Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has a problem. The man who bulldozed Meigs Field earlier this year with the intention of turning the lakeside airport into a park doesn't have enough money to pay for the pet project. To do so means increasing mooring fees along Lake Michigan and increasing local property taxes to fund the Parks Department. Enter the Friends of Meigs Field (FOM). They're here to help. The group presented its proposal, “Parks and Planes,” at the Chicago Park District board budget hearings Thursday, following up with a request to aviation enthusiasts everywhere to express their support through a special message to the board, accessed from its website. FOM wants to combine a re-opened airport with new parkland—the Bessie Coleman Skypark—a

The pilot of a Cessna 441 that went down shortly after take-off from Birmingham International Airport (AL) Wednesday has been identified through dental records. The Jefferson County Coroner's office says 56-year old John Wayne DeLamater and 44-year old Melia Warrington were killed when the aircraft crashed minutes after take-off, at around 2:21 pm Wednesday. The Cessna was on its way to Venice (FL) after Ms. Warrington visited with a sick relative in Alabama. She was from Osprey (FL). DeLamater was from Gulfport (FL). The cause of the accident is still under investigation. A company contracted by the NTSB removed the wreckage Friday.

Statement by the President George W. Bush, Friday, December 12, 2003: Today, I have signed into law H.R. 2115, the "Vision 100 -- Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act." The Act is designed to strengthen America's aviation sector, provide needed authority to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and enhance the safety of the traveling public.