Meigs Field

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The Meigs Field (formerly IATA: CGX, ICAO: KCGX ) that 's full name is Merrill C. Meigs Field Airport, was an airport on a peninsula in Lake Michigan before Chicago.

At the 1933 World's Fair ( Century of Progress International Exposition ) Northerly Island Iceland was dumped in Lake Michigan before Chicago. On December 10, 1948, the airfield was opened on the island. In 1955 he was among the airports with only one start and runway of the most frequented. 1952, the last Tower and 1961 the terminal was built. The name was given to the airfield by Merrill C. Meigs, publisher of the Chicago Herald.

The runway at Meigs Field was about 3900 feet ( 1200 m) long and 150 feet (46 m) wide. In addition, there were four public helicopter landing areas on the southern end of the track.

Closure and conversion

After Richard M. Daley, had at that time already in 1972 expressed nor Senate deputy in the Illinois Senate, for a closing of Meigs Field and a conversion into a park, was in his tenure (from 1989) as Mayor of Chicago the place in September 1996 closed the first time. After the intervention of the State of Illinois to reopen in February 1997. After long negotiations between the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration ), city and state a compromise was reached in 2001, which should ensure the survival of the airport for the next 25 years. There was a media-savvy handshake between governor and mayor, but no legal foundation at the federal level.

Nevertheless, the square was in the spring of 1998, an instrument landing system.

In a controversial action prompted Mayor Daley on March 30, 2003 in the middle of the night, the destruction of the runway. After blocking of the site by large numbers of police were dug with heavy equipment large "X" in the runway. Since neither the FAA nor the owners of at the bottom located ming aircraft were informed, were after this action 16 aircraft on the airfield without that possessed an intact runway. Later, they allowed the launch of this aircraft on the 3000 foot long runway.

Mayor Daley defended his actions by the Spare of protracted litigation before the airport could be closed. In particular, he made safety concerns raised, which just this airport was too dangerous in close proximity to the city after the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001.

The controversial action brought Mayor Daley a negative headlines. The Chicago Sun-Times headline, for example, with " no warning or public debate destroyed the city of her jewel on the lakeshore " ( "without any advance notice or public discussion, the city vandalized its lakefront jewel, Meigs Field " )

Although various interest groups striving for a reopening of Meigs Field in court, this could not be achieved, as owner of the airport, the city was.

In August 2003, the demolition work ended on Meigs Field, and the conversion into a lakefront park was started. By now (summer 2009) is the area a spacious, partially weedy lawn with few, due to the fierce winter storms, underdeveloped young trees. A paved trail is lined with various works of art. Since Grant Park and Millennium Park to achieve better and are much more attractive, Meigs is frequented only by a few joggers and dog owners.

Others

Although Meigs Field was a relatively small, rather insignificant airfield, he was still known around the world. This is due to the Microsoft Flight Simulator. In older versions of the first flight began after installation in a Cessna of Meigs Field, and it was considered a tradition in the virtual world to start from there and perform the first round flight.