February 21, 2022 at 1:59 p.m.
Thursday morning proves eventful at Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport
Thursday morning proves eventful at Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport
At approximately 7:45 a.m. Feb. 17, Leitner got word that the pilot of a plane inbound from Milwaukee wasn't sure if the plane's landing gear was locked in the down position.
"The airplane reported a gear anomaly, we responded, the city (fire department) responded, Town of Crescent responded, the sheriff's department responded," Leitner said. "We were all positioned and ready, and it landed without further incident."
Leitner said all of the departments train for such a scenario, and it was good to see the training pay off in a good performance that ultimately wasn't needed.
The plane involved was a Beechcraft 1900, a twin-engined turbo prop. In a passenger configuration it can carry 19 passengers, but Leitner said this one was operated by a company flying freight up from Milwaukee for UPS.
To make matters worse for the airport, its power, telephone and internet service was periodically interrupted by a WPS crew working on the main lines along U.S. Highway 8.
"WPS severed our main electrical line, so we're running on generator right now," Leitner said. "But it popped us off the Internet because it has to reset."
He said the airlines, Transportation Safety Administration and other tenants at the airport have their own back-up systems for maintaining communication digitally in such instances. Planes would be able to arrive and depart as scheduled, he noted.
"I guess all's well that ends well," Leitner said with a sigh, just as the power flickered off again momentarily in his office.
Jamie Taylor may be reached via email at [email protected].
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