Chicago used to be 1st or 2nd just a few years ago and now is slowly turning into another Detroit … give it a few more years…
@cowtowner were you flying a jet out of 3CK and which direction? @kaiser were you frolicking in the Bravo in 2020 or more recent? You were cleared through ORD Bravo VFR? Was it at night? That is wild. I hope you play the lottery too because those aren't the stories I hear!
When ORD is in west flow, MDW is on the 22s, and you depart the area outbound, you almost always get a clearance. I got it heading to RR in 2021 (April). I was probably 5000 when I left the bravo southbound from DPA.
COVID really rearranged the "busiest" airport chart as varying restrictions worldwide moved things around. May shake back out one day.
This is not COVID anymore , it may have started that way but Chicago Loop is a different place now in so many ways .. I worked there between 2001 and 2018 …I don’t go there anymore unless I absolutely positively have to.
I used to be based at MDW. Genuinely nice controllers there. Had to fly around or over ohare often. The most amusing thing I remember is that the weather at ohairy could be complete and total garbage, yet the weather at midway was clear and nice as could be. Perhaps it’s the attitude of the controllers that generally keeps chicago as the giant pile of crap that it is Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I have flown the NYC airspace for years. The controllers merely follow what the computer spits out. I was coming from CLT to HPN and when I hit Patuxent got this wonderful re-route travelling at 11,000 D LOUIE T291 LAAYK T216 IGN KHPN. (see attached). This egregious reroute sent me 170 miles out of my way Typically the computer waits until I'm near Philadelphia when it spits out D CYN v1 DIXIE V276 RBV V249 SAX V39 BREZY KHPN (See other attached). Generally this is below 9,000. A bad routing but only adding 70 miles just to stay out of their hair. What I've found works is to "trick" the computer. I file and get cleared to KFRG via D CYN V1 JFK KFRG and after DIXIE I amend my destination to KHPN and they route me over JFK east of KLGA up Long Island and then across the sound to KHPN. Saves 70 miles that way. Thus I think it's less brusque controllers than cranky computer systems.
I’m totally on board with your routing tips as ATC would do the same whenever I came northbound from my Florida trips. Often, I was able to get a more direct routing by cancelling IFR and staying above the 7000 top of the NY CLASS B where they would allow the descent through the Class B when it was needed. But of course, that was when VFR conditions allowed. However, understand that not only were you coming from the South like me from Florida, we were both coming from the WEST also. When IFR conditions prevail and coming from the west, Westchester and Danbury use the Valre5 and Nobbi5 arrivals. I often file LAAYK to get on the Nobbi5 anticipating how NY likes to space aircraft for approachs. If you would have filed from CLT a routing to get to LAAYK right from the start, your detour would have been minimal.
