Three DC-3 Fields Are Planned
For Second Division, Schwamm Says
Three DC-3 capacity airfields
on the Seward peninsula are next
on the construction agenda in the
program of the Alaska Aeronau
tics Commission, Tony Schwamm,
commissioner of aeronautics, an
nounced in Juneau last week.
The proposed fields will be con
structed at White Mountain, at
Taylor on the upper Kougarok
River and at Quartz Creek on the
lower Kougarok.
The White Mountain field has
first priority, the commissioner
said. Already there is need for a
field there, for a large Alaska
Native Service school is under
Construction at White Mountain,
and larger airport facilities would
speed up that work.
The Taylor and Quartz creek
strips will enable mine owners to
fly equipment into that rich area.
Access roads to the sites of the
proposed airports already are un
der construction there. The only
available transportation for mines
of the area now is by way of the
motor train which runs north
from Nome to Quartz Creek.
Mr. Schwamm, who had just
concluded a three weeks survey
of potential airport sites in the
Second Division, said he would
recommend construction of small
*er fields at Noatak, Selawick and
Kiama. Also on the commission
er’s improvement program is re
pair and extension of some 25
smaller fields on the Seward Pen
insula.
In southeastern Alaska, Mr.
Schwamm said floats under con
struction for five communities
there would be towed to their
locations by the end of this week.
Floats have been completed for
Port Althorp, Sitka, Baranof,
Hood Bay and Ketchikan.
The territory’s head of aero
nautics also is planning still fur
ther improvement work for south
eastern Alaska’s float planes. He
said he would attempt to have
Petersburg harbor dredged, while
equipment is in the area* to work |
on the Wrangell Narrows. This j
would enable the Petersburg I
hangars to be moved nearer toj
shore.
Asked to summarize status of
the work already going on at
several Alaskan airfields, Mr.
Schwamm said Ninilchik is nearly
completed, Fort Yukon is 95 per
cent complete, Seldovia is 90 per
cent complete, and Skagway will
be finished by Sept. 1.
Work at the Dillingham field
has been slowed because of mus
keg conditions encountered there.
Work at Kotzebue was halted,
when the Coastal Monarch, carry
ing equipment for that field, was
turned back by fire recently. The
equipment now is being towed
from Dillingham to Kotzebue by
barge, and work is expected to
get under way again soon. Be
cause Kotzebue’s summer has
been unexpectedly mild this year,
Mr. Schwamm thought it possible
the work might be continued
there beyond the normal con
struction season.
JOHNNY GORC EARNS
PRIVATE PILOT'S LICENSE
Johnny Gore of Palmer, who
has been taking flying lessons for
some time, qualified for his pri
vate pilot’s license this week.
Several weeks ago, Mr. Gore took
his cross-country solo flight, one
of the final hurdles for a pilot-to
be.
Cordova Air Head Returns
From Mayo Clinic
Merle K. Smith, president of
Cordova Air Service, returned
recently from a trip Outside,
where he spent several weeks as
a patient at Mayo’s Clinic at
Rochester, Minn. The airlines
head is now completely recovered
in health. *
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Palmer, Alaska