Air Transports / Airliners / Special Aviation Events / Transports

RAMP SIDE AT CHICAGO O’HARE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

by Scott Jankowski · Published March 7, 2020

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Being a member of the Chicago Airport Watch Program, Chicago’s only law enforcement supported plane-spotting organization, does have its benefits. We have access to some of the best plane spotting areas around the airports in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin with the best being on the airport itself! This past October we had the privilege of an afternoon ramp tour around Chicago O’Hare the busiest airport in the world, movement wise, with 904,000 movements in 2018. We spent close to 4 hours on the roadways, taxiways and runways on this fine October day.

Several unique and special color schemes were seen and included, biz jets, regional jets, freighters, narrow and wide bodies, and fire training aircraft. You have not experienced plane spotting until you are alongside the runway with 747’s departing a very short distance away. Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport has a tremendous and unique variety of aircraft, consider joining the Airport Watch Program for a closer look at all the action. Until next time, “Blue Skies to All!”

Tags: airport Chicago international ramp side

Scott Jankowski

Scott Jankowski - Franklin, Wisconsin Like so many others my love of aviation started when I was young, very young. I was only three years old when my Parents took me to my first air show here in Milwaukee, the rest you could say is “history”. I would read aviation magazines instead of Comic Books. I would prefer my Dad take me to the airport to watch airplanes instead of throwing a Football around. I grew up watching Convair 580’s, DC9’s and 727’s from the terminal here in Milwaukee, no Stage Three noise compliance back then! I started to seriously take pictures in the Mid 1980’s , for my birthday that year I finally had my first decent camera. I would head down to the airport with my pockets full of Kodak Film and take pictures of anything and everything. It did not matter if it was a Air Wisconsin Dash-7 or a 128TH ARW KC-135E if it had an engine I took a picture of it. I would drop those rolls off to be developed and three days later tear into the envelopes to see the results, which to be honest were not that good but there were a few keepers every once and a while. Fast forwarding to today with much better equipment and skills I spend as much time as I can at both General Mitchell International and Chicago O’Hare which are my Hometown Airports. While times and aircraft have changed the excitement is still as great as it was back all of those years ago. It makes no difference if it is 737, P-51, F-16, or Lear 35 I will not pass on any photo opportunity as you may not get that chance again. Even though my primary focus is on Commercial Aviation I still frequent as many Air shows as I can in the short Summer Season. I am fortunate enough to have EAA Air Venture in my backyard only being only an Hour and Half from my home. I routinely attend Air shows here in Milwaukee, Rockford, Chicago, Ypsilanti and the Quad Cities. I am very fortunate to be part of the Photorecon.Net and PHX Spotters Team and am looking forward to bringing everyone some Air show and Airliner action from the Midwest Region!