Eclipse 2024: Southern Indiana airport preparing for possibly hundreds of landings

From portable toilets to food trucks and extra fuel, the Monroe County Airport is preparing for a potential onslaught of planes flying in passengers to partake in solar eclipse-related festivities.

Airport director Carlos Laverty has prepared in part by trying to learn from colleagues with eclipse experience.

“I contacted several airports in the country that experienced the 2017 eclipse. … I called their airport directors and said, ‘Tell me what it was like on that day,’” he said recently while sitting in his office at the airport.

One of the directors he called, John Patterson, at Clarksville Regional Airport in Tennessee, said the airport was unprepared, primarily because of the unusually good weather.

Reached by phone recently, Patterson said he expected the day of the 2017 eclipse to bring in an additional 150 to 200 planes, but easily more than 350 extra planes landed.

While many people had contacted the airport to make arrangements to land, Patterson said as a General Aviation airport, like Monroe County's, it had to accept unscheduled flights.

“Those folks you just can’t account for,” he said.

Patterson said the weather contributed to the unexpected turnout. Clouds obscured the view in many parts of the path of totality in 2017, but the Clarksville airport was under blue skies.

“It was just an unbelievable turnout,” Patterson said. “(Like) trying to fly into a beehive.”

The airport welcomed so many planes that Patterson had to shut down the facility.

“We could not safely park or land any other aircraft,” he said.

Airport personnel had filled the airport’s entire crosswind runway with parked planes.

Shuttle buses, food trucks at Monroe County Airport for eclipse day

Monroe County Airport officials initially planned to use some of their land to welcome campers and host a party, but Laverty said his discussion with Patterson and other airport officials who were overwhelmed by flight traffic in 2017 made him think twice.

Laverty has asked the airport’s nine full-time employees and three part-time employees to work on eclipse day, which is April 8. He said he also will have about 30 volunteers available, including many with EMT certification. Personnel from the Civilian Air Patrol, a civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, also will help.

The employees and volunteers will largely guide visitors to the fairgrounds, into town or onto shuttle buses the airport has reserved for the occasion. The buses likely will ferry visitors to the fairgrounds and Memorial Stadium.

Handling the planes largely will fall on the airport-based businesses, so-called Fixed Base Operators, which provide fuel, maintenance and flight training. FBO personnel will take care of refueling planes and parking them.

Representatives from Monroe County's FBOs did not return phone and email messages.

Laverty said depending on how many planes arrive that day, the airport may close its secondary runway and taxiway and use those for parking, like the Clarksville airport did.

He said the potential spike in traffic has prompted 16 airports in Indiana to work together to make an unusual request of the Federal Aviation Administration: To set up a reservation system.

That would mean pilots would have to call the airport before eclipse day, set up a reservation for a small fee and register their tail number with the airport. Pilots that fly to the airport on April 8 would not be allowed to land unless they have registered.

Laverty said one of the FBOs also has secured two food trucks for eclipse day, and volunteers may be handing out water depending on the temperature.

“We’re preparing for the worst,” Laverty said, “but, you know, it’s April 8. It could … snow.”

Extra fuel, portable toilets at Monroe County Airport for eclipse day

Patterson, whose airport is slightly larger than the Monroe County Airport, also urged officials to have extra fuel available.

He said the Clarksville airport had secured additional fuel, but the sheer number of planes made it impossible to fuel all of them before the end of the eclipse, which occurred mid-afternoon. Some of the pilots simply had to wait, and Tennessee on a hot day in August is “miserable,” Patterson said.

Nonetheless, he said people were patient and understanding.

“Nobody left without fuel,” Patterson said.

Laverty said the FBOs at the Monroe County Airport plan to try to fill up planes right after they land to avoid long lines after the eclipse has ended.

With all the food and drink in which people may be indulging to celebrate the day’s momentary darkness, Laverty said he has prepared for additional waste as well.

“I’m going to be the Porta Potty king of Bloomington on eclipse day because a year ago, I reserved 30,” he said with a laugh.

Patterson suggested airports in the path of totality reach out to other nearby airports, which may have personnel available to help at the busier airports.

He said he was so busy that day in 2017, he didn’t get to enjoy the eclipse. He wants to rectify that and fly north to witness this year’s celestial event. He said he might fly into Monroe County, given his conversation with Laverty.

“He seems to have a good grip on what’s going on,” Patterson said.

Boris Ladwig can be reached at bladwig@heraldt.com.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Monroe County Airport prepping for April 8 solar eclipse 2024