O'Hare airport approach waypoints and the 1985 Chicago Bears

[Low Positive]

My wife is flying into O'Hare today from Istanbul and I have been tracking the flight on FlightAware. I noticed that the flight path was called FNT WYNDE3. A little Googling led to me to the information that there are three primary approaches into O'Hare (North over Sault Ste Marie, A bit further south over the small lake Erie town of Greenbush, MI, and one over Flint (hense the FNT)). But looking at the flight paths and the names of the waypoints, something jumped out at me. A bunch of them are misspelled names of old Bears players and coaches

• Just after Sault Ste Marie is waypoint GAULT
• There is a waypoint DITCA
• There are both WLTER and PAITN waypoints
• Between the two Sweetness points, there is waypoint RHIVR

I'm probably missing something. In case anyone wants to nerd out on this, here is the approach path plan from the FAA: https://aeronav.faa.gov/d-tpp/2508/compare_pdf/00166wynde_cmp.pdf

 

[FitzShowUsYourTitz]

Interesting!!!

Cool find! 🍺

[sherpa]

Well, I'll take the bait and explain.

I was based there for years and flew widebodies from O'hare to Europe /Asia and back.

 

O'hare arrrival corridors are corridors are set up like a lot of other large intl airports in the US.

There are four "cornerposts" where the arrival approaches are funnelled.

Your post is mostly correct, but the cornerposts are northeast, and the arrival over the lake, Southeast, with the arrival starting in Indiana, Southwest, a bit north of St. Louis, and west/northwest.

Arrivals are sequenced over those cornerposts and the time splits coordinated so when you get turned over from the high altitude sector to O'hare approach, the sequencing is set up to make approach control's job easier.

From each setup, airplanes are directed to one of two active runways. Easr arrivals use one runway and west another.

Works pretty well.

Actually, O'hare is the best controlled airport on earth, in my view.

Did my retirement trip from there to Beijing and back, and got the water cannon salute from the O'hare fire dept at gate arrival.

 

Regarding your comment on the waypoint names, the standard is that they are five letters, so they play with consonants to make that work. 

In your post, the FNT WYNDE3, would be pronounced the "Flint Windey three, addressing the windy city moniker.

When updated, it would be "flint windey four", and so on.

They almost always are created with a local "flavor," thus the Bears stuff.

Washington has some interesting ones as well, as do most airports. 

Edited 4 hours ago by sherpa

[Low Positive]

4 minutes ago, sherpa said:

Well, I'll take the bait and explain.

I was based there for years and flew widebodies from O'hare to Europe and back.

 

O'hare arrrival corridors are corridors are set up like a lot of other large intl airports in the US.

There are four "cornerposts" where the arrival approaches are funnelled.

Your post is mostly correct, but the cornerposts are northeast, and the arrival over the lake, Southeast, with the arrival starting in Indiana, Southwest, a bit north of St. Louis, and west/northwest.

Arrivals are sequenced over those cornerposts and the time splits coordinated so when you get turned over from the high altitude sector to O'hare approach, the sequencing is set up to make approach control's job easier.

From each setup, airplanes are directed to one of two active runways. Easr arrivals use one runway and west another.

Works pretty well.

Actually, O'hare is the best controlled airport on earth, in my view.

Did my retirement trip from there to Beijing and back, and got the water cannon salute from the O'hare fire dept at gate arrival.

 

Regarding your comment on the waypoint names, the standard is that they are five letters, so they play with consonants to make that work. 

They almost always are created with a local "flavor," thus the Bears stuff.

Washington has some interesting ones as well, as do most airports. 

Thats really cool. Thanks for the actual info. I had no idea. I've never flown a plane, but I am an academic librarian so I tend to look up anything I encounter. I usually learn enough about everything to get myself in trouble. It's an occupational hazard.

 

I have learned since I posted this that Buffalo has waypoints named WNNGS, EFFCT (I assume for lake effect) and FOTBL. LAX has one named KOBEE, and CVG (Cincinnati) has ones named NXHAL (for Joe Nuxhall) and CRSLY (for Crosley Field). I'll look up Washington later. There is a whole clever world hidden there that most of us have no idea exists but it's all on the public Internet for those curious enough to seek it out.

[sherpa]

Hopefully, in Buffalo, there'll be a JOSHE soon enough.

[Dan Darragh]

Pre-season football is SO boring that THIS is what passes for pre-game hype?

