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The view: Reflections of Chicago’s Northside lakefront looking west
The airplane: Cessna 172R with 180 HP STC, N456ER from Blue Skies FBO, 3CK
The pilot: John F. Banas; co-pilot Susan A. Banas
The mission: Night flight sightseeing over downtown Chicago lakefront
The memory: First time my wife went flying with me. She’s somewhat of a white knuckle flyer, but she was thrilled with the view from the little Skyhawk. Chicago seems to be laid out specifically for people why fly GA aircraft at night.
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John F. Banas earned his Private Pilot certificate in 1979 while attending college. He had hoped to fly for the airlines but life intervened and he was launched on a successful technology career. Yet he’s never been far from aviation and is now the Safety Officer for the Fox Valley Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol in Illinois and is working his way up to becoming a mission pilot. In his spare time, he pretends to be a novelist and is currently completing a book in the thriller genre.
Latest posts by John Banas (see all)
- Friday Photo: Chicago lights - March 8, 2019
- A pilot in command abdication - May 31, 2016
Spent an entire lifetime one year in ORD. Flying north from the south over ORD to connect into Seattle and into Anchorage…..at night at 35,000 feet the place is beautiful next to the dark black of Lake Michigan. Watching Chicago slide into Lake Michigan would make me smile. You’ll also get rid of millions with deep psychological problems that they blame on everyone else who isn’t part of their hell hole Chicago tribe.
I have never met more people with personality problems, foul language problems, personal health and cleanliness problems, driving problems, not barging ahead in line problems……..continue? Undestand?
Hi John,
Great night photo of North Chicago. I copied the photo for my wife who grew up in Broadview and modeled and worked for Dick Butkus’ Convention Girls. She lived on Surf on the northside. We were attempting to determine the harbor you were flying over at the time and the main streets that are converging on the lake. It is quite impressive to see the immense amount of land Chicago encompasses. I am from Rockford, and Chicago is like another world. Thanks. Gary
John, great composition and clarity in your night photo, I particularly like the reflection from the underside of the wing.
Working for Netjets I flew into Midway from the west landing early in the morning many times and saw scenes like this. ATC with no traffic in the area would vector us directly to the airport and turn us over to the tower on a downwind for 22L. Midway tower would immediately clear us for a visual to 22L which you could just make out to your left in all the lights. Just like seen in the photo. As you extended your downwind at a low altitude the airport would disappear in the sea of lights. You would dial in the ILS for orientation and turn left to intercept the localizer. Low and behold then a dark patch became the airport and runway 22L would reappear.