Closing Meigs Field

[avi8tor]

One of my most fondest memories of Meigs field was not actually flying in and out of there , but rather watching a retired UAL 727 landing there back in October of '92. UAL donated a 727 to the Museum Of Science and Industry, and UAL flew it into Meigs where it was disassembled and trucked over to the museum.

Airports come and go over time. I am dissapointed how Daley handled the closure; however I am not surprised the airport was closed.

I don't?

Boycotting Chicago wont bring back Meigs, I know that. But if people stop coming to your city because of corrupt politics, people will either vote the scum out of office, or the city will die... and if that's the case.. well... no big loss I guess.

but please, if you see it differently, enlighten me.

Some of you folks who have never lived in Chicago see Daley for one thing, the "scum" that he is for closing Meigs, and the way he went about it. Do any of you know what daley did to improve Chicago? I voted for Daley in '95,'99,'03, '07, and will vote for him again in '11. There is a reason why Daley will be the longest serving mayor of the city on Dec 25, 2010, he has done a lot of good for Chicago.

trafficinsight- You think Chicago politics are corrupt? What you view as corrupt, chicagoians view as a way of life. You want to boycott chicago because of our mayor that's cool to, no skin off of our backs we don't want you here anyway.

I was born a southsider and I will die a southsider. trafficinsight, it's a chicago thing you will never understand.

 

[trafficinsight]

Well if you're cool with that, then hey, what can I really say?

My only point is this: He destroyed a public asset under cover of darkness with no warning so that people who disagreed with the decision wouldn't have time to voice that disagreement.

It's wrong, I don't care if it's Chicago, New York, California, or wherever.

 

[MikeD]

One of my most fondest memories of Meigs field was not actually flying in and out of there , but rather watching a retired UAL 727 landing there back in October of '92. UAL donated a 727 to the Museum Of Science and Industry, and UAL flew it into Meigs where it was disassembled and trucked over to the museum.

Airports come and go over time. I am dissapointed how Daley handled the closure; however I am not surprised the airport was closed.

I too disagree with the nefarious nature of how the airport was closed. And the UAL 727 video is pretty neat, youtube:

[yt]NV4tgjSPgks[/yt]

 

[contactground.9]

I too disagree with the nefarious nature of how the airport was closed. And the UAL 727 video is pretty neat, youtube:

what sucks about that video is that a lot of people would view that as a horrible landing rather than perfectly planting a large aircraft on a rather short runway..

 

[darrenf]

True, I should say terrorism related event here in the USA and in recent memory. Falcon has some good history to it, but its more local history I guess. I just find it coming across as somewhat disingenuous for some people to be so riled up over one airports closure, but not another, when it turns out they had no real ties to either.

That is an opinion. An emotional tie is an emotional tie, no matter the cause.

 

[MikeD]

That is an opinion. An emotional tie is an emotional tie, no matter the cause.

Well of course its an opinion. And yes I agree its an emotional tie. A pretty weak one mind you, but an emotional one nonetheless. I still think that if Meigs hadn't been the feature airport of MSFS, the fanfare would be much less, if at all. Would just be some other GA airport closing yet again, albeit in a very unusual and underhanded way.

 

[Stone Cold]

I too disagree with the nefarious nature of how the airport was closed. And the UAL 727 video is pretty neat, youtube:

[yt]NV4tgjSPgks[/yt]

I think he dipped below the glideslope/VASI/ whatever the argument was in the other thread...

what sucks about that video is that a lot of people would view that as a horrible landing rather than perfectly planting a large aircraft on a rather short runway..

Perfectly planting means not going airborne again.

 

[MikeD]

I think he dipped below the glideslope/VASI/ whatever the argument was in the other thread...

Oh man.......trying to follow that thread will make your head explode.

 

[darrenf]

Well of course its an opinion. And yes I agree its an emotional tie. A pretty weak one mind you, but an emotional one nonetheless. I still think that if Meigs hadn't been the feature airport of MSFS, the fanfare would be much less, if at all. Would just be some other GA airport closing yet again, albeit in a very unusual and underhanded way.

You are right, the fanfare would have been lowered, of course, less people would have had a tie to the airport, but they still had a tie to it.

My outrage with Meigs was not so much because I had known about it due to Flight sim, but that it came at a time when all of GA was under attack under the guise of security, and to see an elected official bypass all the legal methods and just summarily destroy an airport, well, it scared me that more was to come. That is not a WEAK emotional tie. (Not that you were attacking my previously unknown motivation).

 

[OldTownPilot]

There's at least one highly vocal radio talk host in Cleveland that's trying to get someone to shut down BKL and develop the lakefront area.

I hate to say it...but I agree with him. That's some prime real estate that could be used for tax revenue generating properties...not a reliever airport.

-mini

You do realize that the airport generates a good deal of tax revenue as it is?

 

[MikeD]

You are right, the fanfare would have been lowered, of course, less people would have had a tie to the airport, but they still had a tie to it.

