Why Chicago Secretly Razed A Major Airport 

The air traffic controllers continued to report for work and receive a paycheck from the FAA for a few years, as the airport’s closing was not in their contract.

The history of Meigs field and Mayor Daley destroying it in the middle of the night is soooooo Chicago.

Anything you need to do in secret in the middle of the night, is almost 100% of the time, something you shouldn't be doing.

The biggest change as a result of this, is that MS Flight Simulator no longer starts at Meigs Field

I'll forever remember Meigs as the default airport in Microsoft Flight Simulator

One interesting little piece of Meigs' history: There is a big Boeing 727 on display at the Museum of Science and Industry, and to get it there, they landed it at Meigs Field and then put it on a barge to float it closer to the Museum. It's probably the biggest aircraft to ever use Miegs Field.

I had a friend who was a private pilot back then. He said A LOT of local pilots used the trip to Meigs field as part of their qualifications - big city airport - FAA controlled airspace - but still relatively easy for a novice pilot to make their way to, and land. O'Hare and Midway were (and are) too busy for a learner to deal with. Also, Daley waited until there was finally a Chicago Democrat in the Governor's mansion before doing it. He was scared to anger a Republican governor, and had to resort to a cowardly act to destroy it. I'd be willing to believe there was a large some of money involved as well...

Destroying a runway without notice is incredibly reckless in terms of air safety. There would be flight plans filed using it as an alternate and emergency aircraft could have attempted to use it.

As a pilot who only had the opportunity to land there only one time, I'm still fuming. Meigs was the most perfectly located General Aviation airport within a major city.

I remember when the Tuskegee Airmen would take kids up in planes from Meigs field. My daughter was too young to go, and by the time she was old enough to, Meigs was no more. Broke my heart.

Its closing should have been determined by public referendum, a concrete plan for its renovation and a bond issue to pay for it not the petulance of a power-hungry mayor. From what i can see, the park looks like an abandoned eyesore with little patronage other than a concert once in a while. In other words, Daley probably knew he would lose.

"It's quite difficult to take sides in this dispute." I don't think it is! Even if closing the airport was a good thing decades later the way it was accomplished was reckless and self-centered. The stereotype of the corrupt Chicago politician didn't come from nowhere!

Being 13 when that happened and living in Aurora, Illinois at the time, all I can say is that a lot of people were pissed off!

As a resident of California I have come to know that almost nothing is off the table when it comes to political leveraged moves.😮

Toronto's Billy Bishop Airport has been modernized and is awesome, especially for those working in the finance industry. Somehow it thrives on the islands next to downtown, sharing space with parkland, and few noise complaints due to a strict daytime window of operations. Chicago could and should have followed suit.

ONE guy decides he doesn't want something... Tears it down in the middle of the night. The party of democracy strikes again. I remember the field as a kid. Daley was a complete d-bag.

I remember this well. My parents used to live a block from the lake, and I would visit frequently. It was there one visit and gone the next.

This was a great violation as it was done totally unilaterally and without FAA oversite

The question is, does the economic activity of a park and concert opportunity today, exceed the activity generated by the airport?

I remember that day and the utter confusion it caused as many of the people who stored thier planes there were unaware of the plan to destory the runways.

To fly into Meigs Field was the only reason I got my Private Pilot's License. Once I was IFR and had enough flight time and courage, it was closed.

Standard corrupt Chicago politician.

If you have to do something in secret, then that is not a good plan.

This is one of your few stories I know well, you did a great job.

When Meigs Field was open, flew by private plane there to visit the Field Museum and the Planetarium, both of which are very close.

Good ol' Microsoft Flight Simulator 5.0/95/98/2000/2002, Meigs still lives on.

You forgot to mention it's inclusion as the default airport in Microsoft Flight Sim. It was the flight simmers who made a big part of the noise when it got destroyed.

I used to fly to Detroit International in the late 1970's from Meigs on Ong Airlines. Extremely convenient! Daley should have been forced to pay for destruction of Public Property! He clearly lacked legal authority.

I flew in and out of Meigs for years. I miss it, as it was so close to everything. But change is the only constant

Northerly Island was also the location of Chicago's 1933 World's Fair, A Century of Progress. An aunt of mine worked there in her early 20's.

You should have mentioned that the Adler had a very popular webcam at the time which faced the runway. People would watch planes take off all day long on it. Boss Hogg initiated his attack (at midnight on a Sunday - perfect time for public works projects) by having a police car park in front of the Adler shining a spotlight directly on the webcam so it was blinded and you couldnt see what was happening. (tbh I am surprised he was that smart.)

