Aviation
RSSCommercial aviation (Alaska Airlines), bush pilot operations (Part 135), medevac, air taxis, cargo carriers, FAA oversight, aviation safety
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 AlaskaNews3d 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 News4d ago2 min read
FAA awards $19.6 million to replace worn-out lighting and signs at Haines Airport
Haines Airport's runway lights, taxiway signs and beacon have all reached the end of their useful life, per the FAA, which is sending $19.6 million to fix that.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3d ago2 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 AlaskaNews5d 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.News1w 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 AlaskaNewsadded 6d ago1 min read
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 AlaskaNews1w 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 AlaskaNews1w 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 AlaskaNews1w 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 AlaskaNews1w 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 AlaskaNews1w 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 AlaskaNews1w 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 AlaskaNewsadded 2w ago1 min read
Two Juneau airport approaches are down, with no FAA timeline to fix them
Two instrument approaches to a Juneau airport runway are out of service, and the FAA has given no timeline to restore them.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min read
Aleut Ventures opens Frosty Fuels crew and fueling facility at Cold Bay Airport
Aleut Ventures opened a crew facility at Cold Bay Airport this September, adding lodging and ground support as part of a $1.25 million investment in North Pacific aviation infrastructure.
by Bill AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
The public dock at King Salmon Airport would stay open five more years
The public boat and floatplane dock at King Salmon Airport would stay open under the Bristol Bay Borough for another five years under a state extension.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min read
State proposes 55-year Adak Airport lease, competing bids due Oct. 8
Alaska wants to lease airport land at Adak, a remote island now drawing military and space interest, for 55 years — one of the longest terms it allows.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
Juneau bought two fire trucks. Passengers will pay for them until 2035.
Juneau's airport wants to charge passengers through 2035, with 40 percent of the money going to two fire trucks it has already bought.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
Bids open for flights to seven roadless Alaska communities
The federal government is taking bids for subsidized air service to seven Alaska communities, with deadlines ranging from October through early 2027, as the per-passenger subsidy cap drops to $850.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
Atlas Air would get five more acres of cargo ramp in Anchorage
Atlas Air would get three more cargo parking pads at Anchorage's airport, a little over five acres of ramp, at a rent of $38,847.47 a month.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago1 min read
The FAA is paying $4.3 million to design a radar tower near Sitka
The FAA is paying $4.3 million just to design a radar tower on Biorka Island south of Sitka, with an option for the same firm to build it later.
by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago1 min read
Why the Coast Guard is paying a Homer helicopter company to reach roadless villages
The Coast Guard is paying a Homer helicopter company $345,000 to fly inspectors to roadless Alaska villages to reach the fuel facilities it regulates.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Comment open on Pilot Station Airport permit for mail-delivery ATV storage
Alaska transportation department is seeking public comment on a five-year permit to store a mail-delivery ATV in a shipping container at Pilot Station Airport, with annual rent around $676.
by Alaska News1mo ago1 min read
Comment closes Thursday on 18-year rent-free FAA lease at Chenega Bay Airport
Alaska is deciding whether to give the FAA an 18-year rent-free lease for weather equipment at Chenega Bay Airport. Comments close Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Four killed in Piper crash in Seldovia Slough; NTSB investigating
All four people aboard a small plane died Wednesday when it crashed into the water near Seldovia, the second fatal plane crash in Alaska in less than a week.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Drones are dropping chaff over Nenana to try to stop lightning
A Vancouver startup is dropping metallic chaff from drones over Nenana to try to stop lightning before it starts wildfires. The flights run through Sept. 30.
by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago3 min read
Three rescued after float plane crashes in forest near Bettles
Three people survived a floatplane crash near Bettles and were hoisted out overnight, after a satellite device let them relay their location to rescuers.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
Charter plane crash at Cape Newenham radar site kills eight
Eight people died when a charter plane crashed on approach to the Cape Newenham radar site in western Alaska. Two pilots and six passengers were aboard.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
The feds are tightening subsidies for flights to small towns, but Alaska is exempt by name
The feds are tightening flight subsidies for small towns everywhere but Alaska, which Congress exempted by name because the flights there are lifelines.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
FAA plan would give a Cook Inlet oil-field airstrip its first instrument approaches
Hilcorp's Trading Bay airstrip may soon take planes in bad weather. The FAA notice announcing it gets the airport's name wrong and its boundary wrong twice.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
The FAA is rewiring Alaska's air routes from beacons to GPS
The FAA is rebuilding Alaska's air routes, trading old ground beacons for GPS — and an Oct. 29 batch of changes gives King Salmon a better-connected path.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
A pilot survives an upside-down plane crash in the Kenai refuge
A pilot survived a crash that flipped his plane upside down in the trees of the Kenai refuge Sunday, then texted 911 himself to say he wasn't seriously hurt.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Deadhorse airport upgrade will fill nearly 79 acres of wetlands with no mitigation
A Deadhorse Airport upgrade at the North Slope's oil-field gateway will fill nearly 79 acres of wetlands — with no mitigation planned, the state says, for lack of any local program to do it through.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Juneau pilots pay $12 a gallon for fuel, and want an alternative to the airport's only seller
Juneau pilots pay over $12 a gallon for avgas, about 50% more than Anchorage, from the airport's only seller. Fifty-plus want a self-serve option added.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
State weighs 19-year rent-free FAA lease at Hooper Bay Airport
Alaska is considering a 19-year rent-free lease for the FAA to install navigation and weather equipment at Hooper Bay Airport, one of six rural airports where the agency seeks similar no-cost deals.
by Alaska News1mo ago1 min read
FAA retires two Alaska flight routes in a satellite-navigation shift
The FAA will retire two Alaska flight routes Oct. 29 and extend a third, part of a shift from ground-based to satellite navigation over non-radar terrain.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Alaska's small planes get until 2034 to upgrade altimeters — if they fly Outside
Alaska's air taxis and floatplanes must upgrade altimeters by 2034 to resist 5G interference, but only if they fly outside the state. In-state flying is exempt.
by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago1 min read
Alaska keeps trading its old flight beacons for GPS, one route at a time
The FAA is amending a GPS airway near Kodiak this fall, part of Alaska's slow statewide switch from old ground beacons to satellite-guided flight routes.
by Alaska News1mo ago1 min read
NTSB: Bering Air crash that killed 10 was a chain of preventable failures
The NTSB found the Bering Air crash that killed 10 near Nome resulted from a chain of preventable failures — an overweight plane the company routinely flew heavy, severe icing, and a pilot overloaded in the final minutes.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Juneau's tower grant comes with a catch: it drains the airport's savings
The FAA will cover most of the $1M fix for Juneau's 1987-era control tower — but the airport's small share would drain nearly half its already-thin savings.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
