Presentation Focuses on Proactive Preparation for Winter Weather
Winter is an especially harsh season for travel, particularly in the aviation industry. From thorough training to proper equipment, there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes at airports when it comes to keeping passengers safe and planes flying amidst the snow, ice, and cold. However, when an airport hasn’t experienced significant snowfall for an extended period, an airport’s processes and standard operating procedures can deteriorate unless a proactive approach is taken.
This was the topic of a presentation created by Erie International Airport (ERI) interns Madisyn White, Brendan Swafford, and Anthony Stagnito and given at the annual Hub Airports Winter Operations & Deicing Conference, held July 21-23 in Pittsburgh, in partnership with the Northeast Chapter (NEC) AAAE. Titled “Taking Initiative in Training,” the presentation centered on real-life examples of what can go wrong at an airport in winter and how to keep snow crews, operations, and maintenance departments sharp to prevent potential risks.
With an emphasis on Part 139 training, it covered essential areas that ERI prioritizes for winter readiness, including familiarization tactics, staff responsibilities, aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) equipment, wildlife management, security, and snow and ice control plan (SICP) inventory of plows, blowers, and anti-skid/anti-ice applicators.
The presentation marked the conclusion of the internship for the three aspiring aviation professionals who gained valuable experience in the Operations and Airport Facilities to go along with their secondary education in industry-related fields.
“It was our pleasure to have Madisyn, Anthony, and Brendan work alongside us this summer, and they gave a great talk on how we and other airports stay ready for winter weather,” said Derek Martin, the Executive Director for Erie International Airport Authority (ERAA), who attended the conference and led off the presentation. “It’s that next generation that we’ll be relying on to reinvigorate and grow our industry going forward. They have bright futures in aviation, and with them and more like them, I feel extremely confident in the future of our industry as well.”
Having achieved her private pilot aircraft license and instrument rating, Madisyn White is currently an aviation student at the University of North Dakota and plans to graduate in May of 2025 with a double major in operations and supply chain management and airport management.
“Attending the Hub Airports Winter Operations & Deicing Conference as an intern was an eye-opening experience,” said White. “Working on a presentation to educate other airports on Erie’s winter operations and listening to other airports discuss challenges they face and mistakes they have made shows the unique collaboration that occurs in the aviation industry. The AAAE conference really brought to life the safety culture expressed throughout both my internship at ERI and my college courses.”
Tony Stagnito recently earned his student pilot certificate and is studying both history and airline management as a junior at Purdue University. He has a passion for transportation logistics and aspires to collaborate with a team to produce the most resource-efficient product possible.
“Our visit to the AAAE Hub Airport Winter Ops Conference was a fantastic final experience as our internship concluded,” said Stagnito. “Having the opportunity to learn hands-on ERAA’s snow and ice plan and its compliance with FAR Part 139 was alone far more memorable than what we would be lectured on in a college classroom, but being able to demonstrate our understanding to industry leaders and potential future employers truly put in perspective how impactful and educational our past ten weeks have been.”
Over the past few years, Brendan Swafford worked in the aviation office at Louisiana Tech University where he just graduated with his bachelor’s degree in professional aviation. He is a member of Phi Delta Theta and was SGA senator for the school’s College of Liberal Arts (CoLA).
Through detailed presentations, technology updates, and informative moderated discussions, the conference allowed key airport, airline, and air traffic control decision-makers to address complex issues surrounding winter operations at hub airports. Other topics at the conference included post-pandemic workforce development challenges and strategies, financial planning for winter operations, FAA regulatory updates, glycol recycling, and weather forecasting.
The event took place at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Hotel in Station Square. The keynote speaker was David Burke, the executive vice president of sales & business development for the Pittsburgh Pirates.