Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport

Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport
(former Galena Air Force Base)
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner State of Alaska DOT&PF - Northern Region
Serves Galena, Alaska
Elevation AMSL 153 ft / 47 m
Coordinates 64°44′10″N 156°56′15″W / 64.73611°N 156.93750°W / 64.73611; -156.93750Coordinates: 64°44′10″N 156°56′15″W / 64.73611°N 156.93750°W / 64.73611; -156.93750
Map
GAL
Location of airport in Alaska
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
7/25 7,249 2,209 Asphalt/Concrete
6/24 2,786 849 Gravel Ski Strip
Statistics (2014)
Aircraft operations 19,000
Based aircraft 13
Galena Airport was used by the USAF 317th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at Elmendorf AFB as a forward-deployed Base to intercept Soviet aircraft intruding on United States airspace over the Bering Sea. Depicted: Convair F-102 Delta Dagger, 1965.

Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport (IATA: GAL, ICAO: PAGA, FAA LID: GAL) is a state owned, public use airport located in Galena, a city in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska.[1]

As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 7,784 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008,[2] 7,447 enplanements in 2009, and 12,421 in 2010.[3] It is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a non-primary commercial service airport (between 2,500 and 10,000 enplanements per year) based on enplanements in 2008,[4] however it qualifies as a primary commercial service airport based on enplanements in 2010.

History

As Galena Airport, it was used as a military transport base during World War II, facilitating the transit of Lend-Lease aircraft to the Soviet Union.

As Galena Air Force Station, it was used by the USAF during the Cold War as an interceptor base for aircraft patrolling the western areas of Alaska. It was downsized in 1993, however the military airfield is maintained by a private contractor as a weather/emergency diversion airfield since Regular Air Force fighter-interceptor alert operations ended.[5] It is now known as Galena Forward Operating Location.

Facilities and aircraft

Edward G. Pitka Sr Airport covers an area of 1,250 acres (506 ha) at an elevation of 153 feet (47 m) above mean sea level. It has two runways: 7/25 is 7,249 by 150 feet (2,209 x 46 m) with an asphalt and concrete surface; 6/24 is 2,786 by 80 feet (849 x 24 m) with a gravel ski strip surface.[1]

The airport also sports a ski-jump takeoff ramp at one end and provisions for arresting gear (see picture, ski jump at 07 end) at the other, a leftover from the Cold War years as Galena Air Force Base, as tactical aircraft required more landing and takeoff space than was available on the runway.

For the 12-month period ending May 23, 2009, the airport had 19,000 aircraft operations, an average of 52 per day: 68% general aviation, 16% scheduled commercial, 11% military, and 5% air taxi. At that time there were 13 aircraft based at this airport: 77% single-engine, 8% multi-engine, and 15% ultralight.[1]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

AirlinesDestinations
Ravn Alaska Anchorage, Fairbanks, Huslia, Kaltag, Koyukuk, Nulato, Ruby[6][7]
Wright Air Service Kaltag[8]

Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
Ravn Alaska Fairbanks[9]

Top destinations

Busiest domestic routes out of GAL
(Dec 2015 - Nov 2016) [10]
Rank City Passengers Carriers
1 Fairbanks, AK 7,050 Ravn Alaska
2 Nulato, AK 1,170 Ravn Alaska
3 Kaltag, AK 920 Ravn Alaska, Wright
4 Huslia, AK 270 Ravn Alaska
5 Koyukuk, AK 210 Ravn Alaska
6 Ruby, AK 110 Ravn Alaska

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 FAA Airport Master Record for GAL (Form 5010 PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. effective May 31, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Enplanements for CY 2008" (PDF, 1.0 MB). CY 2008 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. December 18, 2009. External link in |work= (help)
  3. ↑ "Enplanements for CY 2010" (PDF, 189 KB). CY 2010 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2011. External link in |work= (help)
  4. ↑ "2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A" (PDF). National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF, 2.03 MB) on September 27, 2012. External link in |work= (help)
  5. ↑  This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.
  6. ↑ "2007 Timetable" (PDF). Frontier Flying Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 28, 2004. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
  7. ↑ http://www.flyera.com
  8. ↑ "Flight Schedule". Wright Air Service. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Fairbanks Schedule". Arctic Circle Air. April 24, 2006.
  10. ↑ http://www.transtats.bts.gov/airports.asp?pn=1&Airport=GAL&Airport_Name=Galena,%20AK:%20Galena%20Airport&carrier=FACTS
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