“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” A quote from 19th century English historian Baron Lord Action from 1887, this is what happens to politicians. Politicians realise this and they know they’ll never be held accountable for their action so they do it not for what is good, but, for what is good for them.

It looks like a swamp now ,👍👍👍

The island's first use was for the 1933 world's fair, "Century of Progress" which got extended to 18 months. Took more than a decade for the airport to be added.

It takes a child to raze a village. 😂

Used it at least dozen times back in the day, very handy for GA pilots wanting to get downtown. As with most pilots I was pretty POed about Daly destroying it at the time. Funny thing is though, recreational and corporate flying is dying pretty fast, if they kept it open back then, it still would be looking at closure today because of dwindling use. Then again, the park still isn't used either.

Should have been left intact for emergency landings & government use .....Chicago loves to waste 🗑💸 money

My dad used to fly In/Out of Meigs Field . I thought it seemed like a cool place as a boy.

Flew into Meigs field several times, is was quite convenient, it's a bitch to get anywhere from O'Hare.

But the plans were on display It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard.

To be perfectly honest the destruction done was criminal damage whether who owned it or didn't own it. To do it under the cover of night shows corruption as very few airports shut at night and almost certainly had security. That amount of construction traffic on a man made island would've been careless as someone could've got hurt or construction vehicles lost due to blindlessness of 1 individual. The fact that it happened and the city acknowledged it's fines eventually means they knew it was an illegal act and that the system was protecting a corrupt individual. A simple conversation of can a portion of the area be converted into a nature area and as the airport closes more can be done as and when safely can be done. I'm sure the airport was a noisy place and it affected residents, but the construction vehicles would've made more noise over night than the airport ever created. That noise must have been deafening and for construction workers to work without lighting and do a precise job is an amazing feat to say the least. All I heard and saw was a mindless individual just 1 individual being a spoilt little individual and knew he wasn't getting his own way and decided to throw his toys out the pram. There's no argument for it there's no side to pick other than the side of lawful tenure and contractual agreements. All that individual did was destroy an economic system which helped the rest of the economic systems in Chicago to thrive and survive. Any company or business that failed after that incident is purely down to 1 individual that wanted what he wanted and said screw it to the rest of the people. It's undemocratic and illegal to do what he did, it was criminal what happened and that the same mindlessness is what put Chicago into further depression. Yes it's done a world of good now and yet the point of if the planes could still continue to land that Chicago would be a bustling place of commerce with 1000s of jobs. Many of the businesses and companies would be huge thriving industries and employ many more than they ever thought. Chicago would literally be a huge tourist attraction due to the airport and would have a much larger footfall now than ever before. The ultimate shame sits on 1 individual believing they're untouchable and will do as they please without repercussions and allow others to pay for the mistakes that 1 individual did. Truly just a shame that was done as with today's technological developments that airport could've been an epicentre of tourism and being in the city as well would have did soo much good its uncalculatable of the what if.

Born and raised in Chicago. Left there in the mid 70s, and moved to a western state. Always loved Meigs Field, especially as a kid. When I heard what Daley did, I wasn’t at all shocked by his dictatorial-like handling of the utter destruction of Meigs. Though, maybe a bit surprised, and rather sad.

I see no wilderness. It's just a weed patch

As a businessman, a pilot, and aviation enthusiast, I am incredibly distraught with the loss of meg field. It is, however, not only the loss of the aviation aspect that wrinkles. It is the heavy-handed and unilateral decision and action taken by an elected official without sufficient authority to do what he did. Such a flagrant violation of the Democratic principles on which the country was based has likely never before been seen, perpetrated as it was by the elected officials of the area concerned. If I had a vote, I would apply for funds from the current administration’s infrastructure programs to rebuild Meigs field - and to do so in a way that celebrates aviation and Chicago’s place within that world. it would be a wonderful place to commemorate the pilots who flew in all the major wars, as well as the development and history of the world of powered flight.

Let's get this straight. It was not a "single runway." It was a single airstrip. Each airstrip has two runways, one running each way: 36 and 18, both 3,900 feet long in this case.

Do not forget the big ol' 727 landing there back in 1992. Like a big chicken coming into his own little barnyard. On its way to a permanent display at Chicagos Museum of Science and Industry.

It could have been like London-City Airport or Washington-National.

Great video... I had always wondered about that airport.