My outrage with Meigs was not so much because I had known about it due to Flight sim, but that it came at a time when all of GA was under attack under the guise of security, and to see an elected official bypass all the legal methods and just summarily destroy an airport, well, it scared me that more was to come. That is not a WEAK emotional tie. (Not that you were attacking my previously unknown motivation).

Which to me is perfectly a non-disingenuous reason........the attack overall on GA airports as well as the underhanded way it was accomplished, I fully agree. The people I'm specifically referring to are generally MSFS people with a a possible a.net connection, maybe student or possibly PPL, who beyond flight sim have never been to Meigs and in a couple of cases, don't even know the story of how it was closed; they just know it's closed and probably not on MSFS anymore. And they're completely outraged. To me, the balance just seemingly isn't there. That's all.

 

[darrenf]

Which to me is perfectly a non-disingenuous reason........the attack overall on GA airports as well as the underhanded way it was accomplished, I fully agree. The people I'm specifically referring to are generally MSFS people, maybe student or possibly PPL, who beyond flight sim have never been to Meigs and in a couple of cases, don't even know the story of how it was closed; they just know it's closed and probably not on MSFS anymore. And they're completely outraged. To me, the balance just seemingly isn't there. That's all.

I have to admit, as a young flight simmer, and then a pilot, I was upset that the Airport that I flew to virtually, and had wanted to fly to in real life was no longer available to me. That was part of the problem I had with it's closure, but did not upset me nearly as much as the way it was closed, or the false justifications Daley used. It still outrages me that he is in office, and that anyone could justify his lack of prosecution because of all "the good" he has done for Chicago.

And oh yeah, NY pizza is MUCH better!

 

[MikeD]

I have to admit, as a young flight simmer, and then a pilot, I was upset that the Airport that I flew to virtually, and had wanted to fly to in real life was no longer available to me. That was part of the problem I had with it's closure, but did not upset me nearly as much as the way it was closed, or the false justifications Daley used. It still outrages me that he is in office, and that anyone could justify his lack of prosecution because of all "the good" he has done for Chicago.

And oh yeah, NY pizza is MUCH better!

Don't get me wrong, that's understandable too, but you also have a true aviation connection too as a pilot. As well as the ire against Daley, which he deserves.

NY pizza......anything other than NY style paper-thin crust, is wrong. Chicago pan pizza is just a donut with sauce and toppings...

 

[darrenf]

Don't get me wrong, that's understandable too, but you also have a true aviation connection too as a pilot. As well as the ire against Daley, which he deserves.

NY pizza......anything other than NY style paper-thin crust, is wrong. Chicago pan pizza is just a donut with sauce and toppings...

True, but I bet I'm not alone in that having been to Meig's (Virtually) so many times as a kid, I had planned on flying there in real life. My point being, don't discount the true loss people in that situation (Which I'm sure there are many, as how many civi pilots do you know under the age of 40 that never "flew" in flight sim. ) feel.

And we are in complete agreement on the Pizza. :beer:

 

[MikeD]

True, but I bet I'm not alone in that having been to Meig's (Virtually) so many times as a kid, I had planned on flying there in real life. My point being, don't discount the true loss people in that situation (Which I'm sure there are many, as how many civi pilots do you know under the age of 40 that never "flew" in flight sim. ) feel.

And we are in complete agreement on the Pizza. :beer:

That works.

Well that was a good, friendly, healthy debate! Should be a representative model for some parts of this site

I say its pizza time......

 

[darrenf]

That works.

Well that was a good, friendly, healthy debate! Should be a representative model for some parts of this site

I say its pizza time......

All you can eat Blue Claws for me tonight!!! :rawk:

Last time I ate 18 of the suckers. Can't wait.

 

[Roger, Roger]

I say its pizza time......

And I say you're full of it. Clearly, there needs to be a Pizza Duel where we have a buffet featuring the best of both kinds of pizza and all of the JC crowd eats themselves into a stupor (or a coronary).

 

[minitour]

You forgot your sarcasm tag.

I did?

You do realize that the airport generates a good deal of tax revenue as it is?

Not compared to the tax generating revenue potential of a casino/hotel or convention center.

Six operations a day (slight sarcasm) isn't bringing in the income tax that land could be producing. They really should have thought about all of this when they built the new ballparks. They could have put all 3 (including the basketball arena) on the lakefront, tossed a hotel/casino next door and life could have been/could be very good. Toss a dome on the football stadium and you could hold quite a few "events" there (Super Bowl, conventions, yadda yadda - think of the stadium in Phoenix).

Yeah, I could think of a lot better ways to use that land than an airport. Go to CGF, CLE, LNN, etc. There's plenty of places to go within a very short drive of downtown that aren't CLE.

-mini

 

[MikeD]

And I say you're full of it. Clearly, there needs to be a Pizza Duel where we have a buffet featuring the best of both kinds of pizza and all of the JC crowd eats themselves into a stupor (or a coronary).

I could be swayed by a good pizza duel.....