Meigs Field Chicago. Wrecked - what on earth?

[Smoketoomuch]

Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of using Meigs Field will be shocked to discover what happened overnight. I understand its future has been in doubt for a while, but was this announced?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-030331meigs,1,7703186.story?coll=chi%2Dnews%2Dhed
Meigs Field, the city's lakefront airport, was closed early today after construction vehicles apparently dug up large portions of the runway.
At about 6 a.m., the view from the top of the Adler Planetarium showed a series of large, X-shaped portions of concrete carved out of the runway's center.
Large, illuminated "X" signs marked either end of the runway.

Webcam pics here... [sob]

webcam (http://live6.truelook.com:80/face/newface.jsp?name=/adler/skyeye&func=live&overlay=default)

Webcam link sorted now, thanks for the tip. You can control pan/zoom the camera - but its not a pretty sight. I count about 15 aircraft still parked there too.

[Aussie Andy]

Whats the URL for the webcam mate? (turn off smilies)...

[long final]

Andy,

http://www.truelook.com

it on the main page, and a real mess it looks too

LF

[Aussie Andy]

Ouch... that looks very sad indeed. I guess this means they lost the battle... Screenshot for posterity:
http://members.lycos.co.uk/andyhardyuk/Meigs/MeigsOuch.jpg

[nulian]

Well, like a thief in the night, our good friend Mayor Daley in Chicago has screwed Chicago aviation again.

Around midnight last night heavy equipment rolled into Meigs field and started tearing up the runway. No warning to anyone - there's not even a NOTAM for it. There are still aircraft sitting on the ramp.

No official word as to why this is happening, but the rumour network has it that the Mayor is expected to use 'credible terrorist threats' as an excuse.

For those who don't know - Mayor Daley has had it in for Meigs for some time now. He wants to turn it into a lakefront park, but has received opposition from the state government. Last news was a gentleman's agreement between himself and the former governor of Illinois - George Ryan - to keep Meigs open until at least 2006. Ryan was recently replaced as governor in the last election.

News can be found here. At the present time, there are large Xs gouged out of the runway.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-030331meigs,0,7637649.story?coll=chi%2Dnews%2Dhed

Cheers,
Peter

[Hilico]

And to think, only today I visited the site of Ipswich airport for the first time in several years. What a mess. The airport building is still there, indeed it has a preservation order on it, but since the preservation seems to be left to the rapacious bar stewards who have built those dreadful jerry-built wendy houses all over the runways, I wouldn't be surprised if it's fallen down in a year or two.

Very, very sad.

[MarkD]

hope no-one on Toronto City Council sees that...

[skidcanuck]

What a sad end to one of the great places to fly - coming across Lake Michigan, seeing the city come at you as you near the field - great view of a great city.

I suppose the new reality of terrorism paranoia is upon us, but a truck full of explosives could inflict as much damage downtown, but they haven't tore up Michigan Avenue.

It seems Daley is using this excuse to drive his own agenda.

I agree, lets hope Toronto and Cleveland politicians don't see this!

[nulian]

This is definitely Daley pushing his own agenda. Meigs poses no threat to the city in terms of terrorism.

It's interesting to note that the bill proposing the additional funds for the O'Hare expansion was declared dead in the water last month due to republican opposition. I suspect this is the Mayor being spiteful.

I'd hate to be the owner of one of the planes stranded on the field, although it looks like there's nothing too big to use the taxiway to get out.

Peter

[Tom the Tenor]

Politicians are such desperate failures all round aren't they - whether they be in Chicago, Cork, Canberra or Baghdad?

[Warped Factor]

From The Friends of Meigs Airport.....

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 31, 2003
Contact: Rachel Goodstein
(Cell) 773-383-4762
Phone: 773-248-4310

City Uses Storm-Troop Tactics to Close Meigs
Friends of Meigs to City:
For homeland security, closing Meigs is the riskiest thing possible.

Chicago, IL The City of Chicago today used surprise and shock tactics to start demolishing Meigs Field, the world-renowned airport serving downtown, ripping up runway without notice in the dark of night under police guard. "We are in shock," said Rachel Goodstein, president of the Friends of Meigs Field. "The City of Chicago had agreed to keep Meigs Field open until 2026," she said, citing a December 2001 agreement between Mayor Daley and Governor Ryan.

"This smacks of totalitarianism," said Goodstein. "It is nothing but an unmitigated land grab." The demolition came without warning, when dozens of heavy earth-movers descended on Meigs shortly after it closed at 10:00 P.M. Sunday night. The Friends of Meigs only received warning via news media inquiries. When Friends of Meigs representatives tried to visit the airport to talk to officials about the situation, they were turned away from the area by armed police.

