One day at a time

OSU Airport traffic controller Tony Lewis oversees the airport from the control tower.   Photos by Jo McCulty
	Ohio State’s flight school’s fleet of 18 aircraft sits on the grounds of the airport, near a new sign welcoming pilots and passengers to the airport. The flight school, part of the University’s Department of Aviation and Aeronautical Engineering, has 150 students.

OSU airport is ‘home' to 50 employees

By Susan Wittstock, onCAMPUS staff

The best day to visit an airport is maybe not a cloudy and gray, ever-so-slightly-drizzly kind of day, but rain, sleet, snow -- and even sometimes sunshine -- are all a part of the usual routine when an airport operates 365 days a year in Ohio.

Approximately 50 employees of the University spend their work life at Don Scott Field, which could be considered the University's north, north Columbus campus, at the 387 acres situated just south of state Route 161 and bordered roughly by Sawmill Road on the west, West Case Road on the south and Godown Road on the east.

During the three years he has served as the airport director,Doug Hammon said he often finds himself having the same conversation with fellow OSU employees he meets on main campus. It goes a little like this:

Employee: "Where do you work?"

Hammon: "Out at the airport."

Employee: "Port Columbus?"

Hammon: "No, OSU."

(Blank stare from employee.)

Hammon: "Don Scott."

Employee: "Oh, OSU owns that?"

Ohio State is the only university in the country that owns and operates its own airport to support an aviation program. No commercial flights are allowed; all traffic is corporate flights, private pilots, training flights, MedFlight and State of Ohio, such as the Highway Patrol. The Ohio State University Airport is the fourth busiest airport in the state, averaging more than 120,000 take-offs and landings per year.

A mural on the wall of the OSU airport's terminal depicts the history of aviation.

"First and foremost, our mission is to serve the aviation academic unit,"Hammon said. "One way to do that is to serve a larger clientele than just the students. You can't really break even if you only work with students."

About a quarter of the 50-plus employees are students, gaining practical experience for potential careers in aviation.

Hammon, a graduate of Ohio State's aviation program, worked at the airport as an undergraduate. "I started out in aircraft maintenance, sweeping the floor,"he said.

He's happy that his career has led him back to Ohio State. "The fun part about this airport -- one this size -- is if you go to Port Columbus, you'll do one job. You're very specialized. Here? We pretty much do it all,"Hammon said.

A day's work

The day officially begins at 7 a.m., but the airport starts waking up earlier than that. The line service employees arrive by 5:30 a.m. and climb onto tugs, which resemble souped-up golf carts, to begin the ballet of pushing or towing planes out of hangars and out onto the ramp in preparation for flights. The maintenance crew does an inspection of the entire property, making sure runway lights are functioning and all pathways are clear. The air traffic controllers take their posts in the traffic tower.

The busiest hours are between 7 and 9 a.m. and again late in the afternoon, said Ed Mikula, assistant director. Mikula, also an Ohio State aviation program graduate, is responsible for the operations side of the airport.

Mikula took a visitor on a mid-day tour of the airport on Oct.30, starting at the airport's terminal, where his office overlooks the airport's runways. Upstairs, the former control tower now functions as a community meeting room, with tables and chairs situated to offer a bird's-eye view of the airport's activities.

Customer service manager Sue Riggs greets commercial pilot Chuck Deyo at the airport's customer service desk.

Sue Riggs, manager of customer service, was working behind the terminal's customer service desk with assistant manager Sonya Kimball.

"For some people visiting the University, this is their first experience with any University personnel. We want to make a good first impression,"Riggs said.

Riggs, Kimball and student assistants greet customers and pilots as they enter, assist with ground transportation and accommodations needs, as well as offer suggestions on ways to pass time in Columbus. Riggs might direct patrons to the Barnstormer restaurant, an Oxley's-operated restaurant on the airport grounds, or pilots to the airport's sleeping rooms or the flight-planning lounge.

Riggs has worked at the airport for 15 of her 24 years with the University. "I know a lot of our customers by name. Because we're a smaller airport, we're able to be more personal,"she said.

Tony Barrell was repairing a plane's propeller in the Aircraft Maintenance Services hangar, attached to the terminal. Barrell began working for the airport's line service 19 years ago, and now, as a manager in the Federal Aviation Administration certified repair station, he oversees a staff of six full-time employees and four students. His group can do the 50-hour and 100-hour inspections required for aircraft, as well as other scheduled and unscheduled repairs and maintenance.

He maintains a sense of humor about his job. "I always tell everyone that I work on airplanes because it's a whole lot simpler than working on a car,"Barrell said, and grinned. "An airplane engine is just an engine, with no computers. The technology is old and reliable and it's been around forever."

Fire fighters put out a blaze as part of annual training exercises, held Oct. 30 on the airport's grounds.

Ohio State's maintenance shop is gaining a reputation for quality work, Mikula said. "Tony's actually increased business so much that we're looking at a second shift,"he said.