Illegal as heck. No notice to the FAA. Aircraft on the ground were stranded. I used to fly into Meigs in my general aviation airplane when visiting Chicago. It was so cool. It felt like landing on an aircraft carrier or as close as civilians could come. It was unique. Such a loss.

The airport added economic value to the city in the surrounding area. Even the executive traffic was high at one time. The fact that Boeing has their main headquarters in Chicago they would be using the airport as well. Sad to see it go it was a plus.

Milwaukee also had an airport along Lake Michigan, Maitland Airport, which was eventually converted into a Nike Missile installation. It's now the Summerfest grounds.

As someone who got held up in traffic forever for the President to travel from Ohare to Soldier Field, the preferred option would have been for VIPs to land directly there. What a waste and inconvenience 🤦🏻‍♀️

Nice research -and apparently still done from Poland. Bravo!

"the pen is mightier that the sword" guy got smart and brought a bulldozer instead.

I remember going to the McKormick Center for car shows and seeing the Xs on the runway. Crazy!

When Bill Lear had his avionics business in Chicago, Meigs was his home field. He used his aircraft to test fly his many ideas.

I used to ride my bike to the lakefront, The end point was Miegs Field. I would buy a can of coke and sometimes I would see an aircraft take off or land. Great fun. The third most popular public event in Chicago was the open day at Miegs. This was paid for and manned by volunteers.The tax payers did not have to pay a penny. The airfield was wrecked at the same time that Millinual park opened. Was Daley afraid of competition?The airport was build because the area was overrun by hobos and bums. I visited the place a few tears ago. They are coming back. The field is an isolated place and is hard to visit. In winter,it is very cold This is a terrible place for public events, but would make a great airport. (More coming)

As someone who had the first Flight Simulator on the original IBM PC, I have taken off from Meigs Field many times, as it was the place the simulation began. Sad to see it no longer serves its purpose. Good luck getting a small airport that close to a major downtown like that again. There's progress, and then there's this. It's one thing to return the salt ponds of the San Francisco Bay back to marsh land. The loss of cheap salt to Cargill is nothing compared to the opportunity cost of not having that airport with a high end clientele, who obviously benefited from it being there. Do I think Daley was heavy handed? Of course he was. After all, his father was notorious and was the one who said "vote early, vote often". As a target for terrorists, the airport would seem to be low on the list of potential targets if you look at potential losses, so the security excuse is lame.

Great piece, another dimension- I wonder how much influence did ORD related business lobbies had on shutting it down.

Hey, back here in Rio we still have SDU, which is Rio’s major domestic airport ! Not an island, but quite similar in some sense and right in downtown

The FAA should have grounded all of the City of Chicago aircraft as payback including helicopters 🚁 & government owned planes ... if they owned OHare it too should have been shut down or forced to sell any city government interest

Never knew that was even there… how cool must that have been to land right next to the stadium

Did you mention Meigs was right next to McCormick Convention Center, largest in North America. We would fly in from Cleveland, take a shuttle to the convention and be there in 15 min.

9:06 I love that bottom plan! Extra parking, bridge, plus a reef?!?

I remember driving through Chicago that morning and hearing on WLS that a fleet of bulldozers had just arrived at Meigs Field and were destroying it. That was about 3 in the morning… totally shady but then again so was Mayor Daley!

Please, allow an aging Boomer to put it this way. Meigs was COOL!

Very interesting story!

I once took Chicago Helicopter Airways from Midway Field to Meig's field. I'm not surprised that Mayor Dailey essentially used force to grant his own wish rather than to proceed through channels.

I used to fly into Meigs a lot for day trips. I do no understand the noise complaints as you had to be gone by 10 pm or stay the night once you crossed riverside drive, all one could hear was the city traffic, horns and gunfire. Ironic to me that those who paved over an entire city would complain that there is no wildlife either!

As non American I do like your vids about American history. Fascinating.👍 No. A lot of mayors are ruining cities, traditions and lifes these days. Sind 911 it has gotten in a lot of places.

Anyone that played early Microsoft Flight sim knows all about Meigs Field

I would love a similar video about the old Stapleton Airport. There is sooo little collected information about it. Only able to find disparate bits and bobs

The first airplane landed in Grants park. _If it landed there today? It would be _*_STRIPPED CLEAN_*_ before the engine was shut down!_

the 727 that is at the Museum of Science and Industry landed at CGX

Daley was rumored to want to give the preceding improvement contract to a family company.

