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Where do you Want to Go?

By Amy Leigh

Schaumburg is one town that is accessible to everything. Two major expressways, I-90 and I-290, provide access to Chicago, Rockford and every other major city in the Midwest. They also lead directly to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport located nine miles from Schaumburg. O’Hare is one of the world’s busiest airports with daily service worldwide.

Schaumburg’s convenient location has greatly influenced its development as a center of commerce. Businesses have access to air, ground, rail and water transportation which allows for various means of shipping and receiving goods that will fit into any budget.

Other airports in the area include Midway Airport, which is located approximately one hour to the southwest, and the Schaumburg Regional Airport (SRA). The SRA is home to the Northwest Flyers, providing many services including aircraft maintenance, ramp services, fueling operations, and charter services.

Several other companies call the SRA home including: Norwest Aviation (airport flight school, aircraft sales and rental); Oliver’s Helicopters (helicopter charter and flight training); Pilot Pete’s Restaurant; Plus Air (aviation insurance); Red Baron Rides (open cockpit bi-plane rides); AM Air Service (helicopter rides and introduction flights); Schaumburg Flying Club (aircraft rental); and US Helicopters (helicopter charter services, maintenance, Channels 2 and 7 and WGN-AM Radio News Services).

PACE bus services along with the local RTA and Dial-A-Ride Transportation (DART) provide transportation in and around town. Seniors have access to discounted taxi service and the Village offers a mini-bus service for seniors and the disabled. The mini-bus offers those in need transportation to medical offices, hospitals, grocery stores, shopping centers, and other destinations.

Metra provides rail transportation between Schaumburg and downtown Chicago, while the Woodfield Trolley is available to help individuals travel between local shopping centers.

Sue Marnell of American Taxi says the company offers a subsidized senior program in “35 or 36 different communities where seniors can get coupon books for discounted taxi service.” Each town determines how it will run the program; participating communities coordinate the program with American Taxi to ensure the service is readily available to those who need to take advantage of it.

Another closeby, convenient transportation option is the Schaumburg Regional Airport (SRA). It’s home to the Northwest Flyers, who operate as the field’s general FBO (Field Base Operator).

Charter services are not just for professionals; the Northwest Flyers also use the aircraft to transport people who are ill as well as providing service to organ harvest teams transporting organs throughout the United States. According to Skip Barchfield, President of the Northwest Flyers, harvest teams travel mostly at night to various cities to collect donated organs and take them to the individuals waiting for them.

“We also transport people when they are sick. We can take out the interior of an aircraft to accommodate different needs such as a special bed or medical equipment,” said Barchfield. The Northwest Flyers were once responsible for bringing a sick patient from Alaska back to Milwaukee where they had relatives.