How 'Chicago Fire' Boeing 737 was nearly frozen out of 'One Chicago'
How 'Chicago Fire' Boeing 737 was nearly frozen out of 'One Chicago'
Bryan Alexander, USA TODAYThu, March 5, 2026 at 1:44 AM UTC
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"One Chicago" creators finally got their long-held dream to feature a passenger plane in the TV action franchise — but a polar vortex nearly froze the plan.
The Boeing 737-800 flies into the three-part crossover episode between "Chicago Fire," "Chicago Med," and "Chicago P.D." (8 ET/PT). But it was a bumpy flight when the production was halted due to the dangerous Chicago cold, and the plane flew off.
"All of a sudden, it was like -20 degrees below windchill, and we had to stop shooting," says "Chicago Fire" executive producer Andrew Newman. "That plane had other jobs where it was warmer; it wasn't going to sit around. So we took a break, then we had to get the plane back. It was madness that it all came together."
The plane has been a dream of the "One Chicago" franchise, with Newman previously shooting down the expensive request because it was too risky for a multi-episode TV show with tight shooting windows. And unpredictable Chicago weather.
"We have been talking about a plane for three years, and I was always the one to say, 'No way!' We're not a movie,' says Newman. "It was a risky venture all around."
The plane returned, and the shooting resumed, even if the temperature was still well below freezing. The firefighters' stoic faces as they waited on the frozen runway at DuPage Airport in West Chicago for the troubled aircraft to land in the filmed TV drama were not acting. Well, except for Pennsylvania-born Taylor Kinney (Kelly Severide).
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"I don't know what kind of blood temperature Taylor has, but he never looks cold," says Newman. "It was zero degrees literally when we were filming. But this cast and crew live in Chicago year-round. So this is 14 years of them being outside in Chicago's winter."
Joe Cruz (Joe Minoso) boards the plane "Chicago Fire" style.
Planes can be difficult to handle on the ground. "You can't just move it if it's out of place. It's a beast," says Newman. "And anything you do to it, needs to be undone."
So that scene where Joe Cruz (Joe Minosa) pulls out the K-12 firefighter saw and zaps open the plane door required some Hollywood magic. "They put in a fake door, and they destroyed that," says Newman. "Then they put the real door back. You have to do that cautiously because that thing has got to fly again."
We'll get into what the firefighters find in plane later.
The epic episode features returning "Chicago P.D." team members Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer), who left in Season 10, and his ex-wife Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos), who left in Season 11.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Chicago Fire' plane guest star was nearly frozen out of 'One Chicago'
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