I flew in once from across the lake in Michigan on a private charter. Incredible feeling looking UP at the tall buildings that felt nearby.

Back when visiting the city was decent rather than like driving through Fallujah, it was enjoyable to cycle on the lakefront near the planetarium and watch the aircraft takeoff and land.

Should have kept it an airport. Chicago has lots of parks

I was just at northerly last month for a music festival - Beyond Wonderland Chicago. You are correct, the skyline behind the stages makes for a beautiful scene. Would love to see development

Citys in the Western United States, it is common to have Airports located towards the middle of the city

Rish people only thinking of their own, not thinking about all the people making a living from the airport.

Little Richie did it because Maggie wanted another park...

I landed at Meigs when I was a private pilot in a Piper Warrior. Returned a few years later when I was flying charter in King Airs and Citation jets. It was a neat airport. If you want a similar experience today you’ll need to fly to Burke Lakefront airport in Cleveland.

It was nice to watch operations from Mccormick during a break if you were at a convention.. Just step out for a bit with a drink or a smoke and watch em come n go.

I remember Meigs field

This was basically a felony.

New York and London have airports that are essentially in the city center, as does DC and Boston.

I was a controller there and transferred shortly before the midnight raid. Some of my friends still worked there when it happened. When they showed up to open the tower the next morning, they were not allowed passed the gate and turned away. Fun times working there and a beautiful view. On breaks, I would fish in the harbor right behind the tower.

They need to be concentrated & concerned about fixing the rampant crime issues they have above anything else

Sad that Meigs Field was turned into a park indistinguishable from New Jersey wasteland. Was never there except in the 1980's Microsoft Flight Simulator.

I was a pretty avid player of Sublogic Flight Simulator II on Apple II and Atari 8-bit, before Microsoft acquired it, and had no idea about the fate of the iconic Meigs Field, so this was pretty fascinating. The Chicago scenery didn't feature much other than the Hancock Center and Sears Tower - names which are also now historical.

I visited Chicago in 1993 after I’ve just completed my flight training in California. First place I really wanted to visit there was, of course, Meigs field. I’ve been taking offs and landings thousands of times there in Microsoft Flight Simulator back when the graphics was still very poor (MSFS 3.0 & 4.0 on Intel80486). I kept flying there in MSFS even during my first decade in airline years all the way till MSFS 2002. I remembered read about bulldozing the runway in papers. What a sad day. I’ve been flying for over three decades now and this clip brings back a lot of memories. In five years time I will be retired. When that happens, I would probably starts flying MSFS again (with a thousand fold better graphics).

As a big fan of Chicago, and a massive aviation enthusiast (I am a licensed private pilot,) I was (and am still) angry about the clandestine and sudden closure of Meigs Field. It was a bucket list item to fly there for me, which will never be realized. As others have stated, probably my first introduction to the field (other than seeing it on regular visits to the Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, and Shedd Aquarium, was as the default starting location in Microsoft Flight Simulator from as far back as my family's Apple II+ computer. I'm still bitter about this as the resulting park was unnecessary as Chicago already has an amazing array of lakefront parks. I understand the resistance to the noise and pollution of an airport, but Meigs was simply too cool not to keep going.

I’m just surprised that the “park” was built rather than upscale condos. Given the lack of trees, I suspect this is still a future intention. Less stuff to clear.

I live right down here and often use Northerly Island for a getaway. 12th street beach is a little cove with a nice little eatery. And you can go for walks here and be truly alone. Its a great slice of downtown that was sorely needed, especially given how NASCAR, Lollapalooza, and other events now take over Grant Park all summer.

My friend work for the Chicago Airport Police at the time. (While that might not be the official name, Chicago had a totally separate police force just for their airports.). While he normally worked at O’Hare, on that fateful night he was ordered to go to Meigs Field. He had no idea why at the time. The mayor had evidently requested a large police presence to insure that his nightly demolition was able to proceed unhindered.

Well, that Peotone airport is gonna get started any day now, so...

It's Chicago. Enough said.

Conveniently a rail line that passed near Hizzoner's house about the same time had city inspectors find an amazing number of bridges on the line suddenly condemned as unsafe. The line was part of the two bascule bridges over the Chicago River south of Union Station. Bridges are historic landmarks and cannot be touched but just west of the bridges first street you get it was stub of the right of way on the east side shopping center with a Target on the former rail property to the west

Grew up playing earlier versions of Flight Sim, taking off from Meigs and flying to and landing at Ohare.