"We understand that the City is trying to use 'homeland security' as an excuse to destroy Meigs without notice," said Goodstein. "Of all of the possible things they could do, that's the worst possible for public security. If there is a security issue at an airport, you work with the users to resolve it in the least disruptive manner, you don't destroy millions of dollars of taxpayer property.

The Friends of Meigs Field have repeatedly pointed out that not only does Meigs Field regularly handle medevac flights and air-sea rescue operations for the lakefront and downtown high rises, it also is the facility responsible for control of all air traffic over downtown Chicago. "Meigs Field is what protects us from what the Mayor fears," said Goodstein. Meigs Field's control tower controls all traffic within 4 miles of downtown Chicago. Also, since September 11, 2001, security has been tighter at Meigs than at any other small airport in the state.

The Friends of Meigs Field plan to hold a press conference later today to answer media inquiries about this situation:

What: Friends of Meigs Field Press Conference (tentative information, will depend on City of Chicago official announcement)

When: 11:30 AM or following the City Hall press conference

Where: Chicago City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St.

[willbav8r]

Can somebody please explain to a simple chap such as myself how this could happen? Especially with midnight ops, leaving aircraft stranded.

Terrorism indeed......

[Airbubba]

Daley cites security in closing of Meigs
Pilots' group blasts overnight demolition of runway

March 31, 2003


[ORD] Tribune staff reports
Published March 31, 2003, 12:05 PM CST

Saying he was doing so out of concerns for public safety and his desire to spare citizens "months and maybe years" of contentious debate, Mayor Richard Daley today ordered Meigs Field closed and its runway torn up.

"We have done this to protect the millions of people who live, work and visit downtown Chicago in these uncertain times," Daley said at a City Hall news conference called after construction equipment early this morning destroyed Meigs' runway.

"The safety of the entire city has to take precedence over the wishes of a handful of private pilots and business people," the mayor said.

However, Daley and other city officials conceded they had received no specific threats about a possible terrorist attack involving a private aircraft.

Meigs, the city's lakefront airport, was closed early today after construction vehicles showed up overnight and began digging up the runway.

At dawn, the view from the top of the Adler Planetarium showed a series of large, X-shaped portions of concrete carved out of the runway's center. Large, illuminated "X" signs marked either end of the runway. Sixteen aircraft appeared stranded, parked along a taxiway and unable to take off.

Steve Whitney, former president of Friends of Meigs Field, vowed to be in court today to challenge the city's action. The organization has opposed Daley's plan to close the airport and turn it into a park.

"We are absolutely shocked and dismayed," said Phil Boyer, president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, another organization that has fought Meigs' closing. "Mayor Daley has no honor and his word has no value. The sneaky way he did this shows that he knows it was wrong."

However, Boyer conceded in a prepared statement that "federal and state airport laws may not have been broken by this action."

About 11 p.m. Sunday, several backhoes, large trucks carrying floodlights and generators, and other equipment escorted by Chicago police arrived at the airport and started working on the north-to-south runway.

A Chicago police squad car blocked the access road to Meigs Field. An officer said the airport and park nearby were closed, and no pedestrian or vehicle traffic was being allowed in. He would not comment on the activity.

A night operations supervisor at the Great Lakes Division of the Federal Aviation Administration said she was not notified of any airport closing.

Daley originally intended to close the airport in February 2002 and turn it into a park and nature preserve, but held off doing so to win then-Gov. George Ryan's support for federal legislation backing the $6.6 billion expansion of O'Hare International Airport.

Under terms of a deal reached with Ryan in December 2001, Daley agreed to keep the lakefront airport open until Jan. 1, 2026, though Meigs could be closed anytime after Jan. 1, 2006 by a vote of the General Assembly.

The deal was supposed to have been solidified in federal legislation endorsing the O'Hare expansion. But earlier this month, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, declared the federal bill dead because of the opposition of his Republican counterpart, U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald.

Meigs' closing also follows the federal decision, at Daley's request, to impose a no-fly zone March 22 for the city. Private aircraft were barred from flying within 3,000 feet of the ground over downtown Chicago and much of the North Side. At the time, the mayor thanked federal authorities but repeated his criticism of small aircraft being allowed anywhere near the Loop.

Whitney said Meigs is an important facility, as it is used by medical and air-sea rescue aircraft and could be used by emergency aircraft in the event of a disaster in downtown Chicago. "It makes absolutely no sense from any standpoint, particularly for homeland security, to close Meigs Field," he said.

"Something is going on. It's outrageous to not let people know what is going on," said Maggie Gauatier, a member of Friends of Meigs Field.


http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-030331meigs,1,7703186.story?coll=chi%2Dnews%2Dhed

[nulian]

Homeland security. What a laugh. Problem is that the public will probably accept this explanation without question.

It's a damn shame. Meigs field was my first introduction to aviation through Flight Simulator, and has been a great resource through my time flying around Chicago.

