2/1/2011 04:09 PM | published: 2/1/2011 12:01 AM
Chicago Executive Airport authorities say the airport will remain open through the night, despite the arrival of a record-setting storm.
Airport Manager Dennis Rouleau said the crew of the Wheeling/Prospect Heights airport will work through the night to keep the airport open for business.
“Our grounds crew, as well as members of our senior management team, are prepared to spend the night, working in shifts to keep the airport operating under safe conditions,” he said. “While this is a serious matter, we are prepared.”
The airport has a seasoned five-member ground crew under the direction of assistant airport manager Jamie Abbott and Joe Wargo, the facilities’ maintenance lead.
Rouleau said officials will continuously monitor runway braking action, to give pilots the information they need to make judgments regarding landing conditions.
Chicago Executive’s primary runway, 16/34, is 5,000 feet long and 150 feet wide. Crews also need to clear parallel taxiways and ramp areas. The airport operates three broom trucks, two large runway plows and one large snowblower.
In the 25 years since the municipalities of Wheeling and Prospect Heights purchased the facility, the airport has rarely closed as a result of weather. According to assistant manager Jamie Abbott, “Six passes by our largest plows are required to clear the runway. We expect to be plowing continuously, if necessary, to keep the runway operational.
“Needless to say, if the force of the storm does create an unsafe situation, we will halt landings and take offs until we return the runway to safe operating condition”.
Chicago Executive Airport is an intergovernmental cooperative of the City of Prospect Heights and the Village of Wheeling.
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