Fri, Mar 06, 2015
Winter Weather Can Sometimes Put A Crimp On Recreational Flying Unless You Have Snow Skis, Tundra Tires, Or An Ice Runway
The question is; what does Alton Bay, NH have in common with McMurdo Station in Antarctica? The answer is; they both have ice runways.
Granted the one near McMurdo Station (ICAO: NZIR) is large enough to land a 450,000 pound airplane during the summer months, and the one at Alton Bay is a lot smaller and only operates for a short time during the winter. However, the ice runway on Alton Bay’s Lake Winnipesaukee is a lot more GA friendly than the one in Antarctica.
It’s been no secret that the Northeast part of the United States has had a really tough winter, but this part of the bad news does have a good side in Alton Bay NH. Lake Winnipesaukee has frozen to the point that the FAA approves it to be used as an airport. It should be noted that it’s not safe to assume that any frozen lake is okay for airplane operations; the Lake Winnipesaukee ice runway is FAA approved.
When the lake freezes to the point that the runway can be established, a 3,000 foot strip is cleared and maintained for the purpose of aircraft operation. The town of Alton Bay offers the ultimate destination for $100 hamburger. It’s reported that the little ice airport can become very busy during the time period that it is open because the novelty of landing on ice.
Landing on the ice requires a proper approach and landing technique, but with careful use of the brakes it really isn’t that much different than landing on a normal runway. The bottom line is, you don’t necessarily need to have skis or tundra tires to enjoy winter flying at Alton Bay.
(Image from YouTube)
More News
Aviation Governance Secured...At Least For a While The National Business Aviation Association similarly applauded the passage of the FAA's recent reauthorization, contentedly recou>[...]
Emphasis On Growing The Future of Aviation Through Concentration on 'AFFORDABLE FLYERS' It's been a number of years since the Latest Edition of Jim Campbell's HUGE SportPlane Resou>[...]
Amazilia Aerospace GmbH, Develops Digital Flight Control, Flight Guidance And Vehicle Management Systems Textron eAviation has acquired substantially all the assets of Amazilia Aer>[...]
Honeywell's Primus Brings New Tools and Niceties for Hawker Operators Hawker 4000 business jet operators have a new installation on the table, now that the FAA has granted an STC f>[...]
Company Celebrates Niche-but-Important Advancement in Industry Standards Echodyne has announced full integration of its proprietary 'EchoFlight' radar into the e American Aerospace>[...]