NORAD’s Falcon Virgo Windy City 09-02 Chicago Aug 22-23

DRILL REPORT: NORAD’s Falcon Virgo Windy City 09-02 Chicago Aug 22-23

Note: This is the second of three planned drills for Chicago as mentioned in a previous post here. The first drill was on July 21st. The date for the third and final Windy City 09 is currently unreleased. — Silver

When: August 22, 2009 beginning at 10 a.m., and August 23, 2009 beginning at 3 p.m.
Where: Chicago, IL
Who: North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), Federal Aviation Administration, Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center, Chicago Terminal Radar Approach Control, CONR, and CONR’s Eastern Air Defense Sector.

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From the NORAD website (http://www.norad.mil/News/2009/082009.html):

NORAD exercise planned for skies over Chicago

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – North American Aerospace Defense Command and its geographical component, the Continental United States NORAD Region will conduct a two-day air defense exercise over Chicago Aug. 22 and 23.

Nicknamed Falcon Virgo 09-Windy City, the exercise is a series of training flights held in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center, Chicago Terminal Radar Approach Control, CONR, and CONR’s Eastern Air Defense Sector.

These types of exercises, which are designed to hone NORAD and CONR’s intercept and identification operations, are carefully planned and closely controlled to ensure NORAD’s rapid response capability. Fighters from the Ohio Air National Guard’s 180th Fighter Wing based in Toledo and the Wisconsin ANG’s 115th FW based in Madison will participate, as will a Beechcraft Baron aircraft from Colorado Springs.

Flights will begin at 10 a.m. Aug. 22 and 3 p.m. Aug. 23 and last about an hour each day. Aircraft will likely not fly at low levels. In the event of inclement weather, the exercise will be rescheduled at a later date.

NORAD has conducted exercises of this nature throughout Canada and the U.S. since the start of Operation Noble Eagle, the command’s response to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

CONR, along with its Eastern and Western Air Defense Sectors, provides airspace surveillance and control and directs air sovereignty activities for the CONUS region.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, NORAD fighters have flown more than 53,000 sorties with the support of Airborne Warning and Control System and air-to-air-refueling aircraft.

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For more information on Falcon Virgo exercises, please contact CONR Public Affairs at (850) 283-8080, the on-call CONR Public Affairs Duty Officer (after 5 p.m. CST) at (850) 532-1649 or the NORAD Public Affairs Office at (719) 554-6889.