Stuart,



I'll ignore all the Daley comments and get back to your original question.
I fly out of DuPage airport in the far west Chicago suburbs and live even
further west.



I believe the Eisenhower corridor is open for use. It's also known as the
I-290 corridor. I haven't used it in a while. The route is directly over the
I-290 expressway/interstate under the O'Hare Class B airspace and through
the Midway Class C airspace. The route begins just west of old Meigs on the
east and extends to Downer's Grove on the west.



Westbound traffic stays within 4 miles on the north side and eastbound 4
miles on the south. Since most of the land around here is approximately 700
' MSL and the Class B floor is at 1900' MSL, you need to keep it in a 200'
window. 1800' MSL is a good choice.



The route is controlled by Midway Approach. You need to talk to them about
10 minutes before you enter the corridor. Naperville is a good point on the
west end and just north of Gary Airport is good on the southeast. Approach
can be very busy and you need to give them time to sort things out. Be sure
to have thought out what you want to say before you contact them.



This is an impressive route especially if you fly it at night. The route is
just south of the downtown area with all it's tall buildings. You are well
below the top of the Sears Tower. You are also right between O'Hare and
Midway. Lot's of big iron flying around. It may look like they are right
in your path, but they aren't.



Be sure everything is working ok before you try this and you are comfortable
with using the radio. If you have problems and need to set the airplane
down, there is no good option. Chicago doesn't have a whole lot of empty
space.



Get a terminal area chart, think things through, and go out and do it.



Have fun.



Chuck Gerlach