Narrative:

Something I (and every other pilot I talk to) think needs to be looked into is the lack of published arrival routes into the chicago area. I fly jets out of the waukegan airport on the north side of chicago. Coming from the south and west into waukegan (ugn) we were originally required to start the descent about 250 NM from destination (waukegan) the last 60 NM of the flight was below 10,000'. This really eats into any fuel reserves you may have planned on for your arrival. All this low altitude vectoring can eat up an extra 500 pounds or more of fuel, enough for 30 minutes at cruise, more if you have to hold. If you had planned on arriving with 45 minutes on a VFR day you may end up with only 15 minutes fuel remaining. A stranger to the area can be put in a very difficult situation. There are no published arrival routes to give you any flight planning information. We got around the low altitude vectoring initially by filing for kenosha (enw) and cancelling IFR with the ugn in sight, this caused the computer to keep us at altitude until near the destination. Chicago now accepts the following routes when filing to ugn, however, they are not published and should be. From the south. Bvt V7 cgt brave enw ugn. From the west. Jvl V216 veena enw ugn. Pal-waukee airport (pwk) barely 9 NM southwest of ugn still requires the extensive low altitude vectoring. I know that O'hare (ord) has standard arrival routes but none are published, if they were it would make flight planning easier, pilots would arrive with the fuel they had planned on and we will not see any accidents caused fuel exhaustion due to extensive low altitude routing of jet aircraft. The dallas ft worth metropolitan area is an example of an area like chicago that has numerous airports, they have good arrival routes from 4 cardinal points, jet and fast propeller traffic is handled the same, ie, kept high no matter which airport they are going into, slower piston engine traffic is given a different low altitude route. This is what should be done in chicago.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CPR TYPE PLT REPORTER ALLEGES ACUTE NEED IN ORD AREA FOR PUBLISHED APCH ROUTES.

Narrative: SOMETHING I (AND EVERY OTHER PLT I TALK TO) THINK NEEDS TO BE LOOKED INTO IS THE LACK OF PUBLISHED ARR ROUTES INTO THE CHICAGO AREA. I FLY JETS OUT OF THE WAUKEGAN ARPT ON THE N SIDE OF CHICAGO. COMING FROM THE S AND W INTO WAUKEGAN (UGN) WE WERE ORIGINALLY REQUIRED TO START THE DSCNT ABOUT 250 NM FROM DEST (WAUKEGAN) THE LAST 60 NM OF THE FLT WAS BELOW 10,000'. THIS REALLY EATS INTO ANY FUEL RESERVES YOU MAY HAVE PLANNED ON FOR YOUR ARR. ALL THIS LOW ALT VECTORING CAN EAT UP AN EXTRA 500 LBS OR MORE OF FUEL, ENOUGH FOR 30 MINUTES AT CRUISE, MORE IF YOU HAVE TO HOLD. IF YOU HAD PLANNED ON ARRIVING WITH 45 MINUTES ON A VFR DAY YOU MAY END UP WITH ONLY 15 MINUTES FUEL REMAINING. A STRANGER TO THE AREA CAN BE PUT IN A VERY DIFFICULT SITUATION. THERE ARE NO PUBLISHED ARR ROUTES TO GIVE YOU ANY FLT PLANNING INFO. WE GOT AROUND THE LOW ALT VECTORING INITIALLY BY FILING FOR KENOSHA (ENW) AND CANCELLING IFR WITH THE UGN IN SIGHT, THIS CAUSED THE COMPUTER TO KEEP US AT ALT UNTIL NEAR THE DEST. CHICAGO NOW ACCEPTS THE FOLLOWING ROUTES WHEN FILING TO UGN, HOWEVER, THEY ARE NOT PUBLISHED AND SHOULD BE. FROM THE SOUTH. BVT V7 CGT BRAVE ENW UGN. FROM THE WEST. JVL V216 VEENA ENW UGN. PAL-WAUKEE ARPT (PWK) BARELY 9 NM SW OF UGN STILL REQUIRES THE EXTENSIVE LOW ALT VECTORING. I KNOW THAT O'HARE (ORD) HAS STANDARD ARR ROUTES BUT NONE ARE PUBLISHED, IF THEY WERE IT WOULD MAKE FLT PLANNING EASIER, PLTS WOULD ARRIVE WITH THE FUEL THEY HAD PLANNED ON AND WE WILL NOT SEE ANY ACCIDENTS CAUSED FUEL EXHAUSTION DUE TO EXTENSIVE LOW ALT ROUTING OF JET ACFT. THE DALLAS FT WORTH METRO AREA IS AN EXAMPLE OF AN AREA LIKE CHICAGO THAT HAS NUMEROUS ARPTS, THEY HAVE GOOD ARR ROUTES FROM 4 CARDINAL POINTS, JET AND FAST PROPELLER TFC IS HANDLED THE SAME, IE, KEPT HIGH NO MATTER WHICH ARPT THEY ARE GOING INTO, SLOWER PISTON ENGINE TFC IS GIVEN A DIFFERENT LOW ALT ROUTE. THIS IS WHAT SHOULD BE DONE IN CHICAGO.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.