Midtown Madness (Microsoft) was a driving game that came out in 1999.
The game allowed players to compete in races around Chicago, or to drive freely.
Various vehicles could be selected from, each different to drive.
Even today with much newer car games released since, Midtown Madness is still fun.
Chicago Meigs Field is included within the Chicago area, players can drive out to what is still an airport, and explore freely.
The terminal building, control tower, a hanger and runway are all included.
In the image above you can see the terminal building from the NW corner, it was representative of the building, but not photo realistic.
There was even a ramp in front of the terminal building adding fun to the game.
Midtown Madness had a map in the lower right corner, in this case showing Meigs Field.
Players could drive anyway on the airfield, and from the apron side the terminal had jet bridges, which were never part of the actual building.
Players could also drive down the runway, to the right you can see the control tower and hanger. Aircraft would make a low approach every few minutes.
Downtown Chicago was viewable from the airfield, however buildings were only shown within a certain distance, and revealed themselves as you drove closer.
Here’s an image from downtown Chicago showing the detail of the buildings.
United Airlines Boeing 727 Aircraft Donation
Chicago based United Airlines donated a Boeing 727-22 jet airliner to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry in 1992, it has been a major attraction at the museum ever since.
The donated aircraft was the 17th Boeing 727 built and was purchased by United Airlines in 1964. It had 3 jet engines (JT8D-7B), 134 passenger seats, and was registered as N7017U (cn 18309/47).
Transporting the Boeing 727 to the Museum
Located close to the Chicago downtown, the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry is in the Hyde Park area, adjacent to Lake Michigan. In order to transport the aircraft to the museum, it was flown to nearby Chicago Meigs Field airport and then moved by barge for preparations to be displayed.
The runway at Chicago Meigs airport was shorter than those the Boeing 727 normally used, however the airplane was lightly loaded and had runway to spare after it’s last landing at Meigs on October 15th, 1992.
The Boeing 727 crew on this flight were Captain BC Thomas, First Officer Bill Loewe and Second Officer Greg Hammes.
Chicago Museum of Science and Industry
Visitors to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry can board the Boeing 727 aircraft and look around it. Various internal panels have been removed showing the metal structure of the aircraft underneath, and other parts not normally seen.
The flightdeck is also viewable and shows the classic ‘steam gauge’ instruments, which have since been replaced with glass computer displays in modern aircraft.
Volunteer United Airlines pilots provide information on the aircraft and flying to museum visitors, and hands-on activities and interactive displays all combine to make this a worthwhile place to visit.