Perfect Timing: A Snow Conference in July

It’s the end of July, and it’s hot. But airport officials from around the country are in Pittsburgh thinking about something else: snow and ice.

“Nothing challenges an airport like snow and ice, said Tim Haizlip, vice president of Maintenance & Asset Management for Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.

Haizlip was one of the airport leaders in town for the Northeast Chapter Hub Airports Winter Operations and Deicing Conference, hosted by Pittsburgh International Airport. Representatives from Salt Lake City International Airport, Denver International Airport, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International were among those in attendance.

“It brings us together with other airports so we can exchange ideas, case studies, different problems and things we have experienced and how we have solved them,” said Haizlip.

The Snow Academy is a major part of the conference. Jim Moorhead, PIT’s vice president of Airport Operations, helped develop the curriculum along with other airport managers as a way to improve the industry and share the knowledge of industry-leading snow fighters with decades of experience.

“We wrote a curriculum to teach up-and-coming snow fighters how to properly take care of snow and ice on the airfield in a safe and efficient manner,” Moorhead said.

“We have a lot of young, inexperienced people coming up, it’s a good way to train them and provide them with education,” said Jay Ball, director of Facilities & Grounds for the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport Commission and Snow Academy Author.

Ball and Haizlip are also authors of the Snow Academy, which started in 2013. Since then, it has become so popular that the International Aviation Snow Symposium has to regulate how many people can sign up for it.

The Snow Academy covers, well, a lot of ground. Snow removal at an airport isn’t just operating the snow fleet.

“There’s a science, there’s a methodology, there’s math, there’s weather forecasting, there’s pre-planning, there’s record keeping,” Ball said.

“Whether you are getting an inch of snow or two feet of snow, it has an impact on your operations and it’s something that has to be mitigated,” said Haizlip.

Moorhead, one of the lead instructors for the snow academy, has 29 years of experience as a snow fighter. Also on PIT’s snow team is Gary Radford, who was recently named Operator of the Year Medium Hub Airport, by the International Aviation Snow Symposium, Northeast Chapter, American Association of Airport Executives (NEC/AAAE). Northeast Chapter – American Association of Airport Executives

Moorehead was presented with the F. Russell Hoyt Presidential Award at this year’s conference. The award reflects commitment and dedication to the airport industry and to the NEC.

“Pittsburgh is known as the best of the best, so the snow fighters in Pittsburgh, they set the standards,” said Carl Braley, who worked for the Manchester Boston Regional Airport before his retirement.

Airports don’t compete on safety. When winter weather hits across the country, airlines and passengers depend on smooth operations and clear runways. It’s a serious job and that’s why it’s important to train with key leaders across the industry. Airports collaborate, staying in touch with each other on the weather conditions.

“The case between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh is a prime example,” said Haizlip. “A lot of time I will be on the phone with Jimmy saying, hey, snow is coming our way it’s mixed with freezing rain or it’s mixed with sleet, that’s what is coming toward you. It just may be intensified when it gets to you.”

“What I want people to get out of this is safety,” added Moorhead. “I don’t just want Pittsburgh to be safe, I care about people getting on planes, I care about people.”