A.C. Frieden's Cockpit World

Thursday, April 20, 2000

Flying in Chicago in Early 2000

A typical flight for me in Chicago in the late 1990s was to rent my Cessna (usually a C-172) at Midway airport and head either north (to Waukegan and north shore area) or down to Kankakee. The flight below was on a beautiful, high visibility day in April 2000.

(above) In the cockpit of my rented C-172 at Midway Airport, Chicago.

(above) My rental C-172 at Midway.

(above) Aircraft parked that day in front of Millionaire Aviation.

(above) And this F/A-18... Can I upgrade from my C-172?

(above) Taking off from Runway 31L (the one most used by general aviation).

(above) View of the "Loop" and Grant Park, Chicago.

(above) View my condo building (center highrise) at 5445 North Sheridan Rd.

(above) Flying over Wrigley Field and nearby "L" station.

(above) Flying over barracks and vehicle storage facilities at Fort Sheridan.

(above) Downwind at Waukegan Airport.

(above) Heading south over Rogers Park and Lakeview neighborhoods.

(above) Heading south past the United Center.

Saturday, July 3, 1999

Flying in Chicago in the Late 1990s (Part II)

By late 1999, I became harder to find the time to fly. I was working long hours for a top Chicago law firm, had bought a horse to ride in the distant suburbs, was finishing my LLM thesis in the evenings, was writing my first novel, and maintained an over-active social life. It was a surprise that I could get any flying done at all. Most of my flights were local, starting from Midway and heading to places like Kankakee, Meigs Field, Rockford, Waukegan, and Lake Geneva. (To see "Flying in Chicago, Part I," click here). The pictures below are from a flight in mid-1999 from a C-150.

(above) I sometimes took an instructor with me whenever I spent more than a couple months without flying. This one (I forgot her name) was particularly nice.

(above) Spectacular view of downtown Chicago shortly after takeoff from Midway.

(above) McCormick Place and Meigs Field, which was a fun airport to fly into.

(above) Foster Beach, Lake Shore Drive, and my condo building on Sheridan Rd.

(above) View of the Diversey Harbor Lagoon west of Lake Shore Drive.

(above) Heading south along the north shore (Bahai Temple visible on left/center).

Sunday, April 25, 1999

Flying in Chicago the Late 1990s (Part I)

After moving to Chicago in 1997, I began flying C-150s and C-172s, at first from Poplar Grove, and later from Midway Airport. Typical destinations included Kankakee, Meigs Field, Rockford, and Waukegan, and Lake Geneva.

(above) Flying as second in command in a C-172 from Poplar Grove Airport.

(above) View heading north at about 4000 feet, passing over Meigs Field (1999).

Friday, July 17, 1998

Flying in Georgia with Scared Friends

On July 17, 1998, I was visiting Tifton, Georgia, a sleepy town in the southern part of the state, when I had the urge to rent a plane at the local airport and take some friends flying. It was a perfect day, with clear skies and warm temperatures. Great idea, you think. Well, when we got into the hanger, the attendant was glued to the television, following the breaking developments of the disapperance of a Piper Saratoga II aircraft piloted by JFK Jr. in the sea off Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Lesson learned: check the news before you take inexperienced passengers with you. I finally got them to fly with me, but it took a lot of convincing (even though the weather was absolutely clear, that there was no other plane in the area, and that I'm a sane pilot).

(above) Taking my terrified friend, Candace, up for a short flight.

Thursday, April 30, 1998

Flying over New Orleans

In May 1999, I visited New Orleans with a law firm colleague to give respective presentations at my former law school. The trip coincided with the Jazz Fest weekend (yeah, not really coincidence). While there, i had an urge to fly around. So I rented a Cessna 172 from Lakefront Airport (Google Map) in and took my colleague and a former law school buddy of mine flying. And we couldn't have chosen a more beautiful day to see the city and surrounding areas. After takeoff, I headed south toward Algiers and then west toward Audobon Park, following the Mississippi. I circled near the Loyola campus and then returned east, heading toward Slidell, following I-10, and then returned to Lakefront Airport for an amazingly smooth landing.

(above) Flying a rented C-172.

(above) The Mississippi River, the Poland Street wharf (center), and the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal (right) just south of the boundary of the Ninth Ward (far center/right), which was severely damaged in a later hurricane.

(above) The Mississippi River, the casino (far left), the World Trade Center (left), the Riverwalk (center).

(above) View of New Orlean's Pontchartrain Expressway (left), the Superdome (center/left) and the central business district (center/right).

Monday, April 4, 1994

Showing Off to Friends and Family

What pilot doesn't want to show off (a little) to friends and family. So, the list was long... Throughout 1993 and 1994, I spend a lot of gas over the skies of north Texas, usually from Addison Airport to Denton or to the southern Oklahoma border.

(above) Standing with my mom next to my rental C-150 at Addison Airport.

(above) Taking my mom's friend up for a flight north of Dallas.

(above) Flying over my townhouse in Richardson, Texas (suburb of Dallas).

Thursday, August 5, 1993

Observing the Swiss Army's Mountain Defenses from Above

One of the interesting things to see while flying in Switzerland is the way infrastructure has been adapted to the mountainous terrain. This flight focused on military infrastructure, including sensitive storage sites, airfields (including hardened tunnels to shelter fighter aircraft), and dual-use communications facilities in the Valais, one of the most mountainous regions of the country.

(above) Military depot adjacent to Sion Air Base.

(above) Aircraft engine testing facility and adjacent fighter HAS at Sion Air Base.

(above) Military depot near Sion Air Base.

(above) Civilian and military satellite ground station at Leuk. The military "Satos" antenna (top, covered). Several antennas have been added at the facility since this picture was taken, including specialized equipment to run the new "ONYX" signals intelligence system operated by Switzerland's intelligence services. Data is shared with facilities located in Zimmerwald, Heimenschwand and Berne.

(above) Military storage facility (including tunnels) just west of Untere Wehreye.

(above) Military airfield and hardened aircraft tunnels (above far right and next two photos below) at Turtmann (no long an active military base).