Need for state aircraft questioned as usage drops

Ohio owns 30 aircraft, divided between ODOT, DNR and Highway Patrol.

By Laura A. Bischoff, Staff Writer

10:51 PM Sunday, November 15, 2009

 

COLUMBUS — This year, one state agency shelled out as much as $650 an hour to charter helicopters while Ohio Department of Transportation staff pilots got so little time in the cockpit they had to make a point of taking state planes up for practice flights.

 

The Ohio Department of Transportation told the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation in May that it would be scaling back its aviation program and no longer have pilots and helicopters available for marijuana checks, which are usually done in late summer and early autumn.

 

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http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/ohio-news/need-for-state-aircraft-questioned-as-usage-drops-403886.html

 

4 planes, 2 helicopters for sale by Ohio

Aging aircraft fleet due for downsizing, says Aviation Administrator James Bryant.

By Laura A. Bischoff, Staff Writer

Updated 11:12 PM Sunday, November 15, 2009

 

COLUMBUS — The state Department of Transportation could post an ad on eBay that reads: For sale — four airplanes and two helicopters manufactured between the Johnson and Carter administrations. Most need major repairs, parts are hard to come by, and two of the planes don’t fly well in cold weather.

 

ODOT plans to sell six of the 11 aircraft it uses to transport state officials. Although the aging planes and copters need major overhauls, aviation officials believe they can still fetch $700,000 to $875,000.

 

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http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/ohio-news/4-planes-2-helicopters-for-sale-by-ohio-403888.html