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).

Copyright © 2008 A.C. Frieden. No reproduction permitted.

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.

Copyright © 2008 A.C. Frieden. No reproduction permitted.

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).

Copyright © 2008 A.C. Frieden. No reproduction permitted.

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).

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).

(above) Military airstrip at Munster (no long an active military facility).

(above) Military airbase and hardened aircraft tunnels (center/top) at Raron.

(above) Military/civilian communications facility southeast of Visp.

(below) Final approach for Runway 08 at Sion.

Copyright © 1993-2008 A.C. Frieden. No reproduction permitted.

Flying over Central Switzerland

In the summer of 1993, I went flying in central Switzerland, leaving from the grass strip at Thun Airfield. The airstrip is located in a Swiss Army practice range, used mostly by armored vehicles. As second in command, I flew part of the flight, which included flying over Lake Thun, past Spiez, over Interlaken and Lake Brienz, past Brienz and making a u-turn over Meiringen Air Base (which is closed on weekends). Meiringen AB is one of Switzerland's most secretive sites, because in addition to being an airbase, it has two nearby hardened aircraft shelters (tunnels housing Mirage, F-5 and Hunter aircraft), which will be modernized and expanded to three tunnels to protect over twenty FA-18 aircraft which Switzerland recently acquired.

(above) Preflight check (notice the Swiss tanks in the background!).

(above) View of hangar while taking off from the grass strip.

(above) Immediately after takeoff I flew over Pz-68 tanks practicing on the field.

(above) Flying over Interlaken Air Base.

(above) Approaching Meiringen Air Base.

(above) Flying over the two mountain aircraft shelter entrances at Meiringen Air Base (each leads to a hardened tunnel for Mirage III, F-5E and Hunter fighters).

(above) Returning west, I flew past the lakefront town of Brienz.

(above) Flying over Interlaken (the famous Victoria Jungfrau Resort in center).

(above) Thun is home to Switzerland's main armored vehicle manufacture, assembly and maintenance facilities.

(above) Many of the Swiss Army's armored units train in and around Thun's army base.

(above) At the center of Thun's military base, not far from the airfield is a collection of old armored vehicles from all over the world.

Copyright © 2008 A.C. Frieden. No reproduction permitted.

Flying Around North Texas

For the next year after passing my check ride, I spent much of my flying time from Addison Airport nearby areas in northern Texas. For simple touch-n-go practice I usually flew to Denton, although weekends were pretty busy.

(above) Heading out in a C-150 with my buddy Doug (was my instructor before the Check Ride).

(above) This C-150 belongs in a museum -- old and cranky, but I flew it anyway.

(above) Filling the tanks before the heading north.

(above) Addison Airport from above, exiting the pattern.

(above) Flying over Lake Lewisville, southeast of Denton.

(above) Downwind at Denton Airport.

(above) University of North Texas campus in Denton (looking north).

(above) Abandoned Boeing 727, DC-8 and DC-9 aircraft at Grayson County Airport.

(above) A close-up of the aircraft graveyard.