Chicago’s No-Fly-Zone this month with the NATO meeting at McCormack’s Place reminds us of the Hall’s first opening in 1960. Yes, it already burned once in 1967. (1) It featured a helicopter crash … many of us credited to an early act of terrorism. The building’s opening program included an outdoor aviation display. It was a fairly tight area with the helicopters setup in the parking lot between a line of erect Atlas and Titan missiles and a high row of flags strapped to a fence separating yachts in the marina.
A helicopter dealer who had logged only a few hours after his license called our company to meet him at a local airport to fly his new Brantly into the restricted display. Since I had the only B2 experience in the company, no joke … actually received my ATP in a B2, I was assigned the task. Skirting Lake Shore Drive and crossing Solder’s Field we easily dropped in between the obstacles and secured the copter for a week’s display. 
At show’s end, I walked over to the B2 expecting to fly it back to the airport. “Oh, I’ll take it out”, the eager owner replied. He jumped in and with little warm up, exited impressively scaling flags and missiles … then he started spinning to the right! Fortunately he side slipped toward the marina … but began loosing altitude and started clipping yacht masts, sinking lower as the rotor slowed with each impact. He continued sideways in ground effect toward Meigs Field and smartly nailed the ship on the water’s bank, crushing one landing gear but remaining upright as the rotor slowed to a stop.
Grabbing a taxi to skirt the Field Museum, I was one of the first to find him sitting on the grass in shock and horror. Checking the cockpit, we found a pencil strategically jammed … out of sight behind the left anti-torque peddle. An early act of terrorism at McCormick’s Place? Many of us thought so. In any case it was a reminder to all not to short the preflight and controls check!
Alert: Don’t casually fly down Chicago lakefront May 19-21 without clearance … or your life, too, may be in danger! (2)
- http://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/91/McCormick%20Place%20Fire,%201967.pdf
- http://rotor.com/Publications/RotorNewssupregsup/tabid/177/mid/1237/newsid1237/75472/Default.aspx
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Great article!