Flying Clubs / Chicago, IL
Chicago-area flying clubs
Last updated September 3, 2026
Flying clubs let pilots share the cost of owning airplanes, so every hour costs less than renting. Below are the 21 verified clubs in and around Chicago, Illinois, with their aircraft, membership type and published rates.
The Chicago area at a glance
- Verified clubs
- 21
- Towns with clubs
- Naperville, West Chicago, Sugar Grove, Romeoville, Bolingbrook, New Lenox
- Membership types
- 20 non-equity, 1 equity
- Clubs listing their rates
- 0 of 21
We confirm each club against its own website. Prices and membership terms change, so check the latest figures with the club before joining.
Chicago-area flying clubs: map and list
Where a club has a public website, its card links to it. Costs appear only when the club publishes them, alongside the date we last checked and the source; clubs that don't publish rates are still listed.
Access Aero Flying Club
Non-equityBOLINGBROOK · 1C5 — Bolingbrook's Clow International Airport
Altimeters Anonymous
Non-equitySugar Grove · KARR — Aurora Municipal Airport
Aurora Flying club
Non-equitySugar Grove · KARR — Aurora Municipal Airport
Chapter 15 Aviation
Non-equityRomeoville · KLOT — Lewis University Airport
Flying Bald Eagles, Inc.
Non-equityNew Lenox · KLOT — Lewis University Airport
GAW (Get A Way) Flying Club
Non-equityPalos Heights · KMDW — Chicago Midway International Airport
Leading Edge Flying Club
Non-equityWheeling · KPWK — Chicago Exec Airport
Prestige Worldwide Aviation
Non-equityRomeoville · KLOT — Lewis University Airport
Schaumburg Flying Club
Non-equityCrystal Lake · 06C — Schaumburg Regional Airport
Stick & Rudder Flying Club
Non-equityWaukegan · KUGN — Waukegan Ntl Airport
Vagabond Flying Association
Non-equityWest Chicago · KDPA — Dupage Airport
Windy City Soaring Association
Non-equityHinckley · 0C2 — Hinckley Airport
Club membership vs. FBO rental
An airplane's fixed costs — hangar, insurance, annual inspection and engine reserves — are divided among a club's members, which is why the hourly rate usually undercuts renting the same model from an FBO. In exchange you pay an initiation fee and monthly dues. The more you fly, the further ahead you come out, which matters when you're logging hundreds of hours.
When clubs around Chicago do publish their costs, the pattern is a modest buy-in and monthly dues in return for an hourly rate below FBO rental — which is why clubs suit pilots logging a lot of hours.
Check the insurance minimums first
For newer pilots, the catch is usually insurance rather than price. A club's policy may require a minimum amount of total time, a checkout with an instructor, or recent flying before you can solo or take passengers — and the bar is higher for complex or high-performance airplanes. Clubs that say they welcome students and low-time members are marked here; for any other club, ask what its insurer requires at your experience level before paying to join.
Equity or non-equity?
- Non-equity clubs: you pay dues for access but don't own a share. The commitment is small and it's easy to leave — handy if you'll only be in the area for a while.
- Equity clubs: you buy into the aircraft. The upfront cost is higher, but the share is often refundable when you go, and hourly costs can be lower if you stay for years.
- If your goal is affordable hours in the near term, a non-equity club — or an equity club with a small, refundable buy-in — usually carries less risk.
Can you fly for pay in a club?
Logging time for your own experience — pilot in command, cross-country, night — is what clubs are designed for, and it all counts toward the ATP. Being paid to fly is another matter: most clubs run strictly non-commercial Part 91 operations, forbid using their airplanes for hire, and are insured on that basis. So a club is a low-cost place to build hours, not a place to earn money flying. Before you join, ask about insurance minimums, any scheduling or currency rules that could slow you down, and whether instruction or other for-hire use is restricted.
Looking for a flying job in Illinois?
Once the hours are in your logbook, put them to work. See what current Illinois openings ask for, and the state's aviation employers.
Pilot jobs in IllinoisFlying clubs in other metro areas
Sources
We check every club's details against its own website and link to that page from the listing. We find clubs through the AOPA Flying Club Finder and other public directories. ATP experience requirements come from the FAA regulation below.
Frequently asked questions
What does it cost to join a flying club in the Chicago area?+
Costs depend on the club and the airplane. Expect some combination of an initiation or buy-in fee (refundable at equity clubs), monthly dues and an hourly rate, which is often quoted wet — fuel included. Each club below shows whatever figures it publishes, when we last confirmed them, and a link to check them yourself.
Is a club cheaper than renting around Chicago?+
For most active pilots, yes. Members split the aircraft's fixed costs, which keeps the hourly rate below typical FBO rental; the buy-in and dues are the price of that lower rate. The more you fly, the better the deal looks.
Does club flying count toward the ATP?+
It does. Pilot-in-command, cross-country and night time logged in a club all count toward the ATP's experience requirements (14 CFR § 61.159: aeronautical experience for an airplane ATP). What a club generally won't allow is flying for pay — more on that below.
Will a club near Chicago take a student or newly certificated pilot?+
Some will and some won't — insurance often sets a minimum total time or a checkout. Clubs that say they welcome student or low-time members are marked on this page; for the rest, ask before you join.
How many flying clubs are in the Chicago area?+
We've verified 21 clubs within roughly 55 miles of Chicago, Illinois, each checked against the club's own website. Clubs farther out appear on the national flying-club directory, and the list isn't complete — if yours is missing, let us know.
Turn club hours into a flying career
When you're ready for a paying job, USA Pilot Jobs lists pilot openings nationwide and marks the ones your hours and ratings already meet.
Browse pilot jobsNo contracts · You apply on the employer's own site