It also served an important traffic control function for lakefront flights - which can get quite thick in the Summer months.

I hope that this can be reversed, but I fear that our efforts may be futile.

Peter

[Flying Lawyer]

Beforehttp://friendsofmeigs.org/images/Meigs_NW_View.jpg

Mayor Daley has been trying to close the arfield for a long time. He failed by conventional democratic means, and has resorted to bully-boy brute force.
Terrorism and security? What a load of BS!

Approaching Meigs over the lake from Michigan is (was?) breathtaking, watching Chicago gradually emerge in the distance until the stunning skyline appears in all its glory. This pic gives an idea, but doesn't do justice to the view. Coming in the opposite way to land Rwy 18, the view from base leg was (as Americans say) awesome.

Chicago Tribune poll results to date:

Was closing Meigs Field a good idea?
Yes: 28.4% (275 responses)
No: 71.6% (695 responses)

Afterhttp://a1022.g.akamai.net/f/1022/8153/5m/images.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2003-03/7216694.jpg

[Unwell_Raptor]

I seem to recall that Mayor Daley's father was known for his - shall we say - robust approach to those who opposed him.

Many of his opponents finished up singing Soprano.

[In trim]

Don't take this the wrong way, but......Hilarious!!

How the hell, in a modern and 'democratic' (small d) society can anyone get away with this. If this was a Communist country I would understand it (par for the course, no reason needed), but for an elected individual?!?

I know nothing about the American electoral system, but when is this guy up for re-election, and how big an issue will these 'bully-boy' tactics be?

[nulian]

Chicago politics is more of a monarchy than a democracy. I wouldn't be surprised if Daley was in office until he croaks.

[Rattus]

It has been proven twice in the last couple of years (Italy and Florida) that a light aeroplane can be flown into a high rise building without doing any serious damage.

If I were a terrorist, I would be thrilled to bits: "We used aeroplanes last time - been there done that - so while they're obsessed with destroying the GA industry, we can crack on undetected and unhindered with our next generation delivery system."

Rattus

[big.al]

This is a 'victory' for the terrorists. They terrorise and then the stupid politicians panic and destroy a perfectly good airfield because of some perceived 'threat', but I don't see them ripping up runway at O'Hare, Dulles, JFK or DFW...

Absolute insanity. I hope the Friends of Meigs Airport sue for millions and get the mayor thrown out.

[Unwell_Raptor]

"Saying he was doing so out of concerns for public safety and his desire to spare citizens "months and maybe years" of contentious debate, Mayor Richard Daley today ordered Meigs Field closed and its runway torn up."

I do hope that no British politicians read this. Quite a few politicians have spared their people from contentious debate, such as Pol Pot, Saddam you-know-who, oh bu66er, I can't be bothered to list any more. You know who they are.

[Hilico]

Nulian, the politicians do not form a monarchy. They form a moronarchy.

[nomdeplume]

U_R
Was George W. Wotsisname the other name you were looking for? ;)

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

How do these bastards get away with this? And politicians wonder why they are held in such contempt.......

SSD

[logie_bear]

Closing Meigs nullifies a potential terrorist threat? This must be an April Fools prank surely.

Saying he was doing so out of concerns for public safety and his desire to spare citizens "months and maybe years" of contentious debate
There's a good reason why there might have been "months and maybe years" of contentious debate Mr Mayor.

What a dope. Another kick in the guts for aviation.

l_b

[Dop]

I reckon they should try and get Bill Gates to buy up all that land and rebuild the runway and reopen it. That's been the starting point in every version of Microsoft Flight Simulator since the old green screen line-drawing days. There must be shedloads of people who have heard of that airfield because of that, and it would be a great gesture.

I bet that Mayor Daley's in for some good backhanders off the people who are going to redevelop that area should the black day dawn. The whole thing smacks of greed and corruption to me.

[BeauMan]

What heartbreaking pictures. :(

I flew in to Meigs ten years ago while doing my PPL at Cushing Field just south west of Chicago. We flew in to the lakefront following the river and the highway in from the west, under the Midway and O'Hare TMA's, with the Chicago skyline looming ever closer, and the lake dominating the horizon. Joined overhead, turned lefthand downwind for 18. Descending base with the Sears Tower ahead of us was just incredible; turned finals over the docks where the cruisers were, and then passed Soldier Field on finals.

What a wonderful memory! Never, ever flown an approach like it, doubt I ever will again now. B@st@rds. :*

[digidave]

OK, I admit it...
the only time I've flown in or out of Meigs has been in FlightSim - but how can any 'authority' just dig up an airfield like this?

For that matter, how can anyone just dig up a runway?

And then have the gall to truck out the old "it's in the public interest" card! It beggars belief.

Good luck to the Friends of Meigs, it looks like it was a really nice strip.
DD