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Lee the Planes Begin
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T he airpiane picks up speed as we ride down
the runway and aoproach taKeoff
“OK everything looks good.’ says Wyman Taylor
through his headset The Cessna 170 gradually en
ters the a ir As the plane ascends, the runway becomes
a smudge
“OK we re in the air' announces Wyman
The sun shines thiouah the clouds, giving the sky
a pink tint The world below becomes very small
As we circle I look down upon Athens: the houses
cemeteries industrial complexes shopping malls
grocery stores, buildings, stadiums, cars in evening
traffic, swimming pools, lakes, baseball fields, rivers,
tennis courts and trees.
There is a peaceful silence in the air. For a short
while, all of life's day-to-day problems have disap
peared. All that can be heard is the plane's engine as
we glide through the air and look down upon the world
“It's like seeing the world through God's eyes.’
says Wyman. “There's nothing like it.’
Wyman is one of only seven members of the Ben j
Epps Airport operation crew, who have been respon
sible for preparing the airport for the Olympics.
Back when the operation crew started planning
for the Olympics, they had 11 staff members. Since
that time, the airport director resigned and the main
tenance supervisor retired. Soon after, maintenance
work was combined with flightline work. Some of the
personnel decided they didn't want to do both jobs. A
maintenance worker and a flightline attendant quit.
None of these people were replaced.
'VZm
T he airport operation crew have worked
above and beyond the call of duty,’ says
Tim Beggerly, acting airport director until fall, when
the airport authority will decide on a new director, pos
sibly reorganizing the position. Beggerly says they
have been talking about hiring someone to manage
the marketing and development aspect of the airport
and hiring someone else to manage the day-to-day
operations of the airfield.
We sit under a wooden picnic area, complete with
tables, benches, a Coca-Cola machine and a roof.
The seven-person flightline crew built the area for
$6,500, after a contractor told them it would cost
$24,000. During the Olympics, the area will be used
as a bus shelter, where the Athens Transit, which does
not normally come to the airport will be continually
shuttling people to the arches and back to the airport.
This was only one of the many projects the crew
had to take on to prepare for the Olympics
Airport traffic is expected to double There are
about 150 operations a day now That number is ex
pected to shoot to 300 during the Games. There will
be planes from all over the world, ranging from small
corporate jets to Boeing 737s. About two dozen com
panies including Time Warner, Sports Illustrated and
Brazilian Airways have reservations to come in.
To handle the crowds, the crew has brought in
two temporary buildings. One will be used as a pilot
lounge and flight planning area The other will be an
Olympic information and VIP area, staffed by Athens
•96. Beggerly compares setting up the trailers to start
ing with a brand new house.
The crew has painted many buildings and planted
all kinds of new shrubbery all over the airport. Two
additional fuel trucks, four ground power units, an
additional tow tug and a new tow bar system have all
been added. Somewhere in the middle of this, the crew
has had to prepare for an FAA inspection, which they
passed with “flying' colors. They have also had to keep
up with their day-to-day tasks, which now include
keeping the airport's 425 acres of land mowed.
“That tug will be put to good use when the Olym
pics are over with. I can guarantee you that.’ says
Ray Moore as he sweeps the picnic area.
’If we have to purchase something, we ’.vant to
definitely make sure it’s something we can use after
the Olympics,’ Beggerly adds. “We are spending tax
dollars out here. We want to make sure that the money
we spend is spent wisely.’
Beggerly compares the Olympics to company
coming to town: “The majority of these people, this
will be the first time that they've been to Athens Wher
they land and the door to that airplane opens, and
they come out on this airport, this is the first thine
they re going to see in Athens, and we want to make
sure we leave them with a good impression and give
them a good welcome to our town.... We re ready.’
Beggerly says after the Olympics the airport is
going to be heading in a new direction. For the last
few years, the airport has been operating on the sta
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