“You’re cleared to land heading 01, South to North on B-12”.
Those are the typical instructions relayed by air an traffic controller
to a pilot landing their plane onto a 3000 ft. ice runway in Alton Bay.
‘B-12’ is the number given by the FAA identifying the only registered
ice runway in the lower 48 States, and this was the main topic addressed by
Alton Rotary’s Guest Speaker, Paul La Rochelle at the club’s weekly Zoom
meeting last Thursday.
“You’re cleared to land heading 01, South to North on B-12”.
Those are the typical instructions relayed by air an traffic controller
to a pilot landing their plane onto a 3000 ft. ice runway in Alton Bay.
‘B-12’ is the number given by the FAA identifying the only registered
ice runway in the lower 48 States, and this was the main topic addressed by
Alton Rotary’s Guest Speaker, Paul La Rochelle at the club’s weekly Zoom
meeting last Thursday. He Stated, “Originally, back in the 40’s, the FAA
allowed only sea planes to land in the bay, and then in the 60’s-70’s, the
State of NH and FAA approved planes to land on the ice. It’s no easy task to
land a plane on ice because your only way to brake and slow-down is to
feather your prop and use your flaps. ” All was well with the Alton Bay ice
runway up to the 2000’s when its use seemed to dwindle from lack of interest.
Then in 2009, La Rochelle, along with a few volunteers, worked to revive use
of the ice runway by convincing the state of NH and the Department of
Transportation (DOT) to allow for helicopter rides from the ice. From there,
authorization was granted to allow planes to land again on the ice and
La Rochelle was hired by DOT to oversee and run the operation. “It’s all handled
by volunteers and with lots of help from the State”, said La Rochelle. “We create
(plow) a runway only when the ice is 12” thick, put out our sock, markers and
set-up a radio contact system to communicate with pilots for landing. The State
also is inspecting the area to be sure there’s no obstacles such as trees, towers,
etc. to interfere with planes taking off or landing. And, we never operate
the ice runway during storms. We usually open around the first week in Jan.
and, depending on ice conditions, will cease operations around mid to
late March,” he added. Because of Covid-19, this year all pilots and their
passengers upon landing will be issued a bracelet they must wear to
identify and prevent them from leaving the immediate area. The public
will also not be allowed to mingle with the pilots or get near the planes, but
instead watch from a designated distance. Hope is the ice runway will get a
lot of use in 2021 and match or exceed the numbers of landings and take offs
of 600 + as has happened in the past. Alton Selectman, member of the ZBA,
and owner of La Rochelle Construction, Paul La Rochelle, was introduced as
Guest Speaker to members of the Alton Centennial Rotary by club President,
Bob Regan.
For information on joining Rotary, or to volunteer as a guest speaker,
contact Rotarian Duane Hammond, 569-3745