The Daily Alaska empire., 1941-04-14

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 King George Qeft was taken for
 recently. Seated beside the King that wheel landings can be made on it.
 Pilots Dream
 The airport at a point west of Ruby, so remote that the engineers had to find name for it-they call it West Ruby, turned out to be a pilots dream in weary land, when it was surveyed and it's possibilities established. The old field at Ruby is on a hogback montain, consisting of one runway 1900 feet long, with a dogleg in the middle. The runway is narrowest at the bend and the wind direction is claimed to be al- ways at right angles to the runway. It is obstructed at the south end by high mountains and on the north drops off precipitately to the Yukon River, 800 feet below.
 The new field is located in a val ley so wide that instrument ap- breaches and let-down procedures can be made from any direction. It is on a piece of table land that rises 15O feet above the valley floor and is about five miles in diameter. Dur ing the spring the whole valley is flooded except this table land. The land is on public domain. It was | located by Jefford while flying the mail and Lample and Strawn chose it at once as the best site. Its re- moteness and it's size actually make i it a perfect defense base, they be- lieve, despite the fact that supplies will have to be flown in or ferried up the Yukon. Runways of any length can be laid out, the first to be approximately 5000 feet long in the prevailing wind direction.
 Juneau Plans
 Juneau's present field is likewise inadequate for military uses and in- adeuate as well for commercial uses as these are understood in the States. The new field will be ad- jacent to the present field and con- tain part of it and have runways in two directions, each about 5000 feet long. Use of the present field can continue as construction proceeds.
 The status of the six projects is as follows: Proposals on Juneau and Cordova already issued, bids to be opened May IS; proposals on Big Delta, Boundary, Nome and West Ruby to be ready for publication early in April. Proposals are being distributed throughout the States as well as the Territory of Alaska.
 In every case thus far surveyed, the underlying base of the fields is gravel To prepare runways, the surface dirt is scraped off and more gravel, also available nearby in every case, is laid. In some cases bind ing agent will be used on the gravel, producing, in effect, hard-surfaced runways such as are at use in air ports in the States. Even when the gravel is merely rolled, it produces a runway adequate for the heaviest planes. There are 50 CAA employees permanently assigned in Alaska and total of about 500 will be used on construction while the new airports are being installed.
 Range Stations
 AS part of the Civil Airways sys- tenn in Alaska. and independent of the airport program, simultaneous radio range and broadcast stations are installed or being installed ad- jacent to the new fields. There are now l6 radio facilities including communication stations and radio ranges and IT more are expected to be installed during 194142. Also proposed for construction during this period is lighting equipment, consisting of boundary lights and beacons, at IT such landing fields, including the six airports now to be constructed, and fields at Copper Center, Panama Crossing, Naknek, King Cove. Chignik and other points. Weather observations taken at every radio facility will be dis tributed from the forecast stations to all airports.
 Some of these fields and radio stations are so remote that supplies car be brought in on the surface only once year. With the increase in civil and military flying, Lample and Strawn estimate there will be at least one caller a day at almost every field, and. included in the living accommodations for, the at tendants, is one extra room which might be used by overnight visitors Even today, Alaskan pilots always gather up all available literature be- fore every flight and drop it off for isolated trappers, miners and air ways workers.
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