O`Hare`s New Flight Plan Pits City Versus

NEIGHBORHOODS
NEWS
EVENTS
FOOD & DRINK
CHI KIDS
Jefferson Park, Portage Park & Norwood Park
See more: Andy Ginocchio, Jeff Manuel, Judie Simpson, Karen Pride, Margaret Lauriano, Mary O'Connor, Tony Molinaro, O'Hare Airport, airport,
FAA, noise, property value, runway, suburbs
O'Hare's New Flight Plan Pits City Versus
Suburbs in Noisy Debate
Updated February 4, 2013 6:33am
February 4, 2013 6:33am | By Heather Cherone and Patty Wetli
Comments
share
print
CHICAGO — Northwest Side neighborhood groups
are fuming over planned changes to O’Hare Airport
flight patterns they say will bring more jet racket
and slash property values.
“Make noise now or you’ll get it later,” declares one
online petition launched by No Noise NW Chicago
protesting the change.
Airplane traffic over the 33rd, 39th, 45th and 41st
wards could increase by 500 percent at night and
40 percent during the day once the latest phase of
the O’Hare Modernization Plan is completed in late
2013, according to data provided by the O’Hare
Compatibility Noise Commission.
Jet at O'Hare International Airport, Chicago.
(Getty Images/File Photo)
The number of jets on a flight path above
Thorndale Avenue from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. is set to jump from 15 to more than 90.
During the day, the number of planes following the same route could increase from 300 to more than 400,
according to data provided by the commission.
Several city neighborhood groups have expressed their ire with city and federal aviation officials, and two
aldermen have said they are organizing town hall hearings in response.
The online petition asking the federal government to stop the plan had already garnered more than 425
signatures as of Monday morning.
http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20130204/sauganash/ohares-new-runway-plan-pits-city-ve... 2/4/2013
“We want to at least limit the additional noise and its impact on our beautiful neighborhood,” said Jeff
Manuel, president of the Edgebrook Community Association. “It is important to at least register our
displeasure.”
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Tony Molinaro said the new pattern is due to new runways
that will keep jets from crossing each other’s paths on the ground and help avoid accidents.
The new traffic pattern will also mean more flights will arrive and depart on time, even in bad weather,
Molinaro said.
Manuel and other community leaders are working to organize a summit of groups from all of the affected
neighborhoods.
“We want the FAA to justify the change,” Manuel said. “A lot of people are concerned. Some are resigned,
but everyone is concerned.”
In addition to the Edgebrook association, the Hollywood-North
Park Community Association, the Sauganash Community
Association, the Forest Glen Community Club and the
Sauganash Park Community Association have sent letters
challenging the plan to elected officials, as well as the City of
Chicago’s Department of Aviation and the FAA.
(Chicago Department of Aviation)
“We really need to get citizens aroused,” said Judie Simpson, a
Hollywood-North Park Community Association board member.
“Otherwise, it’s just going to get railroaded over us.”
The additional jet noise — especially in the early morning and
late at night — will lead to decreased property values and a
reduction in the quality of life throughout the Northwest Side, the community groups argue.
Though the largest planes will continue to follow the flight path above Lawrence Avenue between 10 p.m.
and 7 a.m. en route to the airport's main runway, the majority of nighttime landings on the east side of the
airport will be shifted to follow the Thorndale flight path, said Andy Ginocchio, who serves as the 39th
Ward’s representative on the noise commission.
The shift will result in less airplane noise over Albany Park and Jefferson Park.
“Lawrence has had this night traffic for 50 years," said Ginocchio, who started the petition. "Operationally,
there’s no reason to move the traffic.”
Additionally, a new runway, which will route planes over Wilson Avenue and is set to open in the fall, will
be closed overnight.
Ginocchio claimed the new plan favors the suburbs over the city.
Two diagonal runways at O’Hare will be closed, reducing air traffic over Hoffman Estates, Mt. Prospect,
Rolling Meadows, Arlington Heights and Palatine. Additionally, the changes will mean an 80 percent
reduction in the number of flights over North Shore suburbs, including Wilmette, Winnetka, Kenilworth and
Glencoe.
“You’re going to give us noise around the clock,” said Ginocchio, a retired planning professional. “How is
that our fair share?”
http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20130204/sauganash/ohares-new-runway-plan-pits-city-ve... 2/4/2013
The flights should be routed over unpopulated areas such as Busse Woods and the Elgin-O’Hare
expressway, Ginocchio said.
"When you have an option to fly over no people, do it," he said. "Common sense things like this are
needed."
The FAA's Molinaro said most of the additional flights over the complaining neighborhoods will take off and
land between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m., and 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. He added that from midnight to 5 a.m., there will
only be a handful of additional flights.
“It will also depend on the wind patterns,” Molinaro said. “Some nights, these neighborhoods will get no
additional noise.”
