Big Mountain Air Force Station

Big Mountain Air Force Station
Summary
Airport typeMilitary
OwnerU.S. Air Force
LocationBig Mountain, Alaska
Elevation AMSL663 ft / 202 m
Coordinates59°21′44″N 155°15′32″W / 59.36222°N 155.25889°W / 59.36222; -155.25889
Map
BMX is located in Alaska
BMX
BMX
Location of airport in Alaska
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
7/25 4,200 1,280 Gravel

Big Mountain Air Force Station (IATA: BMX, ICAO: PABM, FAA LID: 37AK) is a military use airstrip located near Big Mountain, in the Lake and Peninsula Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska.[1] The airstrip was built to support the Big Mountain Radio Relay Station, an abandoned Air Force facility located 220 miles (350 km) southwest of Anchorage on the south shore of Iliamna Lake.[2]

History

Big Mountain RRS was constructed in 1956 as part of the White Alice Communication System (WACS), a defense communication network and aircraft warning system established across Alaska during the Cold War. Advances in technology made the Big Mountain installation obsolete and it was abandoned in 1979. The United States Air Force still owns 440 acres (1.8 km2) at the site, which consists of a Lower Camp alongside the airstrip and an Upper Camp on the top of Big Mountain. There is also a barge landing site at Reindeer Bay that is now owned by the University of Alaska, with surrounding land owned by the State of Alaska.[2][3]

Facilities

Big Mountain has one runway designated 7/25 with a 4,200 by 145 ft (1,280 x 44 m) gravel surface.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c FAA Airport Form 5010 for 37AK PDF, effective 2008-09-25.
  2. ^ a b "Big Mountain Radio Relay Station". Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. November 2004. Archived from the original on 2008-07-18. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  3. ^ "The Big Mountain Newsletter" (PDF). U.S. Air Force. May 31, 2003.
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