Daley wins, Meigs fades to a memory | Aviation International News

Daley wins, Meigs fades to a memory

With the final demolition dust settling over what used to be Meigs Field, the question now becomes, “What would keep this from happening elsewhere in the f

By Mark Phelps

August 5, 2008

With the final demolition dust settling over what used to be Meigs Field, the question now becomes, “What would keep this from happening elsewhere in the future?” Last month, crews resumed the destruction of Chicago’s idyllic lakefront airport to the dismay of aviation groups, including Friends of Meigs Field and AOPA, which had led the fight to save the long embattled facility. Their opponent, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, began the destruction process with his order to send in bulldozers to tear up the runway in the middle of the night on March 30, without prior notice to anyone, including the FAA regional office, air traffic control, Signature Flight Support (which operated the FBO at Meigs) and the aircraft owners whose airplanes were parked on the ramp.

Now, demolition crews are completing the job, hauling away the remnants of the runway’s pavement and laying down sod in its place to create Northerly Island Park.

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