Practice makes perfect on gravel airstrip

The thought of spring flying is what gets many Alaskans through the winter. One glorious summer landing on a remote sand bar is a sure way to bring on “summer amnesia” — the phenomena of forgetting that winter even happens in Alaska — and tricks us to sticking around for one more year.

Summer also is a time for increased aviation accidents in Alaska. But thanks to a gravel-strip marking program at the Palmer Municipal Airport, pilots can now practice off-field takeoffs and landings on a strip designed to mimic the conditions pilots would face in real flying situations.

Recognizing the seasonal and off-field flying habits of Alaska pilots, the city of Palmer was quick to partner with the Federal Aviation Administration to make the Palmer Municipal Airport home to the nation’s first marked gravel airstrip. The off-field airport guide and Short Field Gravel Strip Marking program has been developed in Alaska to provide extended efforts to inform pilots of the need for aviator proficiency in off-field takeoffs and landings.

The Alaska Department of Transportation introduced the idea of designated practice runways to help lower the number of general aviation accidents. Then, FAA employees refined a design created by the state of Alaska and provided recommendations. The off-field airport guide and Short Field Gravel Strip Marking program have been developed in Alaska to provide extended efforts to inform pilots of the need for aviator proficiency in off-field takeoffs and landings.

Many pilots come to Palmer to practice their landings. But before the strip was marked, it was an informal exercise. Pilots had to “eyeball” the distances and make their best guess as to how long it took to take off or land. Now the 1,560-foot gravel runway is marked in 100-foot increments with white paint lines.

Last year, with the help of the FAA, the practice landing strips were marked, each measuring 25-feet wide by 600-feet long. The gravel runways were designed to mimic the conditions pilots would face in real flying situations.

The gravel is marked every 100 feet to allow pilots to gauge their aircraft’s takeoff and landing distance, with or without loads, to train to a higher level of proficiency. The practice runways are meant to simulate the kind of conditions, at least size-wise, that Bush pilots are regularly confronted with. The markings are in the middle of a conventional strip, so a bruised ego is the only effect of a miscalculated landing.

Runway construction attracted volunteer help from the Ninety-Nines international organization of women pilots. The only expense to Palmer was the cost of paint to mark the new strips. Encouraged by the ease of design and implementation, Fairbanks and other Alaska airports are now considering similar test areas.

Now when spring fever strikes and there is no time to find a remote sand bar, fly out to the Palmer Airport. Practice makes perfect.

For more information, contact Palmer Airport Manager John Owen at 745-4811.

DeLena Johnson has been mayor of Palmer since October 2010.