[h=2]Willow Lake Closure[/h]
Willow Lake in Willow Alaska was closed today for the winter months. DOT ownes the lake and decided to close it to ski operations for the first time in its history. This is a sad day for Alaska. I fear this is just the begining. If a lake that is owned and operted as an airport by DOT can be closed any lake can be closed. I am afraid Alaska is going the way of the lower 48.
Please post the letter you got from the state on this site also!
My Letter:
Mr. Hatter,
It has come to my attention that Willow Lake has been closed for ski plane operations.
This concerns me greatly because this is an aircraft designated lake, with actual water lanes, State owned land leased for hangers and facilities, designed and managed for aviation.
in a letter from Josh Briggs, Central Region Safety and Security officer he cites an FAA response to a question from Mr. Briggs: "Their primary concern is that a ski strip erected on the lake would fall under FAA-regulated Part 77 airspace rules, and airport compliance would take some time to establish. This would include a survey of threshold ends, elevations and coordinates. DOT&PF is not prepared to establish such compliance at this time." The FAA would like to see most Alaska airstrips and landing fields go away. Willow Lake actually has all of the documented threshold ends, elevations and coordinates to be a seaplane base, and should be used for the ski plane operations; ice is another form of water.
The letter further states reasons for the closure: "when access across the ice is easiest for the public, will help ensure conflicts are minimized and promote a safer environment." This statements infers that pilots are not public; as this lake is a designated aviation lake, I ask: safer environment for whom? It will not make it a safer environment for aircraft. In fact, this restriction will certainly lead to requests for summer aircraft restrictions until no aircraft are allowed on the lake. The State of Alaska gets revenue from lease holders operating a business, an aviation business, on that lake. Will the next step be to close Lake Hood to make it a safer, more quiet environment at the Dot offices? You can see and understand my concern as a pilot.
Mr. Briggs statement: "The Willow Airport is maintained to accommodate ski operations during the winter; therefore the land based airport provides a location for your business to operate in winter months." is misleading. The Willow runway may be maintained, however, for aircraft parked, or parking on the lake, paying lease money to the state, the access is across a paved road that is often bare pavement or has sand on it. Also, many pilots will tell you that often times in the spring, the lake can be ski friendly after the strip has melted and become unusable for skis. Mr. Briggs appears to be unfamiliar with the many influences when operating on skis, and the many variables that require pilots to be creative, and requires all options be open to them. This decision will not make ski operations safer.
It would seem that the job of Statewide Aviation is to promote aircraft use, not deter it. This closure is an additional deterrent for aviation in private and commercial arenas. Please refer back to the purpose for leasing aircraft use land on the Willow Lake shoreline and rescind this closure today.
Sincerely,
George Campbell
Pilot
I also CC'd Troy Larue:
troy.larue@alaska.gov, Central Region something and aviation friendly...