MONTPELIER, Vt. -
Safety concerns over
Vermont's state plane led to calls for a new one, but now those plans may not
take off.
State transportation
officials proposed replacing the state's 50-year-old Cessna with a larger
twin-engine plane at a cost of $1.5 million paid for over the next 10 years.
State aviation officials say the old plane is outdated, and it's no longer cost
effective to maintain. They've also raised safety concerns.
Gov. Peter Shumlin
says he experienced a midair scare in the plane.
"Last
time I was in it, the door flew open and I pulled it shut. I wanted to see how
much gas was in it. So, we knocked on the gas gauge a few times and couldn't
get it to read," said Shumlin, D-Vermont. "My staff flips out every
time I crawl into it."
But the governor says given the state's financial condition this
is probably not the year to get a new one. And now transportation officials say
that item has been pulled from the agency's budget.
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