50th Annual Chicago Air and Water Show
http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/w...go+Air+and+Water+Show&entityNameEnumValue=183
Next weekend, starting Thursday. US Navy Blue Angels are the headliners. The Terminal Flight Restrictions have been issued and give a pretty good feel for what we can expect in terms of flying schedules (weather permitting);
Gary Night Hangar Party Thu Aug 14th 3:30 PM - 10:30 PM
Chgo North Ave Beach Thu Aug 14th 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Chgo North Ave Beach Fri Aug 15th 10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Chgo North Ave Beach Sat Aug 16th 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Chgo North Ave Beach Sun Aug 17th 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday is special this year. Traditionally a practice day, this year it is a full show. It's scheduled to kick off at 3:00 PM with a Blue Angels demo. Free concert at 5:00 PM by Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan band at North Avenue beach. Fireworks at 8:45 PM. Schedule mixed with flying. I hear Bill Murray will be tandem jumping with the Golden Knights. On Saturday and Sunday the water portion of the show starts at 9:00 AM, and the show site usually starts filling up around then.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if we started seeing some show line and Gary spotting flights as early as Wednesday.
No, I don't have the platform frequency and approach and departure pairs. The last few years have seen a re-use of what was used at the Gary air show, which was 125.200 / 353.500 this year.
Frequencies reported for the Blue Angels this year have included;
142.6125 (FM) Ground support
139.8125 (FM) Ground support
275.3500 (AM) Diamond
237.8000 (AM) Solos
238.1500 (AM) Solos
284.2500 (AM) Alternate
255.2000 (AM) Alternate
346.5000 (AM) Ground and spotting
305.5000 (AM) Fat Albert
The Golden Knights have been using their 123.475 channel a lot this year and we are also getting the US Navy Leapfrogs. The frogs are in town and have already been working some Chicago events. They jumped a W flag into Wrigley yesterday for the Cardinals opener, bless 'em.
Most flying takes off and lands at Gary, Indiana;
125.600 / 256.700 Tower
133.100 / 285.600 Approach & Departure
Chicago Tracon in Elgin manages the airspace for the show. Best bets;
126.800 / 308.400 Chicago Radar & VFR
126.800 / 398.950 Used as a pair last year for the show
126.050 / 388.000 Midway Radar
120.550 / 290.200 Chicago Departure North & Lakefront
Some of the heavies will probably be operating from O'Hare. I'd suggest the seldom used Pilot Dispatch pair there;
126.200 / 372.200 ORD Pilot Dispatch
Other O'Hare stuff usually merits watching, such as the Tower and Approach and Departure frequency pairs - especially those covering the east side of the airspace. The holding point for the show is out over the lake, well north of the show site. Lake Michigan and Indiana military airspace sometimes see some warm up and playing use, as well as a few of the area refueling tracks and anchors. You might also want to keep half an ear on Chicago Center frequency pairs.
Show ops usually employ UHF business band low power simplex rental radios in the 460-470 MHz band. I'm anticipating the Chicago Fire Department and EMS team will employ some of the City's new 470 MHz channels. The Marine Band is always hopping at the show, and you'll find the Coast Guard there, as well. Expect to find the Chicago Police Department using all their event channels and some related zone and Citywide traffic;
460.250 Citywide 6 Usually event site primary
460.350 Citywide 5 Usually event alternate & traffic control
460.300 Citywide 7 Traffic Management Aides
460.125 Citywide 1
460.175 Citywide 2
460.150 Zone 4 1st & 18th Districts (downtown area)
460.525 Channel 5 low power unit to unit direct
The Chicago Police Marine units can be found on the CPD's 800 MHz trunked system. The Office of Emergency Management usually sets up their mobile command post, and they have their own trunked system. Try 458.075 for the Chicago Park District lifeguard supervisors at the North Avenue site (simplex).
Just about anything you can think of is probably worth checking at the show. FAA, FRS, ISR, MURS, Itinerants, Media frequencies, even ham radio. CARMA usually has some presence on 145.770 (151.4 CTCSS) simplex. Try searching 122 - 124 MHz for air to air stuff.
This is a very challenging show to monitor successfully, especially from the show site, which is loaded with inter-modulation distortion from all the nearby high powered transmitters. Think less antenna, attenuators and/or filters. It is also Chicago's biggest mega-event and usually draws over one million people each day on Saturday and Sunday. Support facilities and food are very limited. Parking is almost non-existent, think public transportation.
We usually try to get down to the show site for some early recon on Thursday and attend the show on Friday at and around the North Avenue beach house. On Saturday we set up a monitoring post and picnic spot under the last few trees at the far east end of the Fullerton point. Sunday usually sees a few of us roaming the show line for more serious photo work. Come join us.
We'll be posting findings here as they happen.
Oh, and Volk Field / CRTC in northern Wisconsin is having their open house this weekend, too. Airspace is reserved there Aug 15 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM and on Aug 16 from 11:00 AM to roughly 3:00 PM. I've seen contact telephone numbers listed for this event as 608-427-1201 and 608-427-1210.
Happy Air Show Scanning! - Ted