Businesses hurt by grounding of planes

Flying businesses are losing more than vacation and business travelers. One private flight service in central Iowa sprays ag chemicals on farm fields, and lost hundreds of dollars yesterday because of the shutdown.Charter flights to Sioux Center and Burlington were cancelled, a spray plane was grounded with 300 acres to go, and flying lessons are all on hold. Doug Todd is a pilot at Todd’s flying service north of Ankeny who says, between charter flights and crop spraying, he’s losing up to four-thousand dollars a day.Todd’s Flying service has eight pilots doing charter trips, crop spraying and flight instruction. Iowa has ten commercial-service airports and 103 more where business and private pilots fly.