DWController From United States of America, joined Nov 2007, 140 posts, RR: 0 Posted (3 years 2 months 3 weeks 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 2213 times:
Thinking about just the US, does anyone know of any commercial service to an airport that is using a grass or dirt strip? Trying to exclude service to water ports here. Just point A to point B, someone can buy a ticket and either not takeoff or land on pavement.
-SRDDWC
Best phrase to hear at the airport - "All standbys have been cleared and may board at this time"
71Zulu From United States of America, joined Aug 2006, 2732 posts, RR: 0 Reply 2, posted (3 years 2 months 3 weeks 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 2169 times:
Quoting DWController (Thread starter): Thinking about just the US, does anyone know of any commercial service to an airport that is using a grass or dirt strip?
Only in Alaska I would think although many of them are now paved.
HAL From United States of America, joined Jan 2002, 2465 posts, RR: 53 Reply 3, posted (3 years 2 months 3 weeks 1 day 12 hours ago) and read 1891 times:
For Alaska - yes. Now, it depends on what type of equipment you are interested in going on. I flew for Warbelows Air Ventures out of Fairbanks for a year and only two of the runways we used (Fairbanks and Galena) were paved. All the rest were gravel (or packed snow in the winter). They operate Piper Navajos and a Beech 1900 on daily scheduled service to about 20 destinations around northern Alaska. You can book a tour flight if you want or just ride on one of the regular flights.
Frontier Flying Service also operates out of Fairbanks, using Beech 1900's to many of the same destinations.
HAL
One smooth landing is skill. Two in a row is luck. Three in a row and someone is lying.
CO787EWR From United States of America, joined Jul 2007, 222 posts, RR: 0 Reply 4, posted (3 years 2 months 3 weeks 1 day 11 hours ago) and read 1846 times:
Quoting DWController (Thread starter): Thinking about just the US, does anyone know of any commercial service to an airport that is using a grass or dirt strip? Trying to exclude service to water ports here. Just point A to point B, someone can buy a ticket and either not takeoff or land on pavement.
I remember a slideshow and somewhere in the UK a plane lands on a beach.... I dont remember the airline though.
Found it:http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/the-worlds-scariest-runways/8
AA737-823 From United States of America, joined Mar 2000, 5335 posts, RR: 11 Reply 5, posted (3 years 2 months 3 weeks 1 day 11 hours ago) and read 1771 times:
Quoting HAL (Reply 3): Frontier Flying Service also operates out of Fairbanks, using Beech 1900's to many of the same destinations.
That's true, but it should be pointed out that Fairbanks also handles 747 traffic, and as such, most of the time, aircraft will choose to utilize to lower FOD risk PAVED RUNWAYS, of which PAFA has two.
That said, Alaska Airlines no longer flies to any unpaved airports- Red Dog Mine was the last one, and it was paved just a few years ago. With that development, AS was able to retire their last 737-200 with gravel kit.
There IS another carrier in Alaska that flies Boeings to gravel runways, but it's private, not public...
steex From United States of America, joined Jun 2007, 1423 posts, RR: 9 Reply 6, posted (3 years 2 months 3 weeks 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 1665 times:
Quoting AA737-823 (Reply 5): That's true, but it should be pointed out that Fairbanks also handles 747 traffic, and as such, most of the time, aircraft will choose to utilize to lower FOD risk PAVED RUNWAYS, of which PAFA has two.
I believe his point was that you could depart FAI on Frontier Flying Service and arrive at an airport with a runway that isn't paved, not suggesting that FFS operates off unpaved runways at FAI.
rcair1 From United States of America, joined Oct 2009, 917 posts, RR: 25 Reply 7, posted (3 years 2 months 3 weeks 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 1619 times:
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Quoting AA737-823 (Reply 5): That said, Alaska Airlines no longer flies to any unpaved airports- Red Dog Mine was the last one, and it was paved just a few years ago. With that development, AS was able to retire their last 737-200 with gravel kit.
As a kid I flew in and out of Petersburg (IIRC) on Alaska 727's when it what gravel... It was very noisy.... I may have the airport wrong - it was a long time ago - but it was Alaska, 727 and dirt....
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