Positive Aviation News Story

Some football fans take to the air on Ohio State game days

Thursday, November 13, 2003

Eileen Dempsey

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
[photo]
TOM DODGE | DISPATCH
The shuttle bus, as savvy fans know, leaves Don Scott Field 90 minutes
before kickoff. The bus is provided for anyone who either flies or
drives to the airport on the Northwest Side.
[photo]
TOM DODGE | DISPATCH PHOTOS
Two families from Iowa ‹ from left: Tyler Askren, Jared Roumfort, Mark
Roumfort, pilot Stan Askren and Courtney Roumfort ‹ join the scores of
fans who landed at Don Scott Field to cheer on the Buckeyes against the
Hawkeyes.

From near and far, football fans wing their way to Don Scott Field.

The airport is just a layover, of course.

Their final destination: Ohio Stadium.

Football Saturdays find such highfliers landing at the Ohio State
University Airport, enjoying the convenience of air travel and the
camaraderie of longtime friends.

The flight to a Buckeyes home game has become a ritual for Jeff Hoyda,
an OSU alumnus who lives 80 miles away in Tiffin.

What takes two hours by car takes just 30 minutes by air.

Hoyda flew two of his buddies to the Oct. 18 game against the Iowa
Hawkeyes. His passengers appreciated the time savings.

ŒŒI have friends in my office who left Tiffin at 9:30 a.m. to drive
down and tailgate and go to the game," said Jerry Weininger, 48, of
Tiffin. ŒŒWe left the Tiffin airport at 1 p.m., and we¹ll beat them
home tonight, too."

Buckeyes fans often pilot their planes to away games, too.

For almost 30 years, John and Gracie Murphy of New Philadelphia have
flown to watch Ohio State play Big Ten rivals such as Illinois, Indiana
and Purdue.

Since 1959, in fact, the couple have missed only four home games ‹ one
because of a daughter¹s wedding.

Fog or bad weather occasionally grounds their four-seater Piper
Cherokee, forcing the Murphys to drive more than two hours from their
home in eastern Ohio.

The 90-mile flight to Don Scott, on the other hand, takes 45 minutes.

Many fans take advantage of an OSU shuttle bus ($10 round trip, or $7
one way) that leaves the airport 90 minutes before kickoff.

ŒŒYou get to know the people on the bus pretty well, and it¹s really
fun," said Mrs. Murphy, 70. ŒŒOften it¹s standing room only, but we¹ve
been on the bus when there¹s only eight or 10 fans."

Before the Iowa matchup, the Murphys met friends at the airport who had
driven from Mount Vernon.

Home games also attract soaring spectators who support the visiting
teams.

The busiest day this season, that of the North Carolina State contest,
came Sept. 13, when the airport handled more than 70 planes, said
Janelle Ottarson, a sales associate.

"We get slammed on game days," she said. "Our ramps were full, and we
were parking them on the grass."

Some pilots and passengers awaiting the shuttle bus converge at the
Barnstormer Restaurant.

Eating cheeseburgers, four Hawkeyes fans reflected on their 650-mile
journey of less than three hours.

"We usually fly to all of the Iowa games, and this is a special game,"
said Carrol Trewet, 66, of Atlantic, Iowa. "Ohio State is a big name,
and we had to come out here to watch our team."

The Buckeyes victory brought good news for some OSU fans who flew from
Muscatine, Iowa.

"If OSU loses, we won¹t be able to go back home," Mark Roumfort, 43,
joked shortly after landing at Don Scott.

His 15-year-old daughter, Courtney, added, "We¹re one of the only two
houses in all of Iowa flying OSU flags."

The Roumforts, including 7-year-old Jared, had hitched a ride with a
friend, pilot Stan Askren, and his 9-year-old son, Tyler, in a Cessna
414.

They traveled 450 miles in two hours.

"We¹ve been to lots of Buckeye games, but this is the first time we¹ve
flown in," Roumfort said. "It¹s the only way to go."

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