Aero-Linx!

Scouring the information super airways can sometimes be a tough, if educational, task for the Aero-News staff... but it also allows us to check out some truly neat and exciting sites, so it's not that bad a gig. On any given day, we may check dozens (and often hundreds) of different sources for story ideas, and facts confirmation. And, as is the nature of our business, much of this is done on the Internet.

The ANN gang decided we probably shouldn't keep some of the neat sites, info resources, and organizations we've discovered to ourselves... so we decided to bring you Aero-Linx. These are the sites that WE check out -- when we need added perspective, a new spin on a day's topic... or just want to escape into cyber-aero-space for awhile.

Look for some of our favorite sites, coming each day to ANN via Aero-Linx. Suggestions for future Aero-Linx segments are always welcome, as well.

Aero Linx: Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities -- Statewide Aviation

Aviation touches all aspects of life in rural Alaska, and is a basic mode of transportation due to the vastness of Alaska. Approximately 82% of Alaskan communities are not served by roads and have no connection to the contiguous road system. The Alaska Department of Commerce, Community & Economic Development has 393 communities in their database, and the Federal Aviation Administration has an additional 99 sites with Location ID’s in Alaska. Of these 492 Alaska locations, only 90 sites, or 18%, are on the contiguous paved road system. The remaining 402 sites, or 82%, are off the paved road system and depend on aviation for year-around access.

FMI: http://www.dot.state.ak.us/stwdav/index.shtml