Aviation

FAA lets planes like the Cessna Caravan swap 100-hour inspections for model-specific ones

Owners of single-engine turbine planes like the Caravan can soon trade 100-hour inspections for model-specific plans. Turbine helicopters got that in 1989.

by Bill AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read

Kenai airport is one of the first two in the US with a working digital control tower

Kenai's airport now has one of the country's first two digital control towers, with cameras giving controllers a 360-degree view. The other one is in Florida.

by Alaska News1w ago2 min read

Anchorage airport noise study to present land use options on Nov. 18

Anchorage's airport noise study shows land use options Nov. 18. In August, the only flight change that cut the homes in its noise zone drew doubts.

by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago3 min read

Palmer could lease Apron D for hangars without waiting on master plan, manager says

Palmer's airport chief says the city doesn't have to wait for its master plan to turn Apron D's open aircraft parking into a lease lot, possibly for hangars.

by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read

Wright Air keeps Lake Minchumina flights for two more years, with a bigger federal subsidy

Wright Air will keep flying Lake Minchumina's federally subsidized route to Fairbanks for two more years. The feds picked it a day before its contract ran out.

by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read

Kodiak weighs two plans to rebuild Trident Basin seaplane base around a new dock

A Kodiak floatplane dock shows signs of sinking. The airport board reviews two plans Wednesday to rebuild the Trident Basin seaplane base around a new one.

by Bill AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read

Kodiak man dies after Cessna 185 crashes and sinks in Afognak Island's Blue Fox Bay

Troopers named James Osowski, 33, of Kodiak as the man killed when a Cessna 185 crashed and sank in Blue Fox Bay on Afognak Island Oct. 20. Two others got out.

by Bill AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read

FAA hires contractor to put a $1.6 million roof on McGrath's navigation beacon

The FAA is paying $1.6 million for a new roof on McGrath's radio navigation beacon, even as it drops an airway that ran from it and moves Alaska routes to GPS.

by Melinda Communities.News2w ago1 min read

Palmer airport advisers want to turn a tie-down apron into T-hangars

Palmer's airport advisers picked Apron D, where three planes are parked, as the first place to try T-hangars. None of the airport's T-hangars are for rent.

by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read

Alaska Airlines plans nonstop flights between Anchorage and Tokyo starting in May

Alaska Airlines will fly nonstop from Anchorage to Tokyo starting May 13, pending approval. Intro fares start at $999 round trip, if you buy by Saturday.

by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read

Fairbanks airport's control tower is closing overnight because of FAA staffing

Citing staffing constraints, the FAA has closed the Fairbanks airport tower from 10 pm to 6 am nightly since Oct. 18. Pilots announce their own moves.

by Alaska News2w ago2 min readFrom Oct 18

FAA certifies the 737 MAX 10, the jet behind Alaska Airlines' biggest order

The FAA certified Boeing's 737 MAX 10, most of Alaska Airlines' 168-plane MAX order. The first is expected in 2027, and some will get lie-flat seats.

by Melinda Communities.News2w ago2 min readFrom Oct 20

Homer may ask the federal government to review its air service as boardings drop

Homer's mayor wants the city to ask the feds to review its air service. Boardings there have fallen by more than a third in two years. Valdez did the same in 2024.

by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read

Feds seek bids for subsidized jet service to Cordova, Gustavus, 3 other towns

Feds opened bidding for subsidized jet service to Cordova, Gustavus, Petersburg, Wrangell and Yakutat. Alaska Airlines holds the current deal at about $17.8 million a year.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago3 min read

Alaska Air Group Now Expects 2026 Loss as Fuel Runs $1.8 Billion Over Plan

Alaska Air Group now expects a 2026 loss after jet fuel costs ran $1.8 billion over plan. The Alaska Airlines parent also serves 17 small Alaska communities with its cargo fleet, set to grow in 2027.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Air Force Reserve pilots on bush-flying course shut off fuel leak at overturned Super Cub

Air Force Reserve pilots training in bush flying landed near an overturned Super Cub on an Alaska river sandbar and shut off its leaking fuel.

by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read

Six of seven Alaska air service routes draw one bid each, all seeking more federal money

Six of seven roadless Alaska towns up for federally subsidized flights got exactly one bid, from the airline already there. All of them want a raise.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago3 min read

NTSB investigating Cessna that lost control while landing in Meadow Lakes

A 1972 Cessna 206 lost control on the ground while landing in Meadow Lakes on Oct. 1. Nobody was hurt, and the NTSB opened a case, as it does.

by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readFrom Oct 1

Helicopters will service the Seward Peninsula's snow stations as the first snow arrives

The feds hired Bering Air to fly technicians to the Seward Peninsula's automated snow gauges, just as the first snow of the season shows up on them.

