part 141 career track (sum of published course estimates)
$97,809
PPLIRCPLMultiCFI
July 2026Source

Sum of the academy's published per-course estimates: Private $19,346.59, Instrument $15,763.89, Commercial $34,046.36 (120-hour course), CFI $18,203.71, multi-engine $10,448.40. Estimates only; additional training may be necessary.

Part 141 academy at DuPage Airport (DPA), West Chicago, IL. Does not reduce the 1,500-hour airline minimum.

See how an academy stacks up against Part 61, Part 141, and a 2-year or 4-year degree.

Compare the paths

Common questions about Illinois Aviation Academy

How much does Illinois Aviation Academy cost?
Illinois Aviation Academy publishes $97,809 for its Part 141 career track (sum of published course estimates), as listed on the academy's own pricing page (July 2026). That is the published sticker for the program, not a personalized quote, and it is what the academy asks before the fees the sticker excludes.
What is included in Illinois Aviation Academy's program price?
Illinois Aviation Academy's published programs cover Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Multi-Engine (AMEL) and Flight Instructor. On what it excludes, the academy states: Sum of the academy's published per-course estimates: Private $19,346.59, Instrument $15,763.89, Commercial $34,046.36 (120-hour course), CFI $18,203.71, multi-engine $10,448.40. Estimates only; additional training may be necessary.
What happens if you need more hours than Illinois Aviation Academy's program includes?
Assumes the program's planned hours. Most students fly over the minimums, and the extra flight time is billed separately. Illinois Aviation states its instruction and flight times are estimates only and additional training may be necessary, so hours beyond each course's plan add cost. There is no single career-package sticker; the total shown sums the published course estimates. This is the question worth asking hardest at any accelerated academy, because the published price and the price a student who flies over the plan actually pays are two different numbers.
Does going to Illinois Aviation Academy lower the 1,500-hour airline requirement?
No. An accelerated academy does not reduce the 1,500-hour ATP minimum. Only a qualifying aviation degree does, under 14 CFR 61.160, which lowers it to 1,000 hours for a bachelor's or 1,250 for an associate's. What an academy sells is speed and a fixed price to the commercial certificate and instructor ratings, not a shortcut to the airlines. Most graduates then instruct to build the remaining hours.

Plan the money before you commit

A program price only makes sense next to what each rating costs on its own, what free money exists, and what borrowing actually looks like.

What each rating costs

Honest per-rating ranges, with the fees most quotes leave out.

Free money first

Verified flight training scholarships. Every scholarship dollar is a dollar you never finance.

If you borrow

Compare lenders and see the real monthly payment before you sign.

Figures are Illinois Aviation Academy's own published program prices, shown with the date we read them. They are not a personalized quote, and a student's actual cost will differ with location premiums, the fees the sticker excludes, and pace. Published prices generally assume the program's planned hours; flight training often runs over the FAA minimums, and how extra hours are billed varies by academy (some hold a truly fixed cost, others charge an hourly rate for additional time). Confirm the overage policy with the academy. An accelerated academy does not lower the 1,500-hour airline minimum; only a qualifying degree does, under 14 CFR 61.160. PilotBound is not affiliated with Illinois Aviation Academy. Disclaimer & removal policy.

Primary sources: illinoisaviation.com·illinoisaviation.com