22 November 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport hosted a snow rodeo Tuesday morning to allow workers to practice using equipment.
Stacey Wilbanks, the operations manager for Eisenhower Airport, says the snow rodeo is basically a practice run.
“We do this annually as a practice for formations for all of our south yard maintenance and our operations department,” said Wilbanks. “This gets everybody back in line since it’s been several months since they’ve done anything out here.”
The snow removal requires different kinds of equipment.
“So runway one left is our longest runway at Eisenhower, so they will take every single piece of equipment will be taken out separately just for a practice run with the operators,” said Wilbanks. “Behind that, airport operations will simulate what we will do in a normal snowstorm by checking the conditions of the runway to see if it’s safe for an aircraft to land.”
Wilbanks says they host the snow rodeo about once a year, usually in October or November, but they practice quite often on the ramp area.
Wilbanks says the importance of practice is not only for safety but so that workers are comfortable doing maintenance.
“Safety, comfort level for more people who have never done this before. And when you’re out here, it can be quite intimidating,” said Wilbanks. “Large pieces of equipment, you’re out there on the runway, you’re dealing with ATC, some of these guys may not talk to ATC every single day. So, it can be quite intimidating. And if you have a better comfort level on it, it makes a huge difference. And you’re confident when you’re out there. Especially when you have zero visibility, and you’re trying to get where you need to be going.”
Wilbanks says Airport Authority is hiring, including for positions in the south yard. Click here for more details.