Northbrook VORTAC OBK (Vernon Hills, Illinois)

USA / Illinois / Vernon Hills / Vernon Hills, Illinois
 TACAN - tactical air navigation system, VOR - VHF omni-directional radio range
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VHF omni-diretional radio range (VOR)combined with a military TACAN navigation system.

Frequency 113.0 MHz.;
The VORTAC is a navigational aid to airplanes landing at O'Hare International Airport. It is owned and operated by the Federal Aviation Agency. In 1971, the US Navy gave the FAA these 3.67 acres near the center of the site to construct a navigational aid tower for O'Hare Airport.
The obstacle is a Federal Aviation Administration navigational beacon called VORTAC that sits on top of a fenced-in white shed near the center of the property.

VORTAC helps guide planes to their destinations by providing a navigational fix, emitting a signal that travels 115 miles in every direction and is picked up by a plane's receiver. VORTAC, a very-high-frequency omnidirectional radio/tactical air navigation aid, is a key tool for pilots, according to officials.

Address: 300 Nike Parkway, Vernon Hills, IL
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   42°13'16"N   87°57'5"W

Comments

  • It is on the site of the old Allendale Field, but in fact it's called the Northbrook VORTAC (even though it's about 7 miles from the town of Northbrook). Its station identifier is OBK and it operates on frequency 113.0 MHz.
  • Its actually in the town of vernon hills so it should be called the Vernon Hills VOR
  • A 1995 newspaper article mentioned that nothing could be built within about 1000 feet of the VORTAC beacon. At the time this was impeding the use of the adjacent land. It appears that the solution was to build the huge elevated VORTAC antenna structure so that ground level obstructions would no longer be an issue.
  • The airport was called Chicagoland. It was operated by Art Shelter. I worked there for a short time in the 1960s as a linesman. The nearby highway intersection of rt 22 and rt 45 was called HalfDay. Palwaukee airport was just south down rt 45 about 5 miles.
This article was last modified 7 years ago