South Dakota's next governor will face a tight budget. Some say cutting the size of the state's fleet of airplanes could help trim costs. But the candidates running for governor in 2010 have mixed opinions about state planes.  Some of the candidates for South Dakota governor say the price to fly state employees has become sky-high and they want to sell some of the state-owned airplanes.

Democrat Scott Heidepriem was the main sponsor of a bill last session to sell the planes.

"And we would have generated $1.5 million and now that you see the hole we're in financially, every little bit helps. That certainly would have helped but the Republicans killed that proposal, and so it never saw the light of day," Heidepriem said.

But Republican Lt. Governor Dennis Daugaard says the change is already underway.

"I know that during Governor Rounds administration the number of state airplanes has gone down," Daugaard said.

The governor's office confirmed that statement saying the state used to have ten planes. It now has eight and is working on selling another one.

Democratic candidate Ron Volesky told KELOLAND News he would keep some planes for emergencies but if he were elected he says quote: "I wouldn't need an airplane."

But Republican Dave Knudson isn't sure just how much money more sales would bring in.

"Selling airplanes, we certainly shouldn't have more airplanes than we honestly need. I don't think we need all of them. I don't think it's going to be a major solution because my recollection is the total fleet was only worth a few million dollars," Knudson said.

Republican Scott Munsterman was just a couple hours from getting his pilots license a few years ago, but says he prefers to stay grounded.

"That's the best way to really get to know the people in the communities and what they are really faced with. So as your new governor, you'll probably see me more on the ground anyway just because of that fact," Munsterman said.

And Republican Ken Knuppe says he'll make his decision about the state airplanes once he's elected.

"I'm not sure how many we have, and how much they are used. Basically, if it's fluff, I'd get rid of it. If it serves a useful purpose, we'd keep it," Knuppe said.

Governor Rounds office says the planes help government officials do their job more efficiently; it saves them thousands of hours of lost productivity every year and helps avoid the added costs of paying for hotels and meals during state business trips.