General Aviation Is A Key Part Of The Alaskan Infrastructure, And Seaplane Operations Provide A Critical Line Of Supply And Transportation

In many parts of the country, operating a seaplane is as much a recreational activity as a necessity, but that is certainly not the case in the state of Alaska. Some of the largest operations in Alaska take place on inland water, and now the Alaskan community known as the Mat-Su Borough has received federal funding to study the possibility of adding a seaplane base.

Mat-Su Borough is considered to be a part of the Anchorage, Alaska area and holds a population of about 89,000 people. Its largest city is Wasilla, and according to a report we picked up on ktuu.com, the community is checking into adding additional general aviation capabilities by establishing a seaplane base on an adjacent lake.

The report quotes Lauren Driscoll, the chief of planning for Mat-Su Borough as saying, “We have some of the densest collection of airplanes and airplane users in the nation. So this is just one effort to see how we can start building out our infrastructure.”

Federal funds have been received by the Mat-Su planning department from the federal government to study the possibility of using one of three local lakes for seaplane operation. One of the largest operations for seaplane operation is now located at Lake Hood in Anchorage. The Lake Hood operation is a good example of the value that can be added to a region by having this kind of aviation access.

The report quotes Ken More, manager for Artic’s Air Academy as saying, “It's really a no brainer. We need something like that that's going to accommodate the float operators that are going to have a hard time finding a place to accommodate their airplanes.”

(Image from SkyVector.com)

FMI: www.matsugov.us