Outside, the air was brisk. The airport has space for 110 airplanes to be stored outside, tied down to the pavement. Twenty-four of the planes belong to three flying clubs associated with the airport. The clubs maintain offices in the hangars and give members the chance to take private flight lessons or to sign the planes out for trips.

The OSU flight school's fleet of 18 aircraft, most of them white Cessna 150, 152 and 172s with scarlet and gray stripes, were lined up on the pavement near the terminal. Due to the day's dank weather, they were grounded, but usually students and instructors take aircraft up throughout the day.

The airport maintains nine community hangars, situated like large pole barns along the southern edge of the air strips, and five T-hangars. One hangar, the flight education building, is used as classroom, office and training space, complete with flight simulators, for the University's 125 flight students. Other hangars have their space rented out to house corporate airplanes, as well as private planes owned by individuals.

Aircraft mechanic Sam Crawford applies prop guard to a propeller to protect it from nicks and erosion in the airport's Aircraft Maintenance Services hangar. The shop is a Federal Aviation Administration certified repair station with a staff of six full-time employees.

Ohio State has a list of 85 potential customers waiting for hangar space. "We have people begging to get in a hangar, but I have to tell them that I don't have room,"Mikula said.

The airport is in the final stages of revising its master plan, which calls for constructing one additional corporate hangar and two T-hangars. Target starting date for the project is the summer of 2003. The Airport Traffic Control Tower, owned by the FAA, is reached by climbing up several flights of steps, including a couple sets of spiral stairs. Air traffic controllers Sam Sahlin and Gary Bollinger were on duty, monitoring air traffic in the vicinity, keeping track of weather, and offering clearance to the occasional flight. In all, seven controllers are assigned to OSU's tower.

Although that day was quiet, Sahlin said the airport can get really hectic. "Fridays and Saturdays can be very busy, especially on a home football game day. A lot of people fly in for the games,"he said.

Closer to the ground, Bob Nocks, facilities manager, supervises a crew of five that work out of a large building on a corner of the property. Among other things, they remove snow, operate a machine shop, fix the heating and cooling systems of all of the airport's buildings and maintain the fueling station. Two more landscape crew members are responsible for mowing 650 acres of the airport's grass.

"Our latest claim to fame is security,"Nocks said. His crew has helped with the installation of a computerized gate system, part of ongoing efforts to increase airport security.

Maintenance supervisor Dale Gelter directs driver Ray Fuller in parking new snow equipment. Zane Partow looks on.

All maintenance crew members are cross-trained and on call 24 hours a day. "Our work is a lot like that of a general contractor. We're a little unusual here in that we can do it all -- mechanical, electrical, plumbing work. I'm proud of my guys,"Nocks said.

On Oct. 30, Nocks was helping with preparations for a late afternoon and evening fire training exercise. Once a year, the airport holds simulations of a mock airplane fire for OSU Airport firefighters as well as crews from Upper Arlington and Washington Township.

Surveying the mock airplane that would be set ablaze in a few hours, Nocks shook his head, and commented on the extensive training that airport and fire officials undergo to prevent and react to emergencies.

"The name of the game in aviation is safety,"he said.

Courtesy of the College of Engineering

Airport celebrates 60 years of flight

By Gina Langen, Engineering Communications

In 2003, the world will celebrate the centennial of flight with the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' historic flight in Kitty Hawk, N.C. This November, Ohio State is celebrating 60 years of aviation history in recognition of the establishment of the Ohio State Airport, in northwest Columbus.

The 387-acre Ohio State Airport was founded in 1942 to aid in the extensive training program directed by the then-newly created School of Aviation. As World War II progressed, more and more pilots were being trained to serve in the war effort, and the new airport served as a training ground for many groups of student pilots.

The first plane to use the airport was piloted by Maj. George Stone, commander of the Ohio Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, who landed a Fairchild monoplane on Nov. 5, 1942. As an underscoring of the importance of the event, aboard was Stone's father, Julius Stone, chairman emeritus of the Ohio State Board of Trustees, and watching were Ohio Governor John W. Bricker and Ohio State President Howard L. Bevis.

An article in the November 1942 Ohio State Monthly described the scene: "The field's muddy roads, weeds, lack of facilities look like anything but an airport. To the men braving the weather, the field meant the beginning of a program that will make Ohio State one of the foremost centers of aeronautical engineering in the United States."

In 1943, the airfield was named for Capt. Don Scott, the former Buckeye All-American athlete who was killed while serving as an Army pilot.

The Ohio State Airport has had its share of famous and infamous happenings over the years.

In 1990, then-First Lady Barbara Bush arrived at the airport on Air Force Two for an event in Columbus, and former President George Bush landed there during a local visit after his term of office ended. While airport workers were excited to view the presidential aircrafts, they had to view from afar, as no access to the planes was allowed.

In 1992, the Columbus Zoo was expecting two famous visitors — giant pandas from China. To throw off protestors anticipating the panda's arrival at Port Columbus Airport, the pandas arrived at OSU's airport, and remained there in a hangar for two days before being transported to the zoo.

