Remembering Meigs Field

[TooWings 17]

Fondly remembered by both virtual and real-life pilots, I propose a toast to Meigs Field. 

RiP (unless of course you've downloaded the scenery addon and are still flying there?? ;-) ..

 

"Merrill C. Meigs Field Airport was a single strip airport that operated from December 1948 until March 2003. It was built on Northerly Island, the human-made peninsula..."

 

MSFS - 2006 video...

 

 

727 Landing Meigs Field (old wobbly video footage but still a gem)

 

 

RiP

 

[Flying Penguin 44]

I'll drink to that.... 

 

Whilst I never got to see it in action, I was in Chicago for work in November 2008 (as an aside, it was an interesting time to be there!) and my wife had booked me a flying experience/lesson from a school based out of Midway for our anniversary.  We did the usual sightseeing tour round town before doing a touch and go at Lansing.  

 

You could tell that the instructor was not a sim pilot, he gave me very funny looks when I was paying more attention to Northerly Island than the Chicago skyline!

 

I tried to take some photos with my rubbish pocket camera, didn't turn out very well but you can just about make out where the runway was:

 

[kbeartoo 0]

Back in the day when I was flying I often would land at that small airport.  Sometimes my co-pilot and I would walk to a downtown restaurant for lunch and walk back to the airport.  If we had a long wait for our passengers we would go to one of the scientific attractions nearby.  At times it was a busy place with aircraft coming and going just minutes apart.  The first step in the closing of the field was the ban on jet traffic.  Like the United pilot of the 727, those buildings could cause some turbulence at times.  Things change and life goes on but some, like me, miss those old days of aviation.  Thanks for the memories.

:rolleyes:

[n4gix 4,947]

Not too surprisingly, there is still a L O T of anger over Mayor Daley's extra-legal midnight bulldozing of Meigs.

 

See: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-03-31/news/ct-met-meigs-field-10th-anniversary-0331-20130331_1_gia-biagi-meigs-field-northerly-island

[Don t moderate me this way 882]

This very Mayor provided a very expensive dogs' meadow(?) to his citizens.  
 
"On September 17, 2006, the city dropped all legal appeals and agreed to pay the $33,000 fine as well as repay $1 million in misappropriated FAA Airport Improvement Program funds (...)"

From:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meigs_Field#Demolition_and_closure

[TooWings 17]

I tried to take some photos with my rubbish pocket camera, didn't turn out very well but you can just about make out where the runway was:

 

Interesting. Good shot 

 

I'm surprised some crazy pilot hasn't had a go at landing a microlight or a Cessna on that park as a protest vote ;-)

 

 

.