AboutChristopher McKenna Expertise I can answer questions about general air traffic control, specific questions about Chicago
Center ATC, legal questions regarding FARs(although they may take some time to research).
Experience I have been an air traffic controller since 1984, at Albany, NY tower, NY Center, and Chicago Center. I have been an attorney since 1992.
Organizations National Air Traffic Controllers Association(NATCA)
Education/Credentials BS, Philosophy, SUNY. JD, Northern Illinois Univ. Various FAA training courses pertaining to air traffic control.
I live in Holland MI which is SW lower MI about 150 miles north of Chicago along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan.
My question is this; Beginning last year I have been observing large jet airliners at high altitudes traveling overhead over what appears to be a railroad track in the sky. The planes are on what appears to be an identical pathway traveling in a NE to SW track and no more than 3 minutes between flights. I can sit on my deck on a fixed bench seat and the planes appear and disappear through the same notches in the tree branches overhead.
I am intrigued by not only the precision of the pathways but also the frequency of the flights. I can easily county 15 to 20 flights per hour. These flight clearly cannot be coming from one airport. I just wonder how these pathways in the sky are set up and more specifically to me, this particular route and where may the planes be originating from and to what types of destinations may they be headed.
I am certainly no expert on describing this activity and I have no inclination as to altitude other than to say that very rarely do I see any type of contrail from the planes.
Thanks for taking my question and thanks for any light you can shed on my inquiring mind.
If by chance I have directed this question to the wrong expert, I do apologize for wasting your time.
Thank You
Gene Koopman
Answer Hi, and let me apologize for the delay in answering you.
Airspace is composed of many routes, much like interstates on the ground. These airways are built on radio transmitters called VORs, which are scattered around the country. In our area, there area few very important VORs. Joliet, Iowa City, and Des Moines are all VORs that form one of the busiest airways in the US. Aircraft from all over the Northeastern US are routed over Joliet heading west. They are heading, usually, to LA, San Diego, Denver, and other places in that general direction.
There are other airways that run over, for example, Madison, WI, that funnel Aircraft to the Northwest.
I hope this helps. Let me know if you need some more information!
Chris
