The death of Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan in a plane crash has raised questions about how Iowa’s governor travels. Governor Tom Vilsack is flown to official state events via an airplane chartered in Des Moines. Vilsack says using an airplane is unavoidable.Vilsack says the pace of the job requires him to be in several places in a short period of time and he needs to fly to stay on schedule. He says he won’t stop flying.Vilsack says there are certain parameters used to pick the planes he flies on.The State Patrol lines up the planes and always assures they have two engines. Vilsack says you can’t single out air travel for potential problems, as he travels by car allot and he says there are also a lot of car accidents that kill people.Vilsack says he had flown less than former Governor Terry Branstad until the last year. He says he’s flown more often recently to attend campaign events. Vilsack says those flights are paid for by the campaigns and not Iowa taxpayers.