[zow2]

Cool factoids.   I have nothing to add to the waypoints but I did land at O'hare on a United flight last week.  We landed on runway 9L which is the northernmost runway away from everything.  We proceeded to taxi for a bit to a holding pad (because our gate was still occupied which is very common at ORD).  We sat there for 25 mins, then proceeded to taxi around the entire northern taxiway system back and forth, following dozens of other planes until we got to the gate.   The pilot got on the intercom and joked about the scenic taxiway tour.  From the time our wheels touched down until we parked at the gate it was easily 1 hour 10 mins extra.  Makes you appreciate BUF.

[BillsPride12]

[hondo in seattle]

1 hour ago, sherpa said:

Well, I'll take the bait and explain.

I was based there for years and flew widebodies from O'hare to Europe /Asia and back.

 

O'hare arrrival corridors are corridors are set up like a lot of other large intl airports in the US.

There are four "cornerposts" where the arrival approaches are funnelled.

Your post is mostly correct, but the cornerposts are northeast, and the arrival over the lake, Southeast, with the arrival starting in Indiana, Southwest, a bit north of St. Louis, and west/northwest.

Arrivals are sequenced over those cornerposts and the time splits coordinated so when you get turned over from the high altitude sector to O'hare approach, the sequencing is set up to make approach control's job easier.

From each setup, airplanes are directed to one of two active runways. Easr arrivals use one runway and west another.

Works pretty well.

Actually, O'hare is the best controlled airport on earth, in my view.

Did my retirement trip from there to Beijing and back, and got the water cannon salute from the O'hare fire dept at gate arrival.

 

Regarding your comment on the waypoint names, the standard is that they are five letters, so they play with consonants to make that work. 

In your post, the FNT WYNDE3, would be pronounced the "Flint Windey three, addressing the windy city moniker.

When updated, it would be "flint windey four", and so on.

They almost always are created with a local "flavor," thus the Bears stuff.

Washington has some interesting ones as well, as do most airports. 

 

 

Do you know the waypoint names in Buffalo?

[Low Positive]

17 minutes ago, hondo in seattle said:

 

 

Do you know the waypoint names in Buffalo?

Some of the ones for the approaches to Runway 23 would be of interest to TBDers and WNYers: https://aeronav.faa.gov/d-tpp/2508/00065RRZ23.PDF

[Billsflyer12]

They do it in many cities.  
 

One of Houston arrivals has HOMRN, BAZBL, BAATS, BRKMN, MLRRR, LYYTE.

 

San Francisco has departure name TRUKN with waypoints named TYDYE, HYPEE, GRTFL, DEDHD.

[djp14150]

2 hours ago, Low Positive said:

My wife is flying into O'Hare today from Istanbul and I have been tracking the flight on FlightAware. I noticed that the flight path was called FNT WYNDE3. A little Googling led to me to the information that there are three primary approaches into O'Hare (North over Sault Ste Marie, A bit further south over the small lake Erie town of Greenbush, MI, and one over Flint (hense the FNT)). But looking at the flight paths and the names of the waypoints, something jumped out at me. A bunch of them are misspelled names of old Bears players and coaches

• Just after Sault Ste Marie is waypoint GAULT
• There is a waypoint DITCA
• There are both WLTER and PAITN waypoints
• Between the two Sweetness points, there is waypoint RHIVR

I'm probably missing something. In case anyone wants to nerd out on this, here is the approach path plan from the FAA: https://aeronav.faa.gov/d-tpp/2508/compare_pdf/00166wynde_cmp.pdf

 

 

In due time The airport won't be named O-he!!anymore but Leo 

[Fleezoid]

13 minutes ago, Low Positive said:

Some of the ones for the approaches to Runway 23 would be of interest to TBDers and WNYers: https://aeronav.faa.gov/d-tpp/2508/00065RRZ23.PDF

 

I can't wait for the Bills new FOTBL ZADUM to open up. 

[sherpa]

As I mentioned, Washington has a few interesting.

 

Here's a few waypoints, in order from the FRDMM Five arrival, plate provided.

HONRR....BRVRY....COURG...PLEDG....WEWLL...NEVVR....FORGT......VCTRY.....HEROO.

 

https://www.flightaware.com/resources/airport/DCA/STAR/FRDMM+FIVE+(RNAV)/pdf

 

And then we got Buttigieg.....But that's another story in a different forum

 

 

[Dan Darragh]

2 hours ago, hondo in seattle said:

 

 

Do you know the waypoint names in Buffalo?

EICHL  JOOCE WDRIT FERGY

Edited 46 minutes ago by Dan Darragh