Simviation Forum - What happened to Megis Field?

Jan 2^nd, 2005 at 2:26pm

jrpilot Offline
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What ever happened to Megis Field in Chicago?...It used to be the airport which all Microsoft Flight Simulator games began at...I saw a few photos of it around 4 months ago and all it is is a strip of grass?...Anyone from Chicago know what happened?

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Reply #1 - Jan 2^nd, 2005 at 2:34pm

Ben_M_K Ex Member

Yes...Well, kind of. The city tore it down. I also know that the AOPA(Aircraft Owners and Pilots Assosiation) sued the mayor big bucks for doing so.

Maybe someone else can give some more info than me. Tongue

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Reply #2 - Jan 2^nd, 2005 at 2:34pm

Hagar Offline
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Read all about it. http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/newsitems/2003/03-1-157x.html

I'm sure Kevin (the Dread Pirate) can fill in the details.

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Reply #3 - Jan 2^nd, 2005 at 2:51pm

C Offline
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Very sad story. Mayor Daley came off my Christmas card list a while back now...

Charlie

ps, sorry Doug Wink

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Reply #4 - Jan 2^nd, 2005 at 2:54pm

Craig. Offline
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While i dont like the way it was handled. I think some folks went waaay over the top in their responses. Lets face it some guy from france or New Zealand is hardly going to be effected enough by it to give the reponses i saw. Hell i doubt most people would have ever gone there.

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Reply #5 - Jan 2^nd, 2005 at 3:03pm

Nexus Offline
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I'm with Craig on this one.
People went bananas when the mayor of Chicago announced the plans...but hey I really don't care. The airport was a waste of space, and I'm positive the land can be used for a better purpose. 8)

I'm sure some posters will flame me over this one Grin

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Reply #6 - Jan 2^nd, 2005 at 3:20pm

ozzy72 Offline
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It was more how Mayor Daley did it than what he did that caused outrage in the flying community. I mean JCBs in the middle of the night smacks of dodgy-dealings...

There are two types of aeroplane, Spitfires and everything else that wishes it was a Spitfire!

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Reply #7 - Jan 2^nd, 2005 at 3:24pm

Craig. Offline
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like i said, i didnt agree with the way it happend

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Reply #8 - Jan 2^nd, 2005 at 4:20pm

beefhole Offline
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Yeah, reading about it it sounds like a dispicable act. The fact that no notice was given is not only wrong and in violation of FAA rules, but is downright dangerous. And when asked about the aircraft stranded there, the only answer pilots get is "it's your problem"? Hey, backstab one or two people in the back, that's politics. This dude stabbed EVERYBODY in the back. Unbelievable.

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Reply #9 - Jan 2^nd, 2005 at 4:27pm

Hagar Offline
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Quote:

ps, sorry Doug Wink

No need to apologise. Note that I made no comment.

Meigs meant very little to me but this could easily happen to Shoreham or any other local airfield. I know how that would make me feel. Many private fields in the UK operate under severe restrictions now & it would only take a few complaints to close them permanently. . There was a rumour going round at the 2004 show that future Biggin Hill displays could be at risk due to housing developments - & so it goes on. Roll Eyes

This site does not seem to have been updated for a while. http://www.airfields.org.uk/news/index.htm

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Reply #10 - Jan 2^nd, 2005 at 4:52pm

C Offline
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Rochester was another one that comes to mind, although it was interesting (particularly in todays NIMBY soceity) that local public opinion won the debate, and the airfield has been reprieved (for now at least) from being another boring science park (industrial estate...)

Charlie

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Reply #11 - Jan 2^nd, 2005 at 7:03pm

Eskimo Offline
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Quote:

Read all about it. http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/newsitems/2003/03-1-157x.html

Looking at those pictures, it seems that the planes would be ble to depart via the taxiway, it's as long and nearly as wide as the runway and has no damage to it at all.

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Reply #12 - Jan 2^nd, 2005 at 7:05pm

Craig. Offline
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they did use the taxiway, but they wernt happy about it.

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Reply #13 - Jan 3^rd, 2005 at 7:42am

chomp_rock Offline
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I remember when it first happened some of my friends at the airport got 8X10" pictures of mayor Daley (don't ask me where Wink

) and put them on the wall for dart targets. The pictures are still up but have 1,000s of holes in them.

