O'Hare Tower

O'Hare Tower visit on July 17th, 2008.

Plan WEIRD configuration. Arrivals 22R/28/27L (trip runway), Departures 22L, 32L, 32L@T10 intersection (free roll runway), 32R (overflow).

For a visualization:

http://myairplane.com/databases/approach/pdfs/00166AD.PDF

Higher resolution images from the tour:
http://laartcc.org/zla/viewtopic.php?t=10619

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• O'Hare
• Tower
• Air
• Traffic
• Control
• ATC
• ORD
• KORD

[zoeylilcuds]

do u still use the first ugly tan tower?? Great Video!!!!

[doubl609]

The old tower by the Hilton is used by the city for airport vehicle operations, I believe.

[doubl609]

The runway configuration from this video is history... so this video should be a historical document to what ORD used to be. Since the opening of the north runway (9L/27R), they now run triple-simuls to 28/27L/27R and depart 22L/28/32L@T10 (mostly), this configuration is used around 75-80% of the time now.

[doubl609]

When the ceilings permit, they usually run visuals to the outboards (28/27R) and the "high-and-wide" arrivals on the new WATSN STAR join the ILS to 27L right down the middle from over the lake. They don't have to use capture points this way (the visuals to the outboards have a much shorter downwind) and they're arrival rates per-hour have increased dramatically.

[squawk0303]

how did you guys manage to get a tour of the tower?

i work for eagle at ORD and i've always wanted to get a tour myself.

[doubl609]

I landed the connection through friends that work at the TRACON in Elgin. Wish I could have taken some pictures and videos from there... that will blow you away as well.

[karbunkle1]

ATC is a great job. Keep trying to get in, if you want it. Sometimes you have to be the one making the phone calls because they don't always call you. There will be plenty of openings in the next 5-10 years.

[mleverone]

@karbunkle1 wonder when the do-away with 32L and 32R, they will slap a GS on 4L and start running ILS 4L/R?

[karbunkle1]

@mleverone That's a great upgrade! I once went to SFO from ORD and it was a plane change from a 767 to a 747. Plenty of room.

[mleverone]

@karbunkle1 Yeah you are right. I forgot this past summer i came in on a 744 from SFO. I was asleep when we landed, but walking to the bridge, I said to the Pilot "I wish we could have flown the 32L LOC!". He said he was shocked because we landed 9R/27L with the 744! He seemed to be super excited about this. This was a plane swap (we were supposed to be on a 320), so the entire back of the 744 was empty. This allowed all econ plus to get international biz class - flatbeds!

[karbunkle1]

@mleverone It's a LOC approach, certain parts of the airport have to be cleared of aircraft before someone comes over the threshhold, and it's a terrible taxi back. And it just serves no purpose. We would use RY10 and 9R just fine before 4L. Like I said before, if the wind was very high from the NE, it might happen out of necessity, but it's just too rare.

[karbunkle1]

@mleverone Oh, OK. Thought it might be something like that but it seemed like 1000 was a low number. I didn't get the context. You might as well forget about 4L. Right now! Don't spend time thinking about it. Or, go get a Cessna and a pilot and come in at 2 in the morning and we'll see what we can work out. Ha ha

[karbunkle1]

@mleverone It's not unsafe. If the 14R goes around, they have 2 miles to the intersection. RY10 is on the ground nearly a mile from the intersection. In the event of a dual go-around, they start nearly 3 miles apart, so you have time to turn or keep one low. It's funny because when they crossed, pilot unions didn't want to land 14R and hold short of 28 or 10 deps. That really slowed down the operation. Now it's no big deal because the city painted a threshhold north of 28/10!

[karbunkle1]

@mleverone West flow is landing FROM the lake. East flow would be 9L/R/10. We tried it a couple times and it fails miserably. Someday it will work. Problem is finding a good departure runway. 22L works fine but 32L and R cut through the 2 finals for 9 R/L. 4L works but the timing isn't good. Hit the 9R gap, no prob, but to time it with a 9L arrival slows the problem down too much. You don't want a tie with a go-around.

[karbunkle1]

@mleverone We land on 22L a little bit. It's a south wind configuration when the wind is too high out of the SW for RY10 arrivals. Some days we might be on it most of the day. But we'd rather not land 22L because it's an awkward taxi back. It used to be a nice operation 10+ years ago. It's plenty long for an MD11. Shoot, we have A340s land on 27L with only 7967 feet, certainly 8075 is enough (22L). I'm a controller at ORD, not a pilot.