Hagerstown Regional Airport

An air medical transport base established at Hagerstown Regional Airport a year ago will be moved to Chambersburg's airport in coming months because most of its service ended up being in Pennsylvania, a company official said Thursday. Air Methods' helicopter will have better access to Pennsylvania facilities like Waynesboro Hospital, Chambersburg Hospital, Fulton County Medical Center and Gettysburg Hospital, Regional Business Development Manager Howard Gant said. The helicopter can reach Hagerstown's Meritus Medical Center in 10 minutes from Chambersburg, he said.

Cub Scouts from Pack 117 in Clear Spring took a guided tour April 2 of Hagerstown Regional Airport. The Scouts were accompanied by their cub master, den leaders and family members as they saw the airport terminal and fire and rescue center.   Gilson Spindle led the tour. For their next outing, the Scouts will participate in a community conservation project at Four Locks in Clear Spring.

Hagerstown Regional Airport officials said Wednesday that they are counting on the community to help retain the airport’s new, twice-weekly jet service to Myrtle Beach, S.C. and Lakeland, Fla., which is slated to start June 23. “We’re ecstatic about this service to these two popular destinations. However, we are depending on you folks in the community and the Tri-State area to fill these seats and make this work,” Airport Director Phil Ridenour said at a news conference in the airport terminal Wednesday morning.

For new Hagerstown Regional Airport Director Phil Ridenour, the transition from airport fire chief to head honcho has felt seamless. "Just, one day I was fire chief, the next afternoon I was airport director," he said during an interview at the airport Feb.17, two days after he was appointed by the Washington County Commissioners to replace former director Carolyn Motz, who retired Jan. 1. Although his previous job description was to oversee aircraft...

Any landing you can walk away from is a good one, as was the case Saturday afternoon when a pilot emerged unhurt from an emergency landing at the Hagerstown Regional Airport. "He did a real good job of it. He didn't panic," said Gary Stoner, who works for Ryder Jet Center.  The nose wheel of the single-engine Cessna did not come down, but the pilot was able to keep the plane's nose up until the speed decreased and the prop hit the runway, he said. The plane sustained damage to the prop and undercarriage and was quickly towed from Runway 2-20, Airport Director Phil Ridenour said.

The federal program that provides Hagerstown Regional Airport with a $1.2 million annual subsidy for air service could be at risk. The local airport has relied on federal Essential Air Service funding since the program's inception in 1978. The $200 million national program subsidizes air service to and from communities far from large airports. On Thursday, the U.S. Senate approved a Federal Aviation Administration budget with a new parameter for the EAS program that would eliminate Hagerstown.

Hagerstown Regional Airport Fire Chief Phil Ridenour was appointed Tuesday as the airport's new director. Ridenour will replace Carolyn Motz, who retired from the position Jan. 1. The Washington County Commissioners approved Ridenour's appointment by a 4-1 vote, with Commissioner Bill McKinley opposed. The promotion was effective immediately. Ridenour was among 27 people to apply for the position, Washington County Public Works Director Joseph Kroboth III said. Eight of those were selected for interviews, he said.

“Love” was written in pink, blue and green all over one sign. Another read “Love rocks” and another, “Be more loving.” A few people passing by Public Square in windy downtown Hagerstown on Sunday afternoon thought the signs had something to do with Valentine’s Day and promoting love, but didn’t really know what was going on. “I guess because Valentine’s Day is tomorrow,” surmised Linda Ward, 65, of Berkeley Springs, W.Va.

Area residents now have another government-subsidized option for transit to Baltimore. With the help of a federal grant, BayRunner Shuttle has begun offering daily round-trip van rides between Western Maryland and Baltimore, including stops in Hancock and Hagerstown. The company’s 14-passenger vans pick up Hagerstown passengers in front of Sleep Inn and Suites, near the Park and Ride on Col. Henry K. Douglas Drive. They provide service to the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, the BWI Amtrak train station and the Baltimore Greyhound bus station.

One of the jets that carries President Obama was flying over Hagerstown Regional Airport Wednesday morning to practice approaches, said David Pence, air traffic manager at Hagerstown Regional Airport. Pence said the plane started flying over the airport at about 11 a.m. He said he didn’t know how long the plane would be in the area. The presidential flights are routine at airports that are used by Air Force One. A plane is not designated Air Force One unless the president is on board.