Getting to the race was a bit of a challenge as traffic to the parking area went from five lanes to one without much traffic direction from police. It took 45 minutes to go 1.8 miles. That made me question paying for parking until I realized that the shuttle busses from the free lot were stuck in the same traffic.

A lot of people just got off the shuttle busses and out of their cars and walked to the race. The race ended up starting 30 minutes late because of the traffic, but once we got there things improved. The race itself was well organized and clearly marked—which is important considering that going off course during this race could lead to running on an active runway.

United was the aviation sponsor of the run and they sweetened the pot by parking a 777-200/ER at the end of the runway. Last year they had a 747, but didn’t allow anyone near it. This year they allowed us to get up close and personal with the 777. You can view the full gallery from the run and community day on Flickr.

777 Nose Gear

Rear of the PW4090 Engine

The great thing about this years race was instead of being on the north side of the airfield, we were in the heart of the action. During the race ex-Korean Air, China Airlines, and EVA Air 747 freighters landed on the next runway. That was worth the price of admission alone. After the race we were shuttled back to the end of the runway for a photo-op with the United 777. I got a few shots of the 777, but was also treated to ANA 11 and JAL 9 departing on 28R a few hundred feet away.

JAL 9 departs for Tokyo.

It was the perfect day for a race and some planespotting and I’m always happy to support such a worth organization like the Wounded Warrior Project. If you’re interested in running (or just showing up) next year, keep an eye on the Chicago Events page.

My love for aviation goes back to when we moved into our house on the west side of O’Hare when I was about five. My bedroom window gave me an amazing view of easterly arrivals. Young aviation love was on full display on Saturday, and that to me was the part of the day. At the end of Runway 28R families camped out with lunch to watch the planes land. Everyone dropped what they were doing and grabbed their cameras when the heavies, like the Lufthansa MD-11 or Atlas 747 flew over. One young man there with his father was having a tough time getting a steady shot, so I loaned him a tripod. Jay, of the world-famous O’Hare Aviation YouTube channel was also there and helped him set up so he was in the best place for photos.

The thing I like most about planespotting and avgeekery in general is the community. People are passionate and share that passion through photos, video, or just listening to air traffic control and logging tail numbers. And the community has only gotten bigger and stronger as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube have made it easy to find people who love aviation. I often get asked why I love planes, so I show them pictures like these, and they say, “Oh, I get it now.” There’s just something amazing about something that big fly through the air that makes anyone look up and say “wow.”

You can check out highlights from Saturday here, and Bruce’s photos here.