Took a chance and dropped by ORD on the way home from work this afternoon, in hopes of timing my visit with the arrival of the President. Weather was quite overcast, so I did not expect much.
I heard AF1 come in on ZAU about 15 minutes prior to landing. They were told to expect a 32R landing. I was fortunate enough to find a spot pretty well in the path about 1/2 mile from the threshold. Unfortunately, I only had the crummy camera on my phone, but here are a couple of pics. They surely don't do the bird justice.
Also of note, I heard them landing on 22L for about 20 mins. after, which was a rare treat. I think it was to allow for Marine 1 and the rest of the helo group to fly from ORD to Soldier Field, where they later landed. Once the 22R arrivals resumed, ATC can be heard referencing the helos passing across their approach between arrivals.
On a light note, I did hear a ticked off regional pilot refuse hold instructions and fly direct to MKE instead. In his sign-off to ATC: "All this for a birthday party? Sheesh!" Good times!
What a cool thing to see and hear!
