Airport Experience® News - Pre-Conference Issue 2025

BEFORE YOU TAKE OFF

SNOWPLOW SOBRIQUETS Area Students Choose Catchy Names For BDL Snow Removal Equipment

BY SARAH BELING

Left: Students from two elementary schools near Connecticut’s Bradley International Airport won snowplow naming rights and a field trip, courtesy of the airport.

onnecticut’s Bradley International Airport (BDL) has added a bit of seasonal flair to its snow removal

Schools were enthusiastic and eager to use this as a fun learning experience for the students,” says Dillon, who adds that student participants submitted a range of unique and creative names. While some of the final contenders included Sir Plowington III, Scoopy, Flying Snow Mover and Snowlof, in the end, it was Blizzard Wizzard, submitted by the 4th grade class at South Elementary School; and Snowbelle, submitted by the 2nd grade class at North Street School, that won out in a vote by BDL employees. The winning school groups were then invited to attend the unveiling of their newly named machines as well as to tour the facility’s airfield – an experience that teachers, students and the BDL staff at large highlighted as invaluable to building rapport between the airport and community. “From the moment students arrived at BDL, you could see the excitement in their faces,” says Dillon. “That excitement was amplified when we brought them into the BDL maintenance facility and unveiled the winning names on each of the snow vehicles that were on display.” Dillon reports that not only did the students feel “a tremendous sense of pride and accomplishment” in seeing their submissions emblazoned on

BDL’s snowplow equipment, but “they thoroughly enjoyed being able to see the various types of equipment the airport uses to plow, sweep and blow the snow and their up-close tour of the airfield in action,” he adds. “In addition to making the experience fun for these second and fourth graders, we also used the opportunity to teach them about airport operations.” “The connection made by the folks at the airport has made such an impact on my students and their families,” says North Street School teacher Laura Sullivan. “My students gave so much thought to a name that would have everything to do with snow and be a sweet name, at the same time, having no idea how big the snowplow would be, and it was so funny to see this giant snowplow, 72 feet long, named Snowbelle.” “Everyone screamed when we heard that we had the winning name,” adds South Elementary School teacher Maria Landry. “Since some students have never been to the airport, this field trip provided a welcomed opportunity to visit the airport in their hometown.” Dillon says that BDL’s inaugural contest was such a success that they plan to recreate it every year, something that local students will no doubt be happy to hear.

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equipment with the help of two local elementary schools. The airport, which currently houses 32 pieces of specialized snow removal machinery, held its first-ever snowplow-naming contest in November, with two elementary schools in Windsor Locks submitting moniker ideas for BDL’s two appliances. “ For many of the children in these communities, the airport is very familiar to them because they either have a family member who works at the airport, they see aircraft arriving and departing, or they have traveled out of our airport,” says Kevin Dillon, executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority, of the two schools – North Street School and South Elementary School – chosen to provide BDL with potential snowplow sobriquets. The BDL team wanted to “use this as an opportunity to reinforce our commitment to our community and shine the spotlight on our snow operations and what it takes to keep the airport open and safe during winter weather,” adds Dillon. From “the moment we told them about the contest, the Windsor Locks Public

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AX NEWS FEBRUARY 2025