Maine Islands Fight for a Bigger Airplane to Solve Their Troubles (SCASDP Week)

(MoneyWatch)  Let's go from one end of the US empire (American Samoa) to the other. Little Knox County in Maine wants some money from the Small Community Air Service Development Program (SCASDP) and once again, it seems to be for a good cause. They want to upgrade the service offered to some of the small islands that dot the coast by getting a new, bigger airplane.

Knox County islands rely on air service for just about everything. Since 2004, that link has been provided by Penobscot Island Air, an airline which already benefited from a SCASDP grant in 2005. Since that time, the airline has grown to own four Cessnas with 5 or 6 seats and during the peak season will fly 40 to 50 flights a day between the islands and the Knox County Regional Airport on the mainland. Limited ferry service is provided to some of the islands during the summer months only, so this really is the only trustworthy link year-round.

Apparently, these little Cessnas do a good job of getting passengers, cargo, and mail over to the islands. They also are used for medevac purposes, and they're really an important lifeline. But they also have limitations and they could use an upgrade. Here are just some of the problems.

• On one of the islands, North Haven, there is an adequate 3,000 ft strip that is privately owned. When the family is staying there, they don't let Penobscot use it for regular services, so the airline has to use a much shorter strip. When that happens (most of the summer), only 2 passengers can be carried and that's only if the wind is blowing in the right direction.
• Maine requires medevac flights to be operated by twin engine airplanes, but Penobscot has a waiver to fly its single engine aircraft. Though it's legal, they can't get state funds for runway maintenance.
• The current fleet is required to fly in visual conditions only, so if the ceiling drops below 2,500 feet, the flights can't go. That usually results in 60 days a year where service isn't possible. In the last year it's been more than 90 days.

How will they fix these problems? They want to get a 9 seat, Britten-Norman Islander. The Islander is a sturdy workhorse than can fly in pretty much any conditions. It has great short-field performance, so more people can be carried out of North Haven. It also has two engines, which is helpful for access to state funds.

The islands are asking for $648,000 to fund the lease on the new aircraft for 3 years as well as training and some operational costs. The towns will chip in a little bit, and Penobscot will actually sell one of its Cessnas to fund this as well. It seems like a worthwhile investment in order to keep a functioning lifeline open for these people.