ORD controllers and flight back from KSTL

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asgcpa

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After reviewing a recent thread about ORD controllers that frankly seemed to bash those professionals about VFR hand offs etc, I wanted to relate an experience from yesterday from my flight back from Lambert.

The weather was the nastiest I have seen in my limited experience. bands of CB, lighting, hail, other precip etc. We (instructor and I) managed to dodge around clouds and had to divert for an hour to Aurora. The Peoria and Chicago Center controllers were great in helping us. We saw a small window of opportunity to get back while we were on the ground in Aurora, and my instructor quickly filed an IFR flight plan to KPWK. The Chicago controllers got us to KPWK once we were airborne and were absolutely great to work with. We finished off with an RNAV approach so I managed to get my requirements in for the long XC, having previously done a VOR approach at KSPI and an ILS at KSTL.

I wish I knew how to attached JPG as I have some great shots of the Avidyne MFD and nasty weather pictures.

FWIW, I loved landing at Lambert, and the controllers in the air and ground were great working with an inexperienced instrument pilot like me. Landing at Lambert was a really interesting experience with the slight nuances in procedures than what I was used to.

Thanks to all those controllers that helped me make my daughter's 25th birthday weekend possible, and for me to be able to live another day.
 
NIT TO PICK! They are NOT ORD Controllers. They are Chicago Approach controllers and are supposed to help ALL of the traffic in their AOR not just the stuff going to and coming from ORD. So lets not buy into the way that they sometimes perceive their TRACON to be there for.

That being said. The controllers at Chicago Approach can be really great. I have said so in the past, especially when flying IFR in this area and having to deal with nasty weather.
 
You were IFR?
Makes a huge difference.
 
Nearly exclusively in my experience, ATC gets really really nice and helpful when weather starts to get nasty. 'Makes you want to shake their hand, buy them dinner, anything.

My best experience similar to yours wasn't with Chicago, but close -- Cincinatti.

We were flying back from NYC to Little Rock. A hurricane made landfall a few days earlier and was slowly making its way up through Arkansas, Missouri, and on to the East -- pretty much along our route home.

We went on and departed NYC with every expectation of setting down somewhere midway and probably having to spend the night as the remains of the hurricane passed by.

The ride was totally (and very surprisingly) smooth. The Aspen was showing lots of wind, but there was very little turbulence. XM showed very defined lines of thunderstorms still rotating around what was left of the eye. So we work with the controllers to fly between two of the "fan blades" of thunderstorms, into the eye, and back out the other side between two other "blades".

All was working well, we get into what was left of the eye around Cincinatti and were about to start into the Western side of the storm. However, right on the edge of the eye, the lines of thunderstorms were starting to collapse on to each other. What was 60 mile separation was dropping to 50, 40, 30. The eye was right over the international airport and the closing hole in the western wall was in such a place that I'd go straight through the arrivals.

I see it's getting too close for comfort with no time or room to vector around KCVG and was preparing to ask Cincinatti approach to divert some place local and spend the night. However the Cincy controller is seeing the same thing and comes on and says something to the effect of "we'll get you through now, while we can, before that hole closes up". To get me through, he had to clear me directly through the approach side of Cincinatti International at an altitude that mucked up the arrivals.

We make a bee-line for the hole and I hear him vector out for extended finals 4-5 or more airliners "for crossing traffic on the approach side of the airport". We make the hole with about 20 miles between the lines, and slip home fine. I watch on XM as the hole closed up behind us, yet it was smooth sailing the entire way.

Saw some really cool sights along that flight. For one in particular I tapped my wife's elbow, pointed, and asked, "how can the sun be shining from under the clouds?" 'Happened to grab the camera and took a picture:
http://www.mmccasland.com/img/s4/v67/p1096740930-6.jpg

Gotta love the controllers.
 
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Really cool picture! But I grew up on the Southeast coast, I've been in hurricanes, and even after blowing inland from the Gulf to Cincinnati, I'd not challenge that wall of clouds in my plane . . . . .
 
asgcpa said:
After reviewing a recent thread about ORD controllers that frankly seemed to bash those professionals about VFR hand offs etc, I wanted to relate an experience from yesterday from my flight back from Lambert.

