Page:CAB Accident Report, United Airlines Flight 21.pdf/57

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CHICAGO MUNICIPAL AIRPORT

The Chicago Municipal Airport is owned and operated by the City of Chicago and, at present, is roughly rectangular in shape with one runway east to west, two runways north to south, one runway southeast to northwest, and two runways southwest to northeast.[1] The usable length of the east-west runway is approximately 4,200 feet, the north-south runways approximately 2000 feet, the southeast-northwest runway and the southwest-northeast runway approximately 2750 feet. Traffic on and in the vicinity of the airport is controlled from a control tower situated on the roof of the Administration Building on the east boundary of the field. At the present time the northern boundary of the airport is formed by a 125-foot railroad right-of-way, owned by the Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad, which is raised four feet above the level of the airport and is bordered on each side by a ditch. Since 1934 efforts have been made to obtain the railroad right-of-way and to enlarge the airport northward. In 1936 sufficient property north of the railroad was acquired by the City of Chicago to make a "mile square airport", and subsequently the construction of runways on this newly acquired property was begun. While this construction was substantially completed during the fall of 1939, the northern section has not been used because it has been impossible to acquire the railroad right-of-way.

The current semi-monthly Notice to Airmen, published by the regional offices of the Civil Aeronautics Administration, contain the following information:

  1. See Figure A opposite page 24.