The Montourville When private aircraft carrying Southern Methodist alumni, benefactors, and spectators for the playoff football game against Penn State started arriving Saturday morning, a spokesman for the fixed-based operator at the Williamsport Regional Airport characterized the scene as organized mayhem.
Due to the abundance of general aviation aircraft, particularly large business jets, the Federal Aviation Administration undertook air traffic efforts that resulted in the flights being diverted from University Park Airport.
According to a representative who asked that her name not be used, Energy Aviation at the Williamsport airport in Montoursville expected one jet and received nine, including a Southwest Airlines charter, in a 40-minute period.
“That day, we went through a lot of hoops,” she added. According to her, more personnel were called in to manage the flights. Due to a shortage of parking spaces, she claimed, some flights had to be turned away.
Former NFL player Craig James, SMU trustee Bill Armstrong, and U.S. Open champion golfer Bryson DeChambeau were on one of the aircraft. Their attempts to be contacted failed.
Among those who were diverted to Williamsport Regional Airport was PGA golfer Bryson DeChambeau. (Photo by Matt York/AP)
The representative for Energy Aviation stated that it seemed the pilots were taken by surprise when they were unable to land at State College.
According to her, some of the travelers were in a panic, worried about how they would make it to Beaver Stadium in time for the NCAA playoff game in the first round.
For the roughly 65-mile journey, the group that consisted of DeChambeau, James, and Armstrong was given what they referred to as a party bus.Others, she added, utilized Uber or booked limos.
It was not until the game was well started that the SMU contingent showed there.
They would have run across as many fans as they did a congestion at a bridge construction project where traffic was limited to one lane if they had taken the quickest route, Interstate 80 in Clinton and Centre counties.
The alumni, donors, and supporters missed Penn State’s early advantage, which it never gave up, and they had to spend less time sitting in windy, below-freezing conditions as a result of their tardiness.
After Penn State’s 38-10 triumph, not every member of the SMU contingent was required to return to the Williamsport airport.
According to the representative for Energy Aviation, by that time, space had opened up at the State College airport, and some of the aircraft had flown there to collect their passengers.
A spokeswoman for Penn State, which runs the Penn State Aviation Center, added that a shortage of space on the apron was another factor in the decision to divert from the University Park Airport. It is in charge of the airport’s general aviation activities.
He added similar flight disruptions have happened at previous high-profile football games at the University Park Airport.
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