Chicagos Scenic Route

Pilots around Lake Michigan know theres a popular route down the lakeshore with the Chicago skyline just off the wingtip. This offers fantastic views of downtown Chicago and is a practical way to transit from eastern Wisconsin to anywhere southeast of Windy City. You might even have a reason to stop at Chicago Midway and get a really close look at that famous skyline.

Elaine Kauh

Monday, January 08, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

The Alpha Electro could be cleared for the U.S. flight training market in about six months. Pipistrel

Key Takeaways:

The Midway Three Departure, particularly from runways 4L/R for westbound flights, involves complex and indirect initial vectors that send aircraft low over Chicago and away from their intended course for an extended period.
Pilots on this departure face challenges such as constant vectoring, heavy traffic, limited emergency landing options, and the need to manage speed while adhering to strict airspace boundaries to avoid other busy airports like O'Hare.
Despite the initial complexities and indirect routing, controllers are accommodating, and aircraft are eventually cleared to their desired altitude and course once clear of the congested Chicago airspace.

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Pilots around Lake Michigan know there’s a popular route down the lakeshore with the Chicago skyline just off the wingtip. This offers fantastic views of downtown Chicago and is a practical way to transit from eastern Wisconsin to anywhere southeast of Windy City. You might even have a reason to stop at Chicago Midway and get areallyclose look at that famous skyline.

Filing out of KMDW is pretty standard for big-city airspace. You figure out where ATC is sending the departures and brief the expected procedure—there are two at Midway. The Midway Three Departure is simple in its makeup, but has some interesting twists and turns.