Recreational and business pilots in the Chicago area were recently
informed that the current 20-25 NM radius B-airspace is proposed to be
increased all the way to the 30NM transponder veil. Comments can be
filed until January 12. The 3 area glider clubs will be impacted with
one club being located 28 NM from O'Hare. The floor of the B-airspace
will be at 4,000 MSL if this proposal should pass.

Interestingly, the justifications heard for this change match exactly
the points stated here already. Pilot members of our clubs that are
flying into Chicago City airports regularly report that ATC is
specifically advising them when exiting and re-entering B airspace -
obviously establishing records for having to do so.

Our course of action will most likely be a petition to carve out a
sector over the affected glider port or/and to request for the floor
of the outside ring to be raised to 5,000'. In any case, we will
loose quite a few of the current Northern Illinois turnpoints.
Question: Anyone knows how ATC reacts to requests to briefly
transition B-airspace on the outside border (transponder equipped
glider)? Many of our local gliders fly with transponders.

Herb Kilian, J7