MDW ground stop - tower evacuated

Pilawt

Pilawt

Final Approach
Gone West
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Pilawt
My son went to Chicago to help our grandson pack up and come back from University of Chicago. He got an $11 round-trip ticket, flights 1/3 full. Grandson's flight left MDW an hour ago. Son just texted from his Southwest flight, on the ground at Midway. Looks like he's not going anywhere. Per the ATIS on LiveATC right now, KMDW tower has been evacuated and the airport has reverted to Class E airspace.
 
Wonder how long before we see other disruptions due to the illness.
 
Title says tower was evacuated. Was the tower evacuated or are they just unable to staff it due to controllers being out sick?

Seems like it would be pretty quick and easy to disinfect all the surfaces in the tower. Can't understand why they'd need to evacuate.
 
Juliet Hotel said:
Title says tower was evacuated. Was the tower evacuated or are they just unable to staff it due to controllers being out sick?

Seems like it would be pretty quick and easy to disinfect all the surfaces in the tower. Can't understand why they'd need to evacuate.
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ATIS: "Midway Airport Control Tower update March 17, 2227 Zulu. Midway airspace has reverted to Class Echo airspace. The tower has been evacuated and is currently closed. Common Traffic Advisory Frequency is 135.2. One-minute weather is available by phone at 773-884-4424. We are currently unable to provide IFR service off the ground. If you depart VFR and request IFR services, may be received from Chicago TRACON on frequency 128.2."
 
Now there’s a place that needs ground control to operate.
 
Midway operating uncontrolled would be a lot of fun. Just imagine the cacophony that would happen, with the usual swarms of identical Southwest 737s coming and going, if one of them asked for any traffic in the area please advise.
 
NoHeat said:
Midway operating uncontrolled would be a lot of fun. Just imagine the cacophony that would happen, with the usual swarms of identical Southwest 737s coming and going, if one of them asked for any traffic in the area please advise.
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Only one in, one out for IFR when you don't have a tower doing visual separation.
 
N1120A said:
Only one in, one out for IFR when you don't have a tower doing visual separation.
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Well that's no fun.

For real fun, I think they should cancel IFR ten miles out, and fend for themselves in the pattern. ;)
 
NoHeat said:
Well that's no fun. I think they should cancel IFR ten miles out, and fend for themselves in the pattern.
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Southwest 123 - cancel IFR, field in sight

C90 - IFR cancellation received, remain clear of the bravo, keep your code, change to advisory frequency approved.

Southwest 123 - The Bravo? Is that a TV channel?
 
NoHeat said:
For real fun, I think they should cancel IFR ten miles out, and fend for themselves in the pattern. ;)
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The only answer is to go with overhead holding and then to the carrier break like we do at the ship and no comms at all! :D

It might be sporty the first couple times but the spectacle, oh the spectacle! :eek:
 
Still closed as of 6:30 this morning. I really am wondering if we will see more ATC disruptions, or perhaps this will be the impetus for a national airline travel shutdown. Could be as simple as ATC closed nationwide, no IFR period.
 
midwestpa24 said:
Still closed as of 6:30 this morning. I really am wondering if we will see more ATC disruptions, or perhaps this will be the impetus for a national airline travel shutdown. Could be as simple as ATC closed nationwide, no IFR period.
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Based on the people I saw traveling on my planes yesterday, this need to happen sooner than later.
 
This is getting really dumb. Boeing 737 engineering has killed 340%ish as many people as this has in the US. My wife was exposed to this by some patients in her ER about a month back (taking care of China evacuees)...not even mildly concerned...the biggest fears amongst most of her medical colleagues is portfolio angst. If you aren’t elderly, obese, or a smoker...odds are you won’t even know you “have” it. When did irrational fear of death come to define western society?

“Sometimes I long for the days when men were made of iron and ships were made of wood.”

*ah, but hope arrives! The feds will borrow $1 trillion, largely by selling bonds to...China...and hand out checks to save us! 60 billion to Boeing! We are saved!
 
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GrummanBear said:
This is getting really dumb. Boeing 737 engineering has killed 340%ish as many people as this has in the US. My wife was exposed to this by some patients in her ER about a month back (taking care of China evacuees)...not even mildly concerned...the biggest fears amongst most of her medical colleagues is portfolio angst. If you aren’t elderly, obese, or a smoker...odds are you won’t even know you “have” it. When did irrational fear of death come to define western society?

“Sometimes I long for the days when men were made of iron and ships were made of wood.”

*ah, but hope arrives! The feds will borrow $1 trillion, largely by selling bonds to...China...and hand out checks to save us! 60 billion to Boeing! We are saved!
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So you're willing to write off the elderly, the obese and smokers? What's the value of a life?
 
KSCessnaDriver said:
So you're willing to write off the elderly, the obese and smokers? What's the value of a life?
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Don’t be ridiculous. Smokers write themselves off. (I have chosen to try and off myself with face cancer from Copenhagen dip) As normal, healthy adults, we live our lives normally. My wife takes care of severe cases at the hospital ER she oversees. She is trauma lead at a level 1 and takes care of all people, ages, and body types. I have a tree business, and provide services to the elderly for free. I also volunteer to bring them food, esp when they need to stay indoors (like now). I also visit them to just talk, as human interaction does more for many of them than fistfuls of pills.
To normal children and adults, life can and should go on...normally.
 
