A year after a treacherous season that buried the commonwealth under snow, Massport is getting ready for the season.
There was a flurry of activity at Logan Airport Wednesday, all in preparation for actual flurries.
"We run these drills, we get our equipment ready in the off season in the event we receive as much snow as we had last year, or even more," explained Massport Director of Aviation Ed Freni.
Snow removal equipment paraded down the runways, making sure the gear, and crews, are ready for winter.
Necn had a front row seat, riding along in a huge snow blower, operated by Mike Lynch.
Even with blue skies overhead, he says readiness drills like this one are critical to Logan’s mission of keeping runways open and safe in the winter.
"Get familiarized with the runways and taxiways, because when it does snow, everything's a sheet of white and you don't know where you are," Lynch said.
Logan uses 60 pieces of equipment, including the snow blower, during winter storms.
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Among the impressive fleet are 14 huge 'Vammas' plows, one of which arrived just last month.
"That's an articulated plow, with a 27 foot blade in the front, sweeping mechanism in the middle, and a high speed blower in the back," Freni said.
The new Vammas added this year cost Massport more than $500,000, but officials say it's worth the investment since each can clear a runway in just 10 minutes.
"We budget for about 45 inches of snow per year, and have to be ready for the worst," Freni says.
He hopes last year was the worst. Logan logged a record breaking 110 inches of snow, meaning little rest for operators like Lynch.
"I love the snow, but hopefully it comes in about a three month period, not all in one month."
