Sunday, November 13, 2011

Module VI D Aviation in Alaska

No matter where you are, we're glad you're here!



Essential Questions
  • Alaska Airlines 737  digitaltrends.com
    Alaska's infrastructure of transportation and communication systems - what is the cause-effect relationships to settlement patterns and to the development of the Alaska economy?
  • What have been the impacts on traditional Native cultures and on the environment?
  • What are issues facing Alaskans today related to transportation and communication?

ENGAGE
Teenagers Leave  Shungnak, AK for
Boarding School in Chemawa, Oregon
ca. 1968 VILDA UAF-1991-98-682
Aviation and Alaska- they were made for each other.  Recall the  challenges presented by Alaska's topography for economic development mentioned in previous pages.  What's the solution?  Fly over them.  Decrease travel time from point to point. Open up the country. Alaskans are a flying bunch.

For example, outside the road/rail transportation corridor of Southcentral Alaska  (known as the Railbelt), Alaskan parents put their children on airplanes as casually as parents in the Lower 48 put their children on a school bus. 

Both passenger, mail, and cargo traffic by air is essential in most of rural Alaska. Everything not brought in during the summer ocean/river barge shipping season arrives by plane - from the daily mail to snowmachines and fuel.  

Is it expensive? Just ask anyone who has had to ship anything by air (the charges are sometimes not so fondly referred to as the Alaska gouge factor).

Two Men and Cargo (note labels on boxes)
Northern Airways Cargo 
VILDA UAF-1991-98-1002

Aviation has also become part of the Alaska identity, with the state having the highest number of private pilots and private planes, per capita, of any state.  

According to the Alaska Air Carriers Association,  aviation contributes $3.5 billion to the state economy and  is 8% of the Gross State Product.  Aviation employs 10% of the state work force.  

Strategically located on a great circle route, Anchorage is 9.5 flight hours from 90% of the world, which has helped to make it a hub for international air transport.

Aviator Ben Eielson, Fairbanks 
(note U.S. Mail) ca. late 1920's  
VILDA UAF-1991-98-1079
Alaskans were early enthusiasts for the development of aviation in Alaska, and many firsts of aviation occurred here.  A listing of Alaska aviation pioneers reads like a who's who of aviation in general.  There are families in Alaska today whose history is synonymous with the aviation history of the state (ex. Wien, Reeve).  Names of public facilities and airfields honor some of these pioneers (ex. Eielson, Merrill)
  


Black Wolf Squadron  1920
VILDA uaf-1990-0164-00001
World War I opened the door to Alaska aviation,with significant development occurring after the 1920 Black Squadron military flight.  World War II only accelerated the pace with the construction of airbases during the war, and the purchase of surplus planes by new Alaska aviation companies after the war. 



Winter Scene, Ladd Airfield, Fairbanks
Feb. 1944  VILDA UAF-1991-98-840
Technological changes in the 1950's and 1960's brought jet and helicopter services to Alaska and the expansion of passenger and freight services between Alaska and the Lower 48.   

Single and twin engine prop planes continued to be the "workhorses" for rural Alaska. Wheel planes, and planes equipped with skis or floats made almost all areas of Alaska accessible for miners, trappers, fishers, tourists, surveyors, developers, missionaries, and adventurers. Air service started to replace the ocean and river passenger transport, as well as mail and some cargo transport.

McGee Airways , ca. 1930's
VILDA UAF-1991-98-86
Construction and maintenance of rural runways and urban airports/runways continued throughout the latter 20th century with federal and state funds.  Today most airports and runways are managed through the State Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. 


FedEx Plane  airport-technology.com
The most well known airline today is Alaska Airlines, but the state is served by many other carriers.  Anchorage's Ted Stevens Airport is served by thirty air carriers, both passenger and cargo. It is a major hub for both FedEx and UPS.   


Grumman Goose N48550, 
AK Coastal Airlines, Juneau 1989 
VILDA ASL-P356-0310
Rural airlines typically operate from regional hub with spokes to the area villages, serving as an essential lifeline for village residents and businesses. Many of these started as small family operations that over the years and expanded, combined, and reorganized as conditions warranted.  The joint operations of Era Aviation/Hageland/ Frontier Flying and of PenAir are two current examples of major carriers in rural Alaska. 



EXAMINE
  • Loading of Cargo "Igloos", 
    Wein Consolidated Airlines ca. late 1960's  
    VILDA UAF-1991-98-733
    What were the factors that prompted the growth of aviation in Alaska?
  • What were the challenges in the development of aviation?
  • How is aviation in Alaska linked to the Alaska economy?
  • How does aviation affect the lives of Alaskans today?

EXPLORE

From Alaska's Heritage, read:


EXTEND
Landing Freight in Mudville-Valdez,AK
Reeve Airways ca.1930-'s-40's
VILDA UAF-1991-98-136
Take a look at your community and your region.  
  • How dependent is your community on air transportation?  
  • Who are the air carriers in your region and what is their history?  
  • How has air transportation affected the way of life in your community?


These websites present more detail about aviation in Alaska, which may be used to enhance your background. Take a look as you have time.


What's Next?
Speaking of transportation, remember when students traveled long distances to a campus and sat in a classroom to learn Alaska History? Now let's explore how  Communications Systems have shaped this enormous state.
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