The largest unexpected visitor to the airport was the mistaken landing of a TWA Boeing 707 airliner in 1967. The plane's pilot radioed Port Columbus Airport of its intended landing, but had mistakenly assessed the Ohio State Airport as its target.

Everyone involved was very surprised as the 707 landed with no radio contact at Ohio State Airport; the jet expected at Port Columbus suddenly disappeared from their radar screen, and passengers and crew expecting to arrive at Port Columbus emerged from the airliner to find themselves at a different location. All passengers and baggage were shuttled to Port Columbus, and galley equipment and seats inside the 707 had to be removed before the craft was light enough to take off from the shorter runways at Ohio State Airport.

As with many historical sites, oddities are found on the airport property from time to time. During the construction of the north taxiway, a junked Boeing B-29 bomber was used to fill a hole, the only known buried aircraft on the grounds. An unmarked cemetery was also located on the airfield. Only one known fatality in an air crash has occurred at the airport in its 60-year history.

Today, the Ohio State Airport ranks fourth in Ohio in the number of take-offs and landings and is home to 230 aircraft and an estimated 110,000 operations per year, including corporate activity, student training and pleasure flying. In addition, the airport supports other University research departments, by providing housing for the herding of cattle, horses and sheep, bees for the production of honey, and chimpanzees for the cognitive development research laboratory.

Lane Avenue bridge closes Nov. 25

Courtesy of Franklin County Engineers Office The photo above shows three bridges crossing the Olentangy River: the current Lane Avenue Bridge (far right), foundation work for the new Lane Avenue Bridge being built next to it, and a temporary pedestrian footbridge(far left) that will be open throughout the project.

17-month closure will force traffic changes

By Randy Gammage, onCAMPUS staff

Effective Nov. 25, the aging Lane Avenue bridge over the Olentangy River will be demolished and closed until a new state-of-the-art suspension bridge is completed.

The new bridge is expected to open by April 16, 2004.

"Although we're talking about a 17-month bridge closure, we are following a very aggressive construction schedule,"said Cornell Robertson, projects engineer with the Franklin County Engineers Office.

Pedestrians will have access across the Olentangy River at Lane Avenue throughout all phases of the project via a temporary concrete and steel footbridge constructed south of the existing bridge, Robertson said.

The posted detour for vehicles around campus will be Olentangy River Road to Dodridge Street to High Street. Even though it is not the official detour, traffic on campus is expected to be heavy as motorists seek their own alternate routes, said Sarah Blouch, director of Transportation and Parking Services. "Heavier than normal traffic on campus will mean bus delays and slower traffic, so arrive on campus earlier than normal,"Blouch said. "It will take time for a pattern to develop, so we cannot assume the traffic problems will be resolved overnight."

This rendering shows the six-lane cable-stayed bridge that will replace the Lane Avenue Bridge over the Olentangy River.

Robertson said the three-lane, 80-year-old bridge will be replaced with a six-lane, one-of-a-kind "cable stay"bridge with two towering pillars that support the cable suspension. The center towers will rise 119 feet above the bridge deck, with 10 cables on each side of the bridge to support the deck. He said it would be the second cable-stayed bridge built entirely within the state of Ohio.

Once completed, the bridge will offer numerous benefits, including increased traffic flow, lighting for increased safety, and better ADA accessibility, said Bo Zhang, senior engineer with the University Engineer's Office.

"There will be ADA compliant ramps at all four corners,"Zhang said, something not currently available.

The width of pedestrian sidewalks will double on either side of the bridge, from six to 12 feet, Zhang said. Additionally, lighting has been installed for those using the temporary pedestrian bridge to improve safety.

Although not so obvious as the pending demolition, Zhang said that work on the new bridge has been underway since February. Portions of the concrete piers that will support the bridge in the water, and the abutments that will support it on land on either side, have been poured. Storm sewers and a water line have been relocated.

The $15.6 million project includes the construction of the bridge and the reconstruction of the Lane Avenue and Olentangy River Road intersection, Robertson said. The project is being funded with $5 million each from the federal government and the Ohio Public Works Commission, with the remaining costs provided by Franklin County, Columbus, and the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department.

For updates on the project, visit the Web at www.laneavenue.org. For updates on construction impacts, including traffic and parking changes, visit the University's interactive map that tracks construction projects at http://constructionawareness.osu.edu/.

Woody Hayes bridges to be replaced; traffic to be maintained

Although construction work on the Woody Hayes Drive bridges that span the Olentangy River and Olentangy River Road will soon be underway, traffic will be maintained. Work is expected to begin by the end of the month. The project calls for demolition of the existing bridges -- constructed in 1921 -- and construction of new four-lane bridges with 10 foot sidewalks on each side and ADA accessibility to the bridges from the parking areas, said Paul Sherwood, assistant director of the University Engineers Office.

The bridges will be built in parts to allow access for two lanes of traffic throughout the project, except for brief closures that will take place during evening and weekend hours, Sherwood said.

Included with this project is the construction of a high-pressure 10-inch steam line, which would be installed on the bridge understructure and connected to the existing line near St. John Arena and the Agricultural Engineering building.