Letter From The Executive Director
By Abby Austin Greetings Airmen Members! My fingers are crossed that Spring is truly upon us and that means great weather to kick off the flying season at the Great Alaska Aviation Gathering! It’s the busiest time of year around the office, but also our favorite time of year. So much planning and preparation goes…
Read MorePresident’s Report
By Stephen Ratcliff Greetings Airmen’s Members, Happy spring and hope you all are looking forward to this year’s Great Alaska Aviation Gathering. Now that we are seeing longer days, good weather, and favorable conditions, it has been fun to get some ski flying in before summer arrives. On the subject of the upcoming Gathering, we’re…
Read MoreCustoms expands hours of entry at Northway Airport
By Tom George, AOPA Alaska Regional Manager Last season, pilots entering Alaska from Canada at the Northway Airport (PAOR) reported that they were only allowed to clear Customs twice per day, at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. For aircraft coming to Alaska along the Alcan Highway route, a typical departure point is Whitehorse (CYXY). When…
Read MoreALASKAN PILOT, ENGINEER, & FORMER BOARD MEMBER GEORGE MURPHY
By John M. Dahlen This year began with the passing of a friend of ours. George Murphy and his iconic yellow 1948 Aeronca Sedan, N1283H, were known by multiple generations of the Alaskan general aviation community he first became a part of nearly 60 years ago when he moved up to Kodiak from Montana. A…
Read MoreFloatplane Destabilization and Inspection
By Joel Wattum Float season is almost upon us here in Alaska. I thought I would take the time to post a few ideas that will make it a safer season. We did a lot of flight testing for Aerocet floats to be added to 170 and 172 aircraft. What I am about to write…
Read MoreDem Bones
By Bernie Willis “The thigh bone connected to the back bone, the back bone connected to the neck bone, the neck bone connected to the head bone, oh hear the word of the Lord!” Do these lyrics ring in your mind? Sometimes called “Dry Bones” were written in the 1920’s by African-American song writer James…
Read MoreNextGen Spotlight
By Regan Tunstall Ground School / Upward Bound Students Last fall, we hosted an online ground school program partnering with T3 Alliance to offer a subsidized ground school. Angle of Attack and FLY8MA also partnered with us, offering their courses for the registered students. With 81 students who signed up, we had 17 from the…
Read MoreThis Month in History
By Regan Tunstall On April 8th, 1931, Amelia Earhart broke a record altitude by climbing to 18,415 feet in a Pitcairn PCA-2 autogiro. No one had been able to get that high in an autogiro up to even 18,000 feet, but that day Earhart did it twice. She was flying over Warrington, Pennsylvania ending with…
Read MoreAdvocacy at Work
By Adam White, Alaska Airmen’s Association Government Affairs We continue to work with Federal, State, and local officials on behalf of our members, ensuring Alaska Aviation remains accessible and a viable means of transportation and recreation. The following issues are limited examples of how we work towards those goals. GA Survey The annual FAA General…
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