The weather was the nastiest I have seen in my limited experience. bands of CB, lighting, hail, other precip etc. We (instructor and I) managed to dodge around clouds and had to divert for an hour to Aurora. The Peoria and Chicago Center controllers were great in helping us. We saw a small window of opportunity to get back while we were on the ground in Aurora, and my instructor quickly filed an IFR flight plan to KPWK. The Chicago controllers got us to KPWK once we were airborne and were absolutely great to work with. We finished off with an RNAV approach so I managed to get my requirements in for the long XC, having previously done a VOR approach at KSPI and an ILS at KSTL.

I wish I knew how to attached JPG as I have some great shots of the Avidyne MFD and nasty weather pictures.

FWIW, I loved landing at Lambert, and the controllers in the air and ground were great working with an inexperienced instrument pilot like me. Landing at Lambert was a really interesting experience with the slight nuances in procedures than what I was used to.

Thanks to all those controllers that helped me make my daughter's 25th birthday weekend possible, and for me to be able to live another day.
Click to expand...
Well done! Can't wait to see the pics.
 
I have only ever heard one thing from them. "Stay clear of the Bravo."


That's a lie. They've also instructed me to maintain VFR.
 
asgcpa said:
I wish I knew how to attached JPG as I have some great shots of the Avidyne MFD and nasty weather pictures.

FWIW, I loved landing at Lambert, and the controllers in the air and ground were great working with an inexperienced instrument pilot like me. Landing at Lambert was a really interesting experience with the slight nuances in procedures than what I was used to.

Thanks to all those controllers that helped me make my daughter's 25th birthday weekend possible, and for me to be able to live another day.
Click to expand...

When you post (not the quick reply version, but the "Quote" version), scroll down below the text box to "Additional Options" and click "Manage Attachments". I think you can figure out what to do from there. :)
 
asgcpa said:
I wish I knew how to attached JPG as I have some great shots of the Avidyne MFD and nasty weather pictures.
Click to expand...

When using the full editor (with the block of smileys to the right) scroll down towards the middle of the page to where you can turn on and off the signature.

You're looking for the "manage attachments" button.

This is the feature where you can attach files like jpg's excel, pdf, word, etc.
 
AggieMike88 said:
When using the full editor (with the block of smileys to the right) scroll down towards the middle of the page to where you can turn on and off the signature.

You're looking for the "manage attachments" button.

This is the feature where you can attach files like jpg's excel, pdf, word, etc.
Click to expand...

Here are some pics.....
 

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The weather Saturday was monsoon-like and we had 68MPH winds.

Same yesterday and I was driving through it. At one point I had to slow down to walking speed to feel where the road was.

In the other hand, my windows at home are very clean now.
 
My experience with ORD and/or Chicago Approach controllers is granted limited to a score of interactions, most all VFR, all I can say is I never had any issue with them and was even cleared through the B in an AgCat because it was the path through the weather (I don't think they had airliners flying at the time). I can't remember once having an issue with ATC anywhere, but I have been helped by them innumerable times, even entertained with jokes at 2am over Kansas, and once even forgiven a Class B bust in San Diego.
 
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Arthur, that looks downright nasty. I'm glad you got home safely. Bonus that you got to see your daughter!

A few guys at work saw what you wrote, they appreciated it.

Thank you also Henning, always good to see that we helped.
 
MarkZ said:
Arthur, that looks downright nasty. I'm glad you got home safely. Bonus that you got to see your daughter!

A few guys at work saw what you wrote, they appreciated it.

Thank you also Henning, always good to see that we helped.
Click to expand...

Mark, they deserved to feel good. I don't know who was handling the sectors I was in, but they were great.

Only down side was when we asked for any PIREPS, and it was like..."uhh....there are none". My instructor and I laughed and we said to each other "must have been the only fools flying". But it was certainly a learning experience.

It was downright nasty and frankly, I was somewhat nervous. But my instructor is cool under pressure and really knows his stuff. I was extremely glad I was with him, as I probably would have landed in Peoria or something.
 
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