TOURING THE CHICAGO AIR ROUTE TRAFFIC CONTROL CENTER (AURORA)
Friday, June 14th, wasn’t only Flag Day this year. It was also the day our Activity Director, Tom Duracka, arranged a tour for Veterans Voices Military Group, and other interested veterans, at the Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center in Aurora.
This facility controls all the air traffic inbound, outbound, and traveling through the air space over and surrounding Chicago, which includes O’Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport as the two primary facilities.
We were welcomed by Laine Shaw, Operations Supervisor East Area, who was our guide and the answer person for all of our questions. Each of the veterans on the tour had the privilege of sitting for more than an hour with an on-shift controller, and listening in on all the communications between the controller and each of the aircraft in their sector of responsibility. The ability of the controllers to multi-task on many levels was mind boggling!
IT WAS AWESOME!!
On the mini-bus en route to the Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center.
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Our group as we prepare to enter the facility. Laine Shaw, our guide and answer person, is front center. Nine veterans attended the event.
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After our tour, we stopped at Two Brothers’ Roundhouse in Aurora for a delicious lunch and tasty libations.
A good time was had by all!