Authorities at a regional airport in Oklahoma say an Air Force C-17 that dropped in unannounced last weekend may have caused serious damage to its runway. Stillwater Regional Airport issued a statement saying the C-17, which was dropping off a women's college basketball team for a game at nearby Oklahoma State University, was heavier than its runway can handle and that the Air Force ignored its prior permission requirements for charters. "In this case, this prior approval was neither requested nor granted by airport administration," a claim the Air Force disputes.
David is correct, a lot of the in-state air traffic in Alaska carries cargo first and passengers second. I’m not sure how many, but some of the 737s used up there have the passenger area walled off to allow more cargo room on the upper deck. Flights to the north slope usually had 15-20 passengers in a small cabin area and the rest was full of freight. Towns down the coast toward Juneau are accessible only by boat or air.
The Air Force spokesperson said they did indeed get approval for this arrival, and it was based on the number of wheels that distribute the load on the C17. Who knows.
My question is, why is the Air Force flying college basketball teams around in a C-17? Surely, they could find something a little less fuel guzzling. I doubt that the team was bringing their Abrams tank along with them. Our tax dollars in action!
In fairness, training is training, whether there’s a legitimate task associated with it or not. Aircrews need hours/code currency, so they fly around, practice landings, takeoffs, touch-and-gos, loading/unloading cargo/passengers, aerial refueling, air drops, whatever… The same taxpayer dollars are used whether ferrying a basketball team around or flying nothing around.
Yeah, unlikely they didn’t clear it ahead of time, since the crew would want to ensure the field could support the aircraft. Plus, tower wouldn’t have cleared the aircraft to land, likely, without prior clearance.
It is my experience that towers at civilian airports are not the airport’s administrative police. Unless ATC flow or those type procedures are in effect, if you want to take off or land below minimums, or are too heavy for the runway, or need a PPR for admin or airport operational reasons, it is the pilot’s responsibility to comply, not the tower’s function to enforce those rules. In this case a PPR notam for aircraft with a wingspan of more than 75ft was not the tower’s concern.
As mentioned, military planes and crews are going to fly a certain number of hours a month/year for proficiency whether passengers are on board or not. I assume when the bells ring and sirens blow you do want your military folks to be capable at 100% if possible. Have to train to do be there.
“The airport authority said that last fall it denied a request by the Air Force to BRING ITS MEN’S BASEBALL TEAM (emphasis mine) to the area.” Sounds like this was an internal team to the Air Force. Perhaps the Air Force Academy cadets get rides on AF hardware. Also sounds like there is some history there, and may a bit of bad blood.
I wonder if the airfield didn’t used to be a military base. I suspect it was built mostly with federal money 50 years ago and the old concrete is crumbling from age and the city can’t afford to replace it. I suspect that a C-17 with enough wheels to land on a dirt road, and with a handful of people as cargo did not cause that damage, which looks like old spalling in the concrete hidden by some sealing coat that did not adhere properly. Just my guess an old airfield manager.