O'Hare airport approach waypoints and the 1985 Chicago Bears

[JaBu]

Interesting stuff, cool story; I remember hearing Jim Richter had become a pilot.  I’m guessing your airline was AA. 

[Chandler#81]

WTF?🫨

[chris heff]

20 hours 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. 

I’ve flew a couple of widebodies back in the day.

[Rich Stadium Original]

21 hours 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. 

Hey, Sherpa...congrats on the retirement!!..I'm a 737 CA in ORD with 15 months to go..will retire off the narrowbody.

Couldn't agree more about the controllers in Chicago. Folks here have only hit the tip of the icebergs here with fix names and stories behind them.

  Hope you are enjoying football more now that you dont have to keep packing the suitcase...Go Bills!!

[sherpa]

6 minutes ago, Rich Stadium Original said:

Hey, Sherpa...congrats on the retirement!!..I'm a 737 CA in ORD with 15 months to go..will retire off the narrowbody.

Couldn't agree more about the controllers in Chicago. Folks here have only hit the tip of the icebergs here with fix names and stories behind them.

  Hope you are enjoying football more now that you dont have to keep packing the suitcase...Go Bills!!

 

Retirement is great, but I really miss the views, especially over the North Atlantic, Alaska on the way to Asia, or the gorgeous Andes descending into a South American destination.

Best wishes for you as you wind it up.

To extend the Navy blessing, Fair winds and following seas.