KSCessnaDriver said:
So you're willing to write off the elderly, the obese and smokers? What's the value of a life?
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StrawMan2.jpg
 
GrummanBear said:
Don’t be ridiculous. Smokers write themselves off. (I have chosen to try and off myself with face cancer from Copenhagen dip) As normal, healthy adults, we live our lives normally. My wife takes care of severe cases at the hospital ER she oversees. She is trauma lead at a level 1 and takes care of all people, ages, and body types. I have a tree business, and provide services to the elderly for free. I also volunteer to bring them food, esp when they need to stay indoors (like now). I also visit them to just talk, as human interaction does more for many of them than fistfuls of pills.
To normal children and adults, life can and should go on...normally.
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So normal children and adults, living a normal life, can give COVID-19 a place to mutate for a long period of time? That's the real danger, beyond the 4% kill rate (which is heavily skewed toward the over-60 crowd.)
 
Kenny Phillips said:
So normal children and adults, living a normal life, can give COVID-19 a place to mutate for a long period of time? That's the real danger, beyond the 4% kill rate (which is heavily skewed toward the over-60 crowd.)
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Welcome to America. If it doesn't directly hurt me, I don't care. **** on the rest of you.

How we still have airlines transporting people who are asymptomatic, to every point of the country is beyond me. Can't have gatherings of more than 10 people, but lets pack them into a terminal where they all sit right next to each other to board a tube to sit next to each other.
 
GrummanBear said:
This is getting really dumb. Boeing 737 engineering has killed 340%ish as many people as this has in the US. My wife was exposed to this by some patients in her ER about a month back (taking care of China evacuees)...not even mildly concerned...the biggest fears amongst most of her medical colleagues is portfolio angst. If you aren’t elderly, obese, or a smoker...odds are you won’t even know you “have” it. When did irrational fear of death come to define western society?

“Sometimes I long for the days when men were made of iron and ships were made of wood.”

*ah, but hope arrives! The feds will borrow $1 trillion, largely by selling bonds to...China...and hand out checks to save us! 60 billion to Boeing! We are saved!
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So many people are missing the big picture. It isn't about how many were sick or died yesterday, but how many will get sick or die tomorrow. Its like saying a quarterback sucks because he only had two touchdowns in the first 5 minutes of the game, while Tom Brady has thrown for hundreds of touchdowns in his career. We can't wait for the virus to spread before doing something. Italy tried that approach, and now their health care system is collapsing. If you aren't watching the worldwide trends of the spread and deaths being caused, you have your head in the sand. And while the elderly, obese, and others may be at higher risk, this virus can and has killed young and healthy people.
 
KSCessnaDriver said:
Welcome to America. If it doesn't directly hurt me, I don't care. **** on the rest of you.

How we still have airlines transporting people who are asymptomatic, to every point of the country is beyond me. Can't have gatherings of more than 10 people, but lets pack them into a terminal where they all sit right next to each other to board a tube to sit next to each other.
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That is actually a good point.
 
Saw a copy of the NOTAM where SLC went ATC zero following the earthquake for possible ATCT structural damage. Didn’t see a thread here, might have missed it, and haven’t checked for updates.
 
denverpilot said:
Saw a copy of the NOTAM where SLC went ATC zero following the earthquake for possible ATCT structural damage. Didn’t see a thread here, might have missed it, and haven’t checked for updates.
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Sounds like SLC is being completely evacuated due to the earthquake.

Plague, earthquakes, where are the frogs and locusts?
 
GrummanBear said:
When did irrational fear of death come to define western society?
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It hasn't. For pretty much 100% of the people I know, the concern is not of their own death but rather not wanting to become the vector that ends up causing the death of someone less capable of surviving the infection than themselves. And that concern (concern is not the same as fear BTW) is very rational. I'm sorry if you're unable to see the difference but your knowledge base and attitude is something I have no control over.
 
Pilawt said:
"Midway traffic, purple-and-orange 737 on ten-mile straight-in for 13 left. Any traffic in the area, please advise. Midway traffic"
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I went into MTJ the other day, which is one of the few non-towered airports that we serve domestically. Always fun to make these calls (minus the ATITAPA) and spend a little time squawking 1200. :)
 
According to info I just heard, many of the ~20 year olds that have contracted COVID 19 that have had follow up cat scans have shown ~20% permanent lung damage.

From my understanding, these were NOT residents of Wuhan, with already toxic air pollution anyway. And are NOT smokers...

I have not fact checked it. Yet.

fly to the scene of the incident, or be recovered at the scene of the tragedy
 
Juliet Hotel said:
It hasn't. For pretty much 100% of the people I know, the concern is not of their own death but rather not wanting to become the vector that ends up causing the death of someone less capable of surviving the infection than themselves. And that concern (concern is not the same as fear BTW) is very rational. I'm sorry if you're unable to see the difference but your knowledge base and attitude is something I have no control over.
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Fair enough. Our family just chooses to be vectors of aid. Our first overseas “vacation” together was treating victims of typhoid. When it’s our day to die, c'est la vie, c'est la mort. No sense in hiding at home.
 
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