Sat, Sep 08, 2012
But Ohio Seems To Need A Better Definition Of ‘Official Use’
Republican House Speaker William G. Batchelder of Medina Ohio was asked to reimburse the state for the use of an Ohio Department of Transportation aircraft he used to travel from a private event to the Statehouse, according to an audit of the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Office of Aviation released Thursday by state Auditor Dave Yost.
Yost conducted the audit in response to an article that appeared in The Columbus Dispatch newspaper reporting that Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor was directed by Governor John Kasich to repay the state $1,039.50 for either being picked up or dropped off by a state-owned aircraft at Akron-Canton Airport, about 6 miles from her home.
But in Yost’s report, he never formally accuses either elected official of misusing the privilege – citing that there was “no objective standard or legal basis” included in state guidelines for flying on state-owned aircraft.
“Some other states have clear rules for the use of their state planes, Ohio does not,” Yost said in a press release. “While planes may play a valuable role in conducting state business, the state ought to define that role.”
Yost said in his report, “there are no policies regarding specific allowable uses for the state plane, other than a general statement on the request form that all state aircraft shall be used for official state business only.”
Additionally, Yost found that the state has three aircraft for executive use, and said that’s too many. He indicated the state could sell its American Eurocopter aircraft for between $625,000 and $1.25 million. The helicopter reportedly flew only five times last year for a total of 13.8 hours, the most underutilized of the three aircraft in Ohio's possession.
More News
Aero Linx: International Business Aviation Council Ltd IBAC promotes the growth of business aviation, benefiting all sectors of the industry and all regions of the world. As a non->[...]
"During the annual inspection of the B-24 “Diamond Lil” this off-season, we made the determination that 'Lil' needs some new feathers. Due to weathering, the cloth-cove>[...]
Also: Bushcat Woes, Hummingbird 300 SL 4-Seat Heli Kit, Carbon Cub UL The newest Junkers is a faithful recreation that mates a 7-cylinder Verner radial engine to the airframe offer>[...]
Also: Seaplane Pilots Association, Rotax 916’s First Year, Gene Conrad After a decade and a half of struggling with the FAA and other aero-politics, G100UL is in production a>[...]
Also: Martha King Scholarship, Montaer Grows, Textron Updates Pistons, FlySto The FAA is hiring thousands of air traffic controllers, but the window to apply will only be open for >[...]