Evening star., 1941-04-06
Alaskan AirfieIds
Rushed by {. A. A.
As Defense Move
One UsobIe Runwuy on
Each of Six Expected to
Be Ready Before Winter
By JOSEPH S. EDGERTON.


Materially eXpedlting the air de-
fenses of Alaska and the northern
approaches to Canada and the
United States, the Civil Aeronautics
Authority expects to have at least
one uSable runway on each of six
new airports in Alaska in operation
before winter.
These airports, together with ra-
dio range, communications and
other facilities. are being located and
designed for national defense and
will supplement the purely military
air bases now being developed by
the Army and Navy in Alaska.
Details of progress on the wide
spread and vital c. A. A. program in
Alaska have been reported to Brig
Gen. Donald H. Connolly, admins
traitor of civil aeronautics, by c. NJ
Lample chief of the airways en-
gineering division of the C. A. A,
and Harry o. StraWn, associate air
ways engineer, who have just re-
turned from visit to all the new
field sites in company with Jack T.
Jefford airways inspector for the
c. A. A at Anchorage.
Used Wheel Landings.
They completed arrangements
during their. visit for construction
work at some of the new sites and
examined plans and surveys already
made for future development of air.
ports and airwayS in the Territory.
The trip was made in a c. A. A. two
engined monoplane, landing on tenn
porary fields which Alaskan pilots
have been using in pioneer air op-
erationS and at some of the new
sites. Although they flew during
January, February and early March,
while Alaska was in the grip of the
sub-Arctic winter, they were able
to use wheel landing gear through
out the trip.
New airports at Juneau, Cordova,
Boundary, Big Delta, West Ruby
and Nome are in course of con-
structlon or awaiting receipt of bids
for work to be done this summer.
The new airports are part of the
S4OOO0,0O0 airport program inaug-
uated last year under supervision
of the c. A. A. and the Army Corps
of Engineers. The Alaskan share,
OF S3,300000, is being administered
by the airWays engineering division
OF c. A. A. The Alaskan airways
system now under construction will
tie up with that of Canada at
Boundary, on the international bor-
der.
Some of the airport" facilities
IN Alaska have been as dangerous
as they are picturesque. At Cor
ooVa, for example. the airport"
Is nothing more than a wide place
in road leading out from town.
The runway is 1900 feet long. with
@ mountain towering up from one
side and river some distance below
on the other. The new field, II
miles from town, will have regu-
lation runWays more than 5000
feet long.
At Nome there has been a single
runway, far from adequate for even
the most meager military uses, one
which, nevertheless, commercial
pilots have been landing on for
years. The new field will have
runVays 4,500 feet in length or
longer.
AT Big Delta and Boundary, on
the Juneau-Fa Fairbanks Nome air.
way, the new fields will be large
enough to accommodate the larg-
est military aircraft.
Field on Hogback Mountain.
The old field at Ruby is on a
hogback mountain, consisting of a
single runway 1900 feet long, and
this with a dog-leg in the middle.
The runway is narrowest at the
bend, making it even more treach-
erouS, and the prevailing wind is
at right angles to the runway. To
add still further adventure to op-
erations there, the runway is OBJ
structed at the south end bv higher
mountains and at the north drops
off abruptly into the Yukon River,
300 feet below. The new field is
located in valley so wide that
instrument approaches can be made
from any direction.
Jllneau's present field is made
ouate Tor military purposes and
even for existing commercial serv-
Ices The new field will include
part of the present site.
There now are so c. A. A. en-
ployes permanently assigned in
Alaska and a total of about 500
will be used on construction this
summer
There are two regular air services
IN operation in Alaska. between
Seattle and Juneau, and between
Nome and Juneau. They are oper-
ated by Pan-American Airways and
its subsidiary, Pacific Alaska Air
ways. The Civil Aeronautics Board
now is considering applications for
additional routes between Juneau
and Anchorage and to serve other