The beleaguered state of Illinois checkbook has received a welcome, if small, deposit with the sale of surplus aircraft.
Gov. Bruce Rauner says that five aircraft sold this month for $2.5 million. He says selling the aircraft also avoided an additional $1 million in inspections and repairs.
Rauner grounded all aircraft July 1 because of the budget crisis.
The sale comes after three previous attempts by the Department of Central Management Services to dispose of a Beechcraft twin-engine turboprop, a Sikorsky helicopter, and three Cessna single-engine planes.
The Beechcraft was among planes that fly shuttle flights daily between Chicago and Springfield. The lighter airplanes are used for such purposes as wildlife surveys.
