🇺🇸 Chicago, United States of America
Chicago is one of the largest population centres on Earth. Real-Earth coordinates 41.848°, -87.635°, population 8,990,000. Skyline in every direction and an approach that never quite ends — one of the more demanding places to fly low and fast. Skydex flies the real Earth here — the elevation, coastline and city layout under the aircraft come from the same data the map does, and the sky is shared with everyone else flying it.
Live over Chicago heard by the Skydex receiver network
50 aircraft within 60 km right now.
- SKW5871 · Bombardier CRJ700 · SkyWest Airlines · 3,425 ft · 14 km
- ac03e2 · Boeing 737 MAX 8 · 2,075 ft · 14 km
- JIA5405 · Bombardier CRJ700 · PSA Airlines · 3,600 ft · 16 km
- UAL1813 · Boeing 737-800 · United Airlines · 5,275 ft · 16 km
- EVA056 · Boeing 777-300ER · EVA Air · 4,900 ft · 17 km
- SKW4725 · Embraer E175 (long wing) · SkyWest Airlines · 2,150 ft · 18 km
- SLW5420 · Bombardier CRJ200 · 3,900 ft · 19 km
- abf3b8 · Boeing 737-800 · 3,575 ft · 20 km
As of 00:42 UTC · updates live · about the network · see them in 3D over Chicago →
Seen on the water near Chicago last 30 days, AIS via the Skydex feed
82 vessels on 30 days · 636 sightings (one vessel on one day) · type known for 46 of them.
Counted from the AIS positions the Skydex feed received here — sampled once a day in local daytime, plus whenever pilots fly here — not a port register. Ship tracking
Airports near Chicago within 120 km, heard by the Skydex receiver network
- Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) · 12 km · 8,783 flights in 30 days
- Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) · 27 km · 45,955 flights in 30 days
- Gary Chicago International Airport (GYY) · 32 km · 14 flights in 30 days
- Dupage Airport (DPA) · 51 km · 2 flights in 30 days
- South Bend Regional Airport (SBN) · 110 km · 922 flights in 30 days
Flights are airline flight numbers our receivers heard heading to or from the airport, once a day each — not runway movements. All airports
Activity in Chicago
“Pilots” counts signed-in players; “visits” counts sessions, not unique people.
Flying conditions in Chicago
Sunrise 06:34 · Sunset 16:34 · 10 h 00 m of daylight (local time)
Verdict weighs gusts, precipitation and cold — the things that actually decide whether a drone or a bird has a good time up there. Sunrise and sunset are computed from the city's coordinates, not forecast. Forecast issued 2026-11-11 00:41 UTC and refreshed live in your browser. Weather by Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Flying weather in Chicago through the year
November in Chicago averages 6.8°C with winds around 21 km/h, and roughly 63% of days are good for flying — about 10 days see rain.
Fewest weather restrictions: September, May, August; January is the most restricted at 21% usable days. (That's about wind and rain, not comfort — check the temperatures below.)
| Month | Avg temp | Wind | Rain days | Good to fly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | -5.6°C | 21 km/h | 8 | 21% |
| February | -1.6°C | 19 km/h | 6 | 46% |
| March | 5.9°C | 21 km/h | 12 | 56% |
| April | 10.6°C | 21 km/h | 14 | 67% |
| May | 14.2°C | 18 km/h | 8 | 77% |
| June | 21.4°C | 18 km/h | 14 | 55% |
| July | 24.5°C | 16 km/h | 13 | 63% |
| August | 22.7°C | 18 km/h | 6 | 77% |
| September | 20.1°C | 18 km/h | 6 | 80% |
| October | 14.5°C | 21 km/h | 6 | 76% |
| November | 6.8°C | 21 km/h | 10 | 63% |
| December | -1.3°C | 20 km/h | 9 | 34% |
Based on ERA5 reanalysis. “Good to fly” counts days without strong wind, real rain or hard frost — the conditions that actually ground a drone.
Recent activity in Chicago
🛩 Where to fly a drone in United States of America →
What you can do here
- Fly Chicago in an FPV drone or as a gull, from 41.848°, -87.635° — keyboard and mouse, a gamepad, or a real RC transmitter over USB.
- Check the weather first: live wind, gusts and cloud over the city, plus the month-by-month flyable-days table above.
- Watch real traffic — aircraft overhead and ships on the water come from live ADS-B and AIS feeds, not from a script.
- Meet other pilots in the same sky: city chat room, radio, and the walkie-talkie frequency for Chicago.