by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readFrom Oct 14

Kodiak's floatplane base needs a new dock, and engineers will offer two ways to build it

The dock where every visiting floatplane parks at Kodiak's Trident Basin is sinking. Engineers will show the city two ways to rebuild it Wednesday.

by Bill AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Federal money would cover 96% of Wasilla's $20 million runway extension, staff says

Wasilla's runway extension would cost the city about 4% of $20 million, staff says. First come the surveys that have to wait for leaves on the trees.

by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago3 min read

Air Guard rescues pilot with minor injuries after plane crash near Friday Creek

The Air Guard has flown four pilots out of crashes north of Anchorage since Sept. 10, two of them near Friday Creek, which is having a rough fall.

by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago2 min read

FAA posts first flight limits ahead of Trump’s Alaska visit

The FAA's drone ban over JBER runs 3:35 to 10:15 pm on Trump's rally day. Bigger flight limits reaching 30 nautical miles may still be coming.

by Alaska News1mo ago2 min read

FAA proposes redrawing Anchorage basin airspace and flight paths for JBER's extended runway

The FAA wants to redraw the airspace over the Anchorage basin so JBER can use an instrument landing system on its longer runway. Comments are due Nov. 9.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Juneau airport's low-visibility approaches stay down as FAA cites trees

Two low-visibility approaches to Juneau's airport have been out for over a year, and the airport manager says the FAA blames trees scattering the signal and is weighing whether to cut them or raise the equipment.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Follows: Two Juneau airport approaches are down, with no FAA timeline to fix them

NTSB report details fog, aborted landing and second attempt before fatal Cape Newenham crash

An NTSB preliminary report lays out the Aug. 20 Cape Newenham crash that killed eight: fog, an aborted landing, a dropped diversion and a second attempt.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min readFrom Aug 20

Follows: Charter plane crash at Cape Newenham radar site kills eight

Palmer forestry base holds memorial for helicopter pilot Greg King

The Alaska Division of Forestry held a memorial at its Palmer aviation base for helicopter pilot Greg King, who died Sept. 20 in a crash on the Dome Fire in Yosemite National Park.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

FAA scales back plan to expand controlled airspace over Alaska after pilot groups object

The FAA wanted nearly all of Alaska's sky above 1,200 feet under controlled-airspace rules. Pilots pushed back, and four remote regions get a 4,000-foot floor.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Pilots will drop pumpkins on a target near North Pole on Saturday

Pilots will drop pumpkins from 200 feet onto a target circle at Bradley Sky Ranch near North Pole on Saturday, Sept. 26, competing for prizes in a free public fly-in event.

by Alaska News1mo ago2 min read

Park Service hires Everts Air Fuel to keep avgas at two remote Alaska park units through 2030

Two of Alaska's roadless park units run on small planes, and small planes run on avgas. The Park Service is paying Everts Air Fuel $54,506 to keep it coming.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Anchorage will take public comment on Merrill Field's next 20 years Oct. 15

Merrill Field is planning its next 20 years, noise study included. The open house is Oct. 15, and it gathers input rather than setting priorities.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

FAA awards Sitka $2 million for seaplane base land and final design

Sitka has federal money to buy land and finish designs for a new floatplane base. The $34 million to actually build it hasn't turned up yet.

by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago1 min read

Palmer pilot and Michigan passenger killed in eastern Alaska plane crash

Two people died when a Piper Super Cub went down in eastern Alaska on Sept. 17, two days after a separate crash near Aniak killed two men.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readFrom Sep 17

FAA seeks permit for weather station at Coffman Cove seaplane base

The FAA is seeking a 20-year state permit for a weather observation system at Coffman Cove. Comments close Oct. 2.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Two dead in Piper Cub crash near Nabesna, troopers say

Two people died when a Piper Cub crashed shortly after takeoff from a dirt airstrip near Nabesna in Interior Alaska on Thursday evening, Sept. 17.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Three of 20 Alaska aviation accidents since July 19 were fatal

Twenty aircraft have crashed in Alaska in eight weeks. Three were fatal. The state's accident rate runs more than twice the national average.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Two men die in a plane crash near Aniak, Troopers say

Two men were killed when a small plane crashed after taking off from a moose camp near Aniak, Alaska State Troopers said.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Air taxi operators said they overpaid. Juneau is redoing its fees.

Juneau's airport would cut fuel fees by two-thirds and raise landing fees, after air taxi operators said a 2019 error had them overpaying for years.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

A 2024 crash near Denali came down to windshear and a short strip

Federal investigators have explained a 2024 crash near Denali: windshear off a 600-foot strip, and no room to climb. The pilot walked away.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Pilot uninjured after plane flips during off-airport landing in Caribou Hills

A pilot walked away uninjured after flipping his plane during an off-airport landing in the Caribou Hills, and was flown back to Soldotna by helicopter.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read