4 planes, 2 helicopters for sale by Ohio

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

The state keeps most of its 30 aircraft in a hangar at Ohio State University's Don Scott Airport in Columbus. The fleet is used to ferry passengers, take aerial photos, observe wildlife, find marijuana crops and catch speeders. ODOT plans to sell six of its 11 aircraft.

Laura Bischoff/Dayton Daily News The state keeps most of its 30 aircraft in a hangar at Ohio State University's Don Scott Airport in Columbus. The fleet is used to ferry passengers, take aerial photos, observe wildlife, find marijuana crops and catch speeders. ODOT plans to sell six of its 11 aircraft.

ENLARGE PHOTO

The Ohio Department of Transportation plans to sell these two Bell 206B helicopters as part of a fleet downsizing. One of ODOT's two helicopter pilots retired this year.

Laura Bischoff/Dayton Daily News The Ohio Department of Transportation plans to sell these two Bell 206B helicopters as part of a fleet downsizing. One of ODOT's two helicopter pilots retired this year.

ENLARGE PHOTO

Need for state aircraft questioned as usage drops

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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.

In mid-March, Aviation Administrator James Bryant told ODOT Director Jolene Molitoris that the fleet should be downsized given the age of the aircraft, impending repairs and difficulty finding parts. Two of the six haven’t run in months. A Cessna 182 was grounded in February 2007, while a Piper Navajo hasn’t been airborne since February 2008.

The sell-off would save maintenance costs and standardize training for aircraft mechanics and pilots.

But eight months after Bryant made his recommendation, ODOT has yet to put them up for sale.

Bryant also made a pitch to replace four aircraft over five years with newer planes and helicopters that would cost roughly $10.2 million. There’s been no decision on that.

In the last several years, most of Ohio’s neighboring states have downsized their fleets due to budget cuts or finding that they weren’t using the planes enough to justify having them.

Matt Mayer, president of the Buckeye Institute in Columbus, questioned why state officials don’t fly commercial and whether it’s cost-effective to fly ODOT planes within the state. “This state is not that big and we have a pretty good highway system,” he said. “Is it really that hard to get anwhere?”

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