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Reply #14 - Jan 12^th, 2005 at 7:16pm

Drumlineramos Ex Member

yeah, i never liked Mayor Daley after that. the oly thing worse than tearing down a simulation staple in reality is it happening on my birthday, March 31

Me and My uncle now have hangar space at palwaukee

Cry

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Reply #15 - Jan 13^th, 2005 at 1:09am

N556EP Offline
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that is one of the most sneakiest things i have ever seen, closing the Airport OK for what ever reasons but not issuing a NOTAMS that was just wrong, but as the aarticle says it will put more load on th ATC since that airspace isnt controlled anymore

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Reply #16 - Jan 13^th, 2005 at 12:54pm

Enola Gay Ex Member
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i hope it continues to live in FS!! its really sad. pics make it look even sadder

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Reply #17 - Jan 13^th, 2005 at 2:56pm

GWSimulations Offline
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[quote author=CHOMP_ROCK link=1104694013/0#13 date=1104756137]I remember when it first happened some of my friends at the airport got 8X10" pictures of mayor Daley (don't ask me where ;)) and put them on the wall for dart targets. The pictures are still up but have 1,000s of holes in them. [/quote]

Do you think I could get away with making him for CFS2? Everybody could use him for target practice! I could make you home airbase meigs!
But might he sue???

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Reply #18 - Jan 13^th, 2005 at 4:12pm

chomp_rock Offline
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He does not give a rat's a$$ about aviation so I doubt he'd worry about his picture being used as a target in CFS...

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Reply #19 - Jan 13^th, 2005 at 4:30pm

GWSimulations Offline
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Has anyone got any pics of him?

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Reply #20 - Jan 13^th, 2005 at 8:40pm

chomp_rock Offline
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My friend Google image search does (hint hint).

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Reply #21 - Jan 14^th, 2005 at 10:49pm

Jared Offline
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No, in reality it is not a big deal to 95% of the population...

however I'm sure it has a definite impact on the traffic at the other local airports.... Wink

I'm sure Meigs was a good reliever airport, recieving money(?) from the government, by guaranteeing that they would remain open for so many years...Hence the threatening thoughts of FAR 157....

Havent' taken aviation law classes, but it doesn't seem right....

My schools airport is kind of undergoing the same thing where we have recieved government money for improvements by guaranteeing that the airport will remain open for another 8 years. Unfortunately the city has encroached upon the airport and the threats to shut it down have come from all over the place excepts the FAA which says that it shall remain upon under the laws of the government...

Yay!

A similar situation has been raging on for years at Burke Lakefront in Cleveland Ohio...mayor wants to put in apartments... Sad

And unfrotunately the enw footballl stadium is basically right off the end of the runway pretty much shutting down arrivals/departures during game-time...

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Reply #22 - Jan 15^th, 2005 at 12:27am

Archer <]- Offline
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lol I had to do some digging to find this! Shocked

http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=gen;action=display;num=108...

The original link to the image site was taken off the thread, so here it is...
http://www.photography-plus.com/project/Meigs.htm

its a shame what happened Sad

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Reply #23 - Jan 19^th, 2005 at 6:29pm

Drumlineramos Ex Member

all right, i'll give the low-down, since i was one of the impactees

Daley shut own meigs on Mar. 31, 2002.

he had just proposed 1 month ago that meigs will be open until 2026.

He didn't issue a NOTAM because, let's guess, he didn't want people to know.

so we took off taxiway A. (well, i was off at the planetarium when my uncle took off)

also during his recent year, daley's cabinet had been involved in tax fraud, i don't expect to see him as mayor anymore. not that i care cause im in the burbs!

result: Palwaukee, Waukegan, Lake in the Hills, DuPage, Gary/Chicago, & Schaumburg accepted our aircraft for a discount. we chose palwaukee,

O'Hare was revamping thair GA Ramp, so O'Hare wasn't a choice. and Midway is just plain horrible airport. terrible location, houses located 230 ft from the runways!!!

so that finishes it. i just like ranting on Palwaukee cause's it's the 3rd largest airport in IL aircraft wise.

alex.

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