Regarding Meigs Field, I think that the reason it was "abandoned" was money, not safety. Perception was that it cost too much to operate merely so that fat cats could fly directly in to downtown. The cynic in me thinks the real reason was to provide justification for O'Hare expansion. YMMV.

I think the proposal already required such background checks AND the landings at alternate airports for screening

The Cessna 150 had a Certified Flight Instructor, age 69, who was the only licensed pilot on board and who was therefore the Pilot In Command. By law, he was ultimately responsible for the flight. He didn't even check any weather reports, let alone the Notices to Airmen -- this is against the regulation that says a Pilot In Command shall gather "all available information" prior to any flight. The CFI reportedly froze when the aircraft was first intercepted by a Blackhawk helicopter (I would have ruined my pants). The flares/tracer fire from the F-16s would not have calmed my nerves any.

As soon as the intercepting aircraft were able to read the tail number, Air Traffic Control made radio contact and the 30-year old student (who had 30 hours of flight instruction, possibly enough to solo) thereupon followed the interceptors to Frederick, MD where he landed the aircraft; both men were cuffed-and-stuffed by state troopers before being released.

My best guess is the CFI's license is history; and nothing should or will happen to the student (except maybe he will get SSSSed from now on if he flies commercial).

Cessnas don't normally have advanced avionics equipment and it's not that hard to get lost. I learned to fly in Long Beach, California, where you can always tell where you are by reference to the coastline and other easy-to-see visual references such as the L.A. freeway system. The first time I flew in the Washington, DC area, I wanted to rent an aircraft so I had to go up with a CFI on a checkride in a C-172. I was surprised by the lack of visual references -- everything on the ground appeared to be green in every direction. The CFI who was giving me the checkride got lost (and demanded that I ask ATC for directions)! This was really embarrassing!

Daley is a megalomaniacal tin hitler who feels that Chicago is his own little fiefdom. His government slowly rolls from scandal to scandal, search warrat to search warrant, indictment to indictment, yet these morons keep electing him. He cannot answer a straight question from a reporter and the Chicago Press Corps is so afraid of him that they haven't the cahonies to stand up and say "Mayor Daley, that wasn't an answer, here's the question again. When his minions get indicted or arrested, he always claims he knew nothing.

I remember hearing there was a story here, supposedly in the Sun-Times, that he and his wife bought a condo on the near south side that was right under the Miegs Field approach path, and that was that. I can also tell you that Daley whined like a 9 year old about how small airplanes were going to kill Chicagoans by the thousands if he didn't get a TFR over the entire city. The FAA gavie him a couple over immediate downtown Chicago after he literally slammed his hand into the podium demanding to know why Disneyland got a TFR and Chicago didn't, but when they could not justify it with any general or specific threat, and took them away the third or fourth time, that's when emperor Daley ordered the airport demolished under cover of night, proving that he knew EXACTLY how wrong what he awas doing was. Great public servent, huh?? Word I heard (unconfirmed) is that a reporter from Channel 5, the local NBC station, saw something going on out a window of the NBC tower, drover over with a cameraman, and was threatened with arrest by a Chicago cop if they even tried to start taking video or did anything but turn the hell around.

I have long felt that Daley washed out of a private pilot training program eons ago and that's why he has such a loathing for GA. But even if you ignore all this, ask yourself this question: Why in the hell would this thug spend MILLIONS of city taxpayer dollars to lure BOEING to move their corporate headquarters to downtown, and then destroy the closest AIRPORT to downtown? Boeing should have stayed in Seattle...better airport, better coffee, less unions.

Yes, Virginia, Miegs Field is a VERY sore spot with Chicagoland pilots.