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OK…I know what you’re thinking. Why would anyone want to land an airplane on the snow-plowed
runway of a frozen lake? Well, at times an extraordinarily adventuresome spirit may prevail over log-
ic. That could be one reason for making a landing on the Alton Bay Ice Runway (B18). Other than
that, it’s just plain fun.
Alton Bay is the only FAA certified airport in
the continental USA with an ice runway and
is 302nm from Lancaster (LNS) direct. The
ice runway is the Alton Bay Sea Plane Base
on Lake Winnipesauke which freezes during
the winter months. The earliest the ice run-
way has ever opened was January 10, alt-
hough the ice is usually not thick enough to
land most years until late January. The ice
has to be more than 12” thick before the
runway can be opened. Alton Bay is already
experiencing nights well below freezing, and
the prospects for the ice runway this year
look good. Whatever the weather condi-
tions, the ice runway closes on March 15
every year. About one out of every six years
the ice runway is not open either due to too
little ice or too much snow as happened in
2016.
Alton Bay Ice Runway Airport (B18) is on the south end of Lake Winnipesaukie
The runway is maintained by a cadre of volunteers
who are interested locals but not pilots. They are
led by Paul LaRochelle, the airport manager