Why Chicago Secretly Bulldozed Its Own Airport Overnight

Video written by Adam Chase

[sjannlanda]

The X’s on the runway are the standard method of indicating that a runway is closed and should not be used for flight operations. They need to be large in order to fill their intended purpose, which is to be seen by pilots during their approach and landing circuit. I’m a private pilot (though I haven’t flown in years)

EDIT: The Xs would normally be painted on, however as paint can be removed and a runway reopened, the mayor carved them in to permanently close the runway.

[SaltyMinnow]

There was also a plane that had an emergency and landed on the grass by Meigs shortly after it got destroyed. The mayor then accused the pilot of purposely having an emergency to embarrass him and make him look bad.

[blockflight]

weirdly the craziest part to me was that he did it to build a park. a evil mayor secretly destroying a park to build a private airport for the elite makes so much more sense.

[joeg]

I was obsessed with Microsoft flight sim in the 90s and aviation in general. My brother and I even started what turned into the second biggest virtual airline. It was called Meridian. Was around for a long time, i think up until like 2010. I joined the air force in 2001 and had no association after that.

[propadanda]

"...Congress is basically a retirement home for obstructionists masquerading as a legislative body" ... Best HAI writing yet! 😆

[justin.booth.]

I love the fact that his whole nefarious goal was to build... a park. You know, the standard supervillain motivation -- public works improvement.

[route]

Coming from the mayor who leased out the parking meters, the parking garages, and the skyway (a city owned tollway) so the city can't get any new money from any of that for the next 60 years, and the money from the initial leases are gone.

[explodeder]

Since you’re shitting on Daley, you should do an episode of how colossally bad the parking meter deal was. One of the worst deals in the history of government.

[bsagz]

1:20 I can confirm as an Illinois resident not only is this statement accurate it’s well timed too with yet another IL politician getting indicted this week on 22 counts of racketeering.

[fglkrail]

As a young budding virtual pilot back in the day, I remember being devastated the day I saw a photo of the destroyed Meigs Field. RIP.

[man_on_wheelz]

So I grew up in a high rise building that used to have a really good view of this airport from our 11th story window. Consequently I actually lived right down the street from the Mayor, you knew it was his home because there was always a police car sitting out front with an officer inside 24/7. I actually enjoyed watching airplanes land and takeoff from there regularly. I knew nothing of what happened since I was only a young teen in 2003. But how it looked to me was that after 9/11 happened, I didn’t see much of anymore activity at that airport anymore. I’m surprised it was 2003 when it was made official that they were closing it down. As of today, my mother and my brother still live in that high rise. Other buildings have since obstructed the view but my brother and I recently went for a walk around that park and it was actually quite pleasant! Nature is really starting to reclaim it, nice place for a gentle bike ride or a relaxing stroll and it’s a good distance away from the city noises. Daley may have had some questionable ways of getting things done… but he got things done when he really wanted to. That’s why he stayed mayor for so long. Literally till HE decided he didn’t want to anymore.

[ahscott]

I think this guy mixed up being a Cities Skylines mayor with being a real mayor.

[raydunakin]

Destroying an airport without authorization and under cover of darkness, just because the crooked mayor doesn't like living next to an airport -- yeah, that sounds about right for Chicago politics.

[Onomatopoeiau]

Fun fact. This was the least shady thing Daley did in office.

[rrohret]

Glad to be able to say that I was a passenger landing and taking off from Miegs Field in the 1990's several times. It was a cool experience flying past the tall buildings of Chicago. No simulator required.

[TheDigileet]

Imagine being on a flight and being told your landing was delayed because the airport was cancelled.

[youtubeairways]

Meigs Field seems like a more logical place to first spawn than Friday Harbor in FSX. Some impressive 3D city scenery when you're going for your first flight is more impressive than some tiny random airfield in the middle of a forest.

[jguy]

Daley's explaination of "without the airport the city is safer" is a copout, and a horrid one at that. The airspace over Meigs Field, and by extension, downtown, was class Delta airspace. While flying through Class D you must remain in contact with the tower of that airspace and have clearance to fly through it. That Delta extended from the surface up to the Class Bravo shelf starting at 3, 000 feet where the airspace of O'Hare International was (and still is). Now that the airport is gone the airspace over the area and downtown, up to 3, 000 feet, is considered Class Gulf airspace. Class G airspace requires no contact with anyone to fly into. Meaning, one can take their private plane, as long as they follow visual flight rules and stay under the Bravo shelf at 3, 000 feet, into downtown Chicago and, in line with Daley's statement of "keeping us safe", fly into a building, without needing to talk to a single person and without looking nefarious to anyone.

[georgerule]

There was a small airport in Holland Michigan that only small planes could fly in and out of, it never caused any trouble, there were never noise complaints and I think it was pretty cool to see airshows very often and so close to home. About a year ago one of Holland Michigan's billionaires paid city council off and convinced them the tiny municipal airport was causing lots of issues, it was swiftly destroyed; I really hate people in power sometimes.

[martinpauly]

I am a pilot, and I had landed at Meigs Field many times before its destruction. It provided such convenient access to the city, literally putting you in walking distance of the Magnificent Mile. It provided spectacular views of the city on landing and take-off. It was such a gem.
There are not many people I have hoped would suffer a slow, painful death, but Mr. Daley made it onto my prestigious list.
- Martin