Chicago Flyway Questions

[AndyK]

New PPL out of SE WI and the lakeshore flyway is on my to-do list. I have a couple questions related to the airspace and procedures.

1) The flyway chart shows a recommended altitude of 2500 ft. from the Bahai temple to Navy Pier, during which the Bravo starts at 3000 ft...makes sense. It then shows a recommended altitude of 2000 ft. from Navy Pier to the south even though the Bravo there starts higher at 3600 ft. I'm wondering why the recommended altitude is lower in the portion where the Bravo starts higher? I'm guessing this is due to Midway traffic? And if so, I presume it would be legal to fly VFR at 3500 ft. on that leg but that doing so may muck things up for MDW?

2) Avoiding the perpetual summer stadium TFRs may put me marginally out of gliding distance (staying within gliding distance is a requirement for the aircraft I'd be flying). A week or so ago I happened to be looking at ForeFlight when a Stadium TFR was active and saw a single engine something or other fly right through it along the lakeshore. I wasn't listening to ATC at the time so not sure if they were cleared through it or busted it. Is it possible/common to get cleared through a stadium TFR if on flight following along the lakeshore? Everything I've read seems to indicate that they just need to be avoided, period.

Thanks in advance,

Andy

 

[Radar Contact]

The southern 2000 is for the MDW RNAV 22L. It attempts to keep you 500+ feet below the stream of 737’s.

ATC doesn’t monitor or police the sporting event TFR’s.

Enjoy the lakeshore. It’s a fun flight.

 

[NealRomeoGolf]

I flew through the Sux (I mean Sox) TFR last time I did the lakeshore flight. ATC just said don't linger. Who would want to linger for a White Sox game anyway??

 

[wsuffa]

I flew through the Sux (I mean Sox) TFR last time I did the lakeshore flight. ATC just said don't linger. Who would want to linger for a White Sox game anyway??

Depends. Is it recreation of Disco Demolition night?

 

[keen9]

I flew through the Sux (I mean Sox) TFR last time I did the lakeshore flight. ATC just said don't linger. Who would want to linger for a White Sox game anyway??

You mean the AL leading Chicago White Sox . . . me!

 

[AndyK]

ATC doesn’t monitor or police the sporting event TFR’s.

Makes sense since they're so hard to keep track of, but can/will they clear someone on VFR flight following through one if asked?

In my reading of the NOTAM these are the parts that would apply to a "normal" GA aircraft:

THE AIRCRAFT OPERATION HAS BEEN AUTHORIZED BY ATC FOR OPERATIONAL OR SAFETY PURPOSES, INCLUDING AUTHORIZATION OF FLIGHTS SPECIFICALLY ARRIVING AT OR DEPARTING FROM AN AIRPORT DESIGNATED BY ATC USING STANDARD ATC PROCEDURES AND ROUTES;

and

PILOTS MUST CONTINUOUSLY SQUAWK AN ATC-ASSIGNED BEACON CODE AND MAINTAIN 2-WAY RADIO CONTACT WITH ATC WHILE OPERATING IN THE DEFINED AIRSPACE.

I've seen a lot of people say that if you're on flight following you're good go to, but it seems say that specific authorization is required (similar to Bravo airspace) in addition to simply "squawking and talking". So would that authorization be possibly granted by ATC if asked or is it more a situation of they'd just say no to cover their butts since they don't even know when/where the TFRs are?

I saw a couple more GA planes flying through one of the lakefront stadium TFRs again today, so it seems to happen frequently whether it's supposed to or not.

 

[Ben Glick]

Makes sense since they're so hard to keep track of, but can/will they clear someone on VFR flight following through one if asked?

In my reading of the NOTAM these are the parts that would apply to a "normal" GA aircraft:



and



I've seen a lot of people say that if you're on flight following you're good go to, but it seems say that specific authorization is required (similar to Bravo airspace) in addition to simply "squawking and talking". So would that authorization be possibly granted by ATC if asked or is it more a situation of they'd just say no to cover their butts since they don't even know when/where the TFRs are?

I saw a couple more GA planes flying through one of the lakefront stadium TFRs again today, so it seems to happen frequently whether it's supposed to or not.

When in doubt , ask. We have TFRs nearly every Saturday in the fall for Stanford football games where I fly (KPAO) and the airport is inside the TFR. We are nearly always talking to NorCal anyways so it really never affects anything. If you ask (something like “NorCal, Cessna 12345, any special instructions for the Stanford TFR”), they usually say “don’t pass directly over the stadium and maintain your squawk code” or equivalent.