Every year, millions of Americans shuffle around the country to spend their holidays with their loved ones. As the icy winds swirl at above 30,000 feet, passengers ride in comfort knowing that they are in the hands of skilled air crew and professional controllers. Join us at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Midway International Airport, or even Milwaukee International Airport as we spread some old fashioned midwestern cheer. And as we look forward to a new year, let the Chicago ARTCC guide you home for the holidays.

Date - December 20, 2023
Time - 2359Z-0400Z (6PM-10PM CST)
Featured Airports - KORD, KMDW, KMKE

That right there is the minor fields. Now let's talk about the minor fields. Can we talk about the smaller airports, please, Mac? I've been dying to talk about the minor fields with you all day, OK? "Madison," this name keeps coming up over and over again. Every day a flight plan to Madison is getting sent. Rockford! DuPage! I look in Simbrief, and this whole box is minor fields! So I say to myself, "I gotta fly to Gary! I gotta load up the HTDOG transition and shoot the ILS runway 12!" So I file it using Simbrief and what do I find out?! There is no ILS 12. The localizer does not exist, ok? So I decide, "Let's go to Palwaukee" There's no Palwaukee? You gotta be kidding me! ATC is calling it Chicago Executive! And I gotta circle to land! So I start flyin' my way over to Grand Rapids. "Grand Rapids Approach! I gotta land!" And when I call up what do I find? There is no Grand Rapids Approach! There's not Kalamazoo Approach either! Some strange person calling themselves Great Lakes Approach is sending me contact me's! Mac, half the airports in this ARTCC have been made up. These airports are a goddamn ghost town.

The end of summer approaches, and once again we welcome pilots to come fly into the ...less well loved fields in the heart of the Midwest. And even though the days grow shorter, it's always Sunny in Chicago ARTCC.

Airports: KCID, KMLI, KRFD, KMSN, KDPA, KPWK, KGYY, KAZO, KGRR
Date: September 9, 2024
Time: 2300Z-0200Z

Notice to Air Missions: VATVenture, as a simulation of EAA AirVenture, involves very specific procedures not commonly encountered by VFR aircraft. Please review the pilot guide to ensure that you are informed of the procedures expected from pilots, and for the enjoyment of all participants.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1j2jk0JTLV9IG5SdtH0NiKgitCEnbk78RPya0uC1nQLw

Grab some cheese curds and your favorite beverage and join us for a fine evening over America's Dairyland. Fly in and out of the bustling General Mitchell airport in Milwaukee, or take a trip up to beautiful Lake Winnebago to Wittman Regional Airport!

Airports: KMKE, KOSH
Date: July 24th, 2024
Time: 2300Z-0200Z (+1 day)

Introducing ZAU's new monthly weekday staff-up!

Come one, come all, and fly into the beautiful Chicagoland area. Whether you are cruising down the FYTTE, or riding down the WYNDE, Chicago will be staffed up on this fine Wednesday evening with some of the finest controllers the Midwest has to offer!

Featuring: ORD, MDW, RFD, MKE
Time: May 29, 2024 at 2300z - 0200z+1

From an aircraft manufacturing plant during World War II to the busiest passenger airport in the world, the land that O'Hare International Airport currently sits on has been used for aviation activity for almost 100 years. Originally Douglas Field, then Orchard Field, the City of Chicago gave O'Hare its current name in 1949 to honor Edward O'Hare, the U.S. Navy's first flying ace.

A shining symbol of the jet age, O'Hare sported innovative features like the first jet bridge, underground fueling, and rail access from downtown. The airport is always changing, evolving to meet the shifting needs of aviation in the modern age. Come fly with us and celebrate 80 years of O'Hare International Airport.

Event Field: Chicago O'Hare International Airport [KORD], Chicago Midway International Airport [KMDW]
Time: April 12, 2024 2300Z-0300Z [6PM-10PM CDT]

Come one, come all, and join us for another iteration of Midway Monday at ZAU!

Event Field: MDW
Time March 11, 2024 2300z - 0200z

If you staff it, they will come.

In the classic 1989 film Field of Dreams, Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) is inspired by a vision to build a baseball field in his cornfield and summons the spirits of baseball legends of eras past. The real life Field of Dreams is located just outside Dubuque, Iowa and it happens to be located in ZAU airspace. With that same faith, the controllers of ZAU and ZMP will staff up fields across Iowa, and we hope to summon pilots to come fly in!

Event Fields: DSM, ALO, CID, DBQ, MLI
Event time: March 27, 2024 2300z - 0200z