When the modernization plan is complete, the airport will feature six parallel runways, as well as two cross
-wind runways.
Any increase in the number of flights will happen gradually and depend on the economy, aviation officials
said.
The city and the FAA will make every effort to address community concerns, said Chicago Aviation
Department spokeswoman Karen Pride, adding the changes to the flight paths were approved by the FAA
in 2005.
Ald. Margaret Laurino (39th) is working with airport officials to schedule one or
two town-hall style meetings to give community members a chance to voice
their objections, said her press secretary, Manuel Galvan.
Laurino has not taken a position on the additional flights over her ward, which
includes Sauganash, Edgebrook and Forest Glen, Galvan said.
Ald. Mary O’Connor (41st) is also working to bring the groups and the FAA
together at town hall meetings to make sure all objections are heard, said
O’Connor’s senior advisor, Jason Hernandez.
She has also not taken a position.
Changes to the traffic
pattern at O'Hare
International Airport may
send more noisy jets over
the city's Northwest Side
neighborhoods
(Facebook/O'Hare
International Airport)
Also on DNAinfo.com...
■
■
■
Wheels of Justice Turn Slowly for Victims of Bucktown Bat Beating
Hadiya Pendleton, 15, Killed Week After Performing at Obama Inauguration
Family Finds Runaway Pooch After 'Devastating' Rogers Park Fire
By Heather Cherone, DNAinfo.com
By Patty Wetli, DNAinfo.com
Follow Heather on Twitter
@HeatherCherone
Follow Patty on Twitter
@Pattydnachicago
Sauganash Videos
SAUGANASH »
http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20130204/sauganash/ohares-new-runway-plan-pits-city-ve... 2/4/2013
Facebook social plugin
O'Hare's New Flight Plan Pits City Versus
Suburbs in Noisy Debate
Jefferson Park, Portage Park & Norwood Park Events Calendar
Upcoming Events
St. Cornelius Annual Mostaccioli Dinner
Date: Feb 10, 2013 - Feb 10, 2013
Location: 5205 N Lieb Ave
Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Polish Small Business Expo
Date: Mar 9, 2013 - Mar 9, 2013
Location: 5214 W. Lawrence Ave.
Time: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Neighborhood Get Together
Date: Feb 19, 2013 - Feb 19, 2013
Location: 4800 Central Avenue
Time: 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Pub Quiz
Date: Feb 11, 2013 - Feb 11, 2013
Location: 5353 W. Irving Park Road
Time: 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM
http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20130204/sauganash/ohares-new-runway-plan-pits-city-ve... 2/4/2013
O’Hare Expansion Project’s latest plan will make the
Thorndale/Runway 27Left the most used runway at O'Hare.
Planes using this runway fly over Chicago Wards 33, 39, 45, and 41. When the wind allows, there will be a:
500% increase in night flights (15 90+)
40%+ increase in day flights (300 400)
There are no compelling operational reasons to dump new traffic all on Thorndale/Runway 27L.
The FAA needs to justify why they:
1. Will not use the new runway (Wilson/28/10 Center) between 10pm and 6am.
2. Will reduce landings from the northeast (Runway 22Right). The plan calls for a:
80%+ reduction in landings over the North Shore towns of Wilmette, Winnetka, Kenilworth,
Glencoe.
3. Will close the two “32/14s” runways. The plan calls for a:
Immediately eliminating landings over NW suburbs of Hoffman Estates, Mt. Prospect,
Rolling Meadows, Arlington Heights and Palatine; eventually getting rid of all takeoffs too.
4. Will shift landings coming from the west coast to land from the east when +45% of all landings
and +85% of landings from midnight to 5:30am come in from the west.
The average predominant wind directions at O’Hare are SSW, S, or SSE. It can be dangerous
to land straight east or west due to wind shear.
Landings will have to fly past O'Hare and the City, turn over the lake, and go back in over the
City. To each flight, this adds 15 minutes to fly 40 miles, for the +60,000 flights affected =
$150 Million for 40 Million extra gallons of fuel
Make noise now or you’ll get it later…
Tell your Federal and State representatives: “you protest the FAA O’Hare
Expansion plan to increase flights, especially at night, on (Thorndale) runway 27L.”
Request immediate installation of a permanent noise monitor 10 miles out in Chicago in line with
Runway 27/Thorndale.
US Representative:
IL Senator:
IL Representative:
Cook County Commissioner:
Sign the on-line petition at:
Mike Quigley
Ira I. Silverstein
John D’Amico
Bridget Gainer
773-267-5926
773-743-5015
773-736-0218
312- 603-4210
Click here or go to www.charge.org: Search FAA + O'Hare
Even now planes often come in low and loud, wheels down over 10 miles out from airport! Call
Noise Complaint Hotline 1-800-435-9569 or online
https://servicerequest.cityofchicago.org/web_intake_chic/Controller?op=csrform
&restrict_loc=Y&invSRType=AVN