Helicopter flight paths through Cook County airspace are sequenced exclusively by the FAA Chicago TRACON (C90) and O'Hare and Midway towers. State and local governments have no authority to designate or close in-flight rotorcraft routes under 49 USC 40103 federal preemption.
Helicopter routes across Cook County are sequenced by the FAA Chicago TRACON (C90), which controls Class B airspace surrounding O'Hare and Midway, and by the O'Hare and Midway control towers within Class B and Class C surface areas. Common rotorcraft corridors follow the Chicago lakefront helicopter route along Lake Michigan, the I-294 Tri-State corridor, and approach paths to Vertiport Chicago and University of Chicago Medicine. Federal preemption under 49 USC 40103 bars Cook County and its municipalities from designating or closing helicopter routes; only the FAA can issue special-use airspace, Temporary Flight Restrictions, or NOTAMs. Local input flows through the O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission, which can recommend but not mandate route changes.
Cook County cannot enforce route restrictions on rotorcraft. Pilots violating FAA-published routes or Class B clearances face FAA certificate action under 14 CFR Part 91. Residents may comment to the O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission only.
See how Arlington Heights's helicopter flight paths rules stack up against other locations.
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