SkyWest, airport modifying Chicago flight schedule

By David Hurst dhurst@trib.com June 25th, 2024

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The John P. Murtha Johnstown- Cambria County Airport’s commercial carrier is modifying one daily Chicago- to-Johnstown flight to address delays.

United Airlines carrier Skywest is moving its Chicago O’Hare International to Johnstown evening flight up one hour earlier to help eliminate next-day delays that are sometimes required by Federal Aviation Administration regulations, Airport Manager Cory Cree said.

Flight pilots and crews are required to have a 10-hour rest period between their daily schedules. When flights depart on time from Chicago, that’s not an issue, but in recent months, delays at O’Hare International have sometimes had a trickle-down effect on ones in Johnstown, Cree said.

If a flight arrives late, crews are prevented by FAA regulations from departing for 10:50 a.m. flights to Washington-Dulles International the following morning.

That’s led to delays for the D.C. flights, causing them to be pushed back an hour or more, he said.

The hope is that will change next month.

Effective Monday, Chicago flights to Johnstown are now scheduled to depart O’Hare at 7:35 p.m. and arrive at 10:20 p.m., more than an hour earlier.

“Now, if there’s a short delay, it won’t impact the schedule the next day – and worst case, if it’s a longer one, the delay will be shorter,” Cree said.

Flight delays have been on the upswing for the airline industry nationwide since the pandemic as airlines have adapted to labor shortages and other issues in the post-COVID-19 era.

In Johnstown, SkyWest Airline’s monthly report showed seven of the airline’s 121 scheduled flights to or from Johnstown had rest-related delays in May.

It didn’t prevent the carrier from reaching new monthly passenger marks in May however.

‘3,000’ club

A total of 3,153 people flew into or from Johnstown’s airport in May through United.

It’s the first time more than 20 years that passenger totals broke the 3,000 mark, airport figures show.

The airport recorded 1,595 enplanements – departures from Johnstown – which was nearly double the monthly goal.

Airports with 10,000 or more enplanements annually receive $1 million in federal Primary Entitlement funds.

The airport is on track to top that threshold again in 2024, Cree said.

Figures show the facility has already logged 6,413 total enplanements through May, and has just shifted into the traditionally busy summer travel season.

Agreement extended

In recent years, Nulton Aviation’s Larry Nulton has helped airport officials launch the Aerium Summit and drone pilot programs, while finalizing plans with St. Francis University to address airline labor shortages by developing homegrown pilot and aircraft maintenance training courses.

And grant funds were secured to further develop a KOEZ economic opportunity zone to add more activity at the airport.

Through a deal approved last week, Nulton’s Cambrian Hills Development Group was awarded a five-year extension to enable the group to continue working to lure business into the tax-free zone.

Airport officials voted unanimously to extend a developer’s agreement through December 2029.

Airport officials credited Nulton’s group for helping them bring a “great vision for business development and growth” to the airport.

“We’re building an (aviation) workforce that we think is going to help us attract businesses to our airport,” Cree said.

“Extending (a deal with Cambrian Hills) was an easy decision for us,” he said.

Lunar rover team leader honored by Aerium Women in Aviation committee

June 3rd, 2024 By Randy Griffith  rgriffith@tribdem.com

Raewyn Duvall accepts the Helen Ritchy award for women in aviation from Aerium Women in Aviation Committee Chairwoman Heather Tomasko on May 30th, 2024

Raewyn Duvall displays the Helen Ritchy Award for Women in aviation from Aerium Women in Aviation Committee.

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Stuck in a corner of the Aerium Summit exhibitors’ hangar this week, many visitors may have missed the Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute display.

The display included a prototype for Iris, the robotic lunar rover built for NASA’s Peregrine Mission One, launched earlier this year to explore the moon.

Although systems in the lander prevented Iris from reaching the lunar surface, NASA still gained valuable information about how the lunar rover responded to the conditions of space.

Among the display hosts was Raewyn Duvall, program manager for the team of about 300 Carnegie Mellon students who developed the shoebox-sized rover.

Her contributions to the aviation and aerospace industry earned her the Aerium Women in Aviation Committee’s first Helen Richey award. Named for a McKeesport native who set several world aviation records and became the first female commercial pilot, the award recognizes women for their contributions to the field of aviation.

