Chicago FD Copter down near Meigs

mikea

mikea

Touchdown! Greaser!
Gone West
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iWin
A Chicago Fire Department helicopter made an emergency landing on the lakefront today, but there were no apparent injuries to three crew members.

The aircraft went down around noon in a grassy area on the east side of the 3900 block of South Lake Shore Drive, police spokeswoman Robin Mohr said.

...the chopper came down in an area that has been used as a landing spot for helicopters.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-060630chopper-down,1,4893472.story?coll=chi-news-hed
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Those not living in DuhMaresBizarroWorld may wonder a few things:

  • Q.) Why is this grassy area where the helicopter lands not the nearby grassy area that used to be an airport?
    A.) Because the airport was unneeded, of course. We don't want that kind around.
  • Q.) Where is this helicopter based? Where does it go when needs to refuel?
    A.) It's based at 95th street because the airport that was closer where it used to be based is unneeded, of course.
  • Q.) Why would this helicopter have been south of where the crowds enjoying the holiday celebration are?
    A.) Because it's based at 95th street because the airport that was closer where it used to be based, is unneeded, of course.
  • Q.) You know that uneeded airport where the fire department helicopter used to be based? Why was it closed?
    A.) DuhMare had it bulldozed at midnight for reasons of public safety, of course.
 
Looking at the video, it is entirely possible that this "grassy area" is indeed Northerly Island.

The media gets in on the charade like when the weather reports that went "Temperatures are 56 at O'Hare, 54 at Midway, 52 at the lakefront, 55 at DuPage, 52 at Waukegan..." Guess which one was not a report from an airport?
 
From the Friends of Meigs newsletter today:

Earlier today, local news outlets reported that one of the Chicago Fire Department air-sea rescue helicopters crashed (they say "had an emergency landing" but anytime your aircraft comes to rest upside down, that seems like a crash to us, see left.) The chopper was reportedly responding to a call of a person in distress in the waters off North Avenue beach. No word has been reported on the fate of the rescue subject.

Fortunately, the 3 CFD crewmen aboard suffered only minor injuries.

The CFD Air-Sea Rescue Squad was based at Meigs Field for over 40 years, before being wakened to move 9 miles south along the lakefront in the dead of night on 3/31/06. Many members of the squad have been supporters of Meigs Field. One was quoted as saying that by moving from Meigs, "they have turned us from a rescue squad to a body recovery unit." (The extra transit time from the city limits where they are now located can spell the difference between life and death for a drowning person on the City's most popular lakefront locations.)

Our hearts and prayers go out to the members and families of the squad that have been affected by this incident.

Keep up the good work for all of us. We hope to welcome you back to Meigs in the future.
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