I was on UAL694 from DFW to ORD May 16th and I was tracking the flight with my GPS.
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/UAL694/history/20060516/2103Z/KDFW/KORD
The route was supposed to go from the OKM VOR to the EOS VOR in northeast Oklahoma, but it turned northward at OKM and then eastward to EOS. The detour took us just west of Tulsa and then turned just north of it. There was no weather in the area - just thin overcast way below. Any ideas as to why we would’ve been detoured?
The chart doesn’t show any airways going in that direction from OKM, and the route we took is obviously longer than the proposed route. Would a controller send a plane that far out of the way to resolve a traffic conflict? Maybe the pilots were avoiding known turbulence reported in the area?
I’m trying to back through OKC, TUL, as well as other airport databases for that timeframe and haven’t found anything yet. I don’t know how an Andrew AFB to Yuma, AZ Air Force One flight would be routed. I forget which day the President flew there. I don’t have any idea yet other than the President. As we all know, Air Force One flights are considered military flights and are blocked.
It could have been a nice vector for in trail spacing. That is most likely the first sector in Kansas City Center (the first tier from ZAU). In trail restrictions are center wide, so if you are the first ZKC controller working an ORD arrival and ORD needs 40 MIT from your center, you do your best to get 40 MIT as soon as possible, since the controllers closer might not have to time or space to get it. In this case, eastern OK was the best place to get the miles. I don’t know if this is really the case, but its probably the reason.
DM
