Depart Midway, Again

Our February 2018 clinic (Chicagos Scenic Route) discussing a particular procedure at Chicago Midway International led to some reader mail about what should happen. The Midway Three departure for Runways 4L and 4R, if interpreted on its face, would have indeed involved extra maneuvering just after takeoff, as we discussed. It has since been noted that this DP calls for a more logical sequence of steps to make it work. So we went back to take another look at the Midway Three along with the other DPs published there. The charts have since been updated a little to clarify when, where, and how high to go.

Elaine Kauh

Tuesday, February 19, 2019 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The article clarifies the correct interpretation of Chicago Midway's Departure Procedures (DPs) for Runways 4L/4R, emphasizing an initial climbing right turn to 100 degrees to safely avoid O'Hare airspace.
It discusses how initial interpretations could lead to unsafe maneuvering and highlights subsequent chart updates and the alternative Cicero One DP for clearer guidance.
The piece raises a safety concern for slower piston aircraft regarding early turns while still over the runway, which could conflict with other traffic or violate standard climb-before-turn guidelines.
Ultimately, it stresses the importance of pilots having a comprehensive, "big picture" understanding of DPs to ensure obstacle clearance, airspace avoidance, and traffic separation.

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Our February 2018 clinic (“Chicago’s Scenic Route”) discussing a particular procedure at Chicago Midway International led to some reader mail about what should happen. The Midway Three departure for Runways 4L and 4R, if interpreted on its face, would have indeed involved extra maneuvering just after takeoff, as we discussed. It has since been noted that this DP calls for a more logical sequence of steps to make it work. So we went back to take another look at the Midway Three along with the other DPs published there. The charts have since been updated a little to clarify when, where, and how high to go.

Keep It Simple

Let’s go back to the west-side GA ramp at Midway in a single-engine aircraft with RNAV. We’ll get a departure clearance from Runway 4L. The desired course is to head northwest to the Polo VORTAC and the filed altitude is 10,000 feet, with the final destination of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. We know that due to the runway assignment, we’ll be heading away from Polo initially. The southern boundary of O’Hare’s inner airspace lies minutes away, so the mission is to fly the proper headings and altitudes to avoid traffic, avoid the Class B, and clear the obstacles until getting cleared to proceed on course.