Public Project
landing patterns
Copyright Samuel Dickey 2024
Updated Aug 2014
Topics Documentary, Fine Art, Landscape, Photography

The neighborhoods of Chicago's northwest side were developed during the first half of the 20th century. The new subdivisions of single family houses and modern multi-unit buildings offered an affordable escape from the cramped chaos of the city's older neighborhoods and the hope for a better life in this tranquil suburban landscape.

On January 1st, 1962, O'Hare International Airport opened a new terminal complex, greatly increasingly the capacity of an airport that had until that time only served a small number of scheduled flights annually. Over the coming decades, O'Hare would rise to become one of the world's busiest air hubs, serving millions of travelers each year.

In 2013, a new runway configuration placed most incoming flights on an east-west heading towards the airport. On days when the wind blows in from the west and air traffic is routed to take advantage of the headwind, an endless procession of airliners march over the roofs of the quaint bungalows and sleepy ranch houses that populate this quiet community.

1,813