“Raewyn’s dedication and enthusiasm for aviation exemplify the spirit of innovation and perseverance that we aim to cultivate in our industry,” committee chairwoman Heather Tomasko said during the presentation ceremony.

“She is a role model for aspiring female aviators, and we are thrilled to recognize her achievements.”

The award included a certificate and a monetary donation to the Women in Aerospace Foundation, which is establishing a new scholarship in Duvall’s name.

Duvall said she hopes the honor will encourage more young people from different areas of education to consider aviation and aerospace studies.

“I think the one thing I bring is the unique perspective of being a woman who wasn’t just focused on aerospace,” she said. “I never sought an aerospace degree. I did English – short stories and sci-fi. I don’t look like a typical engineer. I can inspire generations that are always like, ‘Oh, I’m not the math nerd, so I can’t be in aerospace.’ That’s just not true. I think that that’s huge.”

 

Lt. governor points to aviation ‘workforce of the future’ at Aerium Summit; drone delivery project’s progress promoted

By Randy Griffith rgriffith@tribdem.com May 30th, 2024

 

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis (right) highlights grant money from Pennsylvania Strategic Investments to Enhance Sites (PA SITES) pilot program during a news conference at the future site of Cell-Con Inc. in Bedford County Business Park #1 on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. At left, Mike Hanna Jr., Pa. Department of Community & Economic Development executive deputy secretary, looks on.

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Aviation education and expanding the use of drones are becoming hallmarks of the Johnstown region, expanding the economy and bringing new opportunities, speakers said Thursday at the Aerium Summit’s morning general session.

Cambria County Commissioner Thomas Chernisky called attention to the partnership between John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport, Nulton Aviation Services and the local aviation-focused nonprofit Aerium, commending their team approach toward progress.

“Go figure: St. Francis University in Loretto training mechanics and pilots,” Chernisky said. “We’ve been watching a new economy being built at our airport.”

Lt. Gov. Austin Davis reinforced thoughts during his remarks on the forward-looking aviation initiatives being developed in the Johnstown area.

“As the governor often says, ‘the Shapiro-Davis administration is competitive as hell,’ ” Davis said. “We’re tired of losing to our neighboring states like Ohio and West Virginia. That’s why we want to support great industries right here in Pennsylvania, such as aviation and aerospace.”

Davis, who recently hosted the first-ever Aerospace Day at the state Capitol, said he heard a lot about aviation workforce shortages from participants.

“St. Francis University, you all are creating a workforce of the future,” Davis said, highlighting the “pipeline” connecting students, education and the aviation industry.

“Aerium is preparing the next generation to learn, grow and fly,” he said.

Speakers extended their optimism to the Aerium Summit’s other showcased industry, drones – in particular, the drone emergency medical supply system being developed by a collaboration of organizations, including the Cambria County Emergency Management Agency and the county Geographic Information Systems department.

In March, the county got a state grant of nearly $2 million to install towers and build a network for drones to deliver medicine in the event of heart attacks, severe allergy attacks, drug overdoses and more.

On Thursday, Art Martynuska, Cambria County EMA coordinator, and Steve Kocsis, the county’s GIS director, updated the Aerium Summit audience on progress.

“It’s been three years in the making, and it’s coming to reality,” Chernisky said, introducing the two leaders. “This program has the potential to be a blueprint of drone delivery systems for medical care of our nation. The Johnstown-Cambria County airport is creating a center of excellence for drone delivery systems.”

Kocsis showed video of test flights in which drones were launched at the same time emergency vehicles were dispatched to a scene. In each case, the drones’ response time beat the vehicle’s time.

The one exception was when a drone went out of visual line of sight behind some trees. The drone had to land because of Federal Aviation Administration regulations, Kocsis said, noting that the local project has received an exception from the line-of-sight rule if the local system of towers and sensors can take over.

“The SMART (Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation) grant that we’re working on is to help us get beyond that line of sight,” he said.

Going back through county records, officials estimate drones could have assisted in 800 emergency calls over the past five years. Research showed it could have cut response times by 82%.

“It’s a phenomenal tool; it’s going to save thousands of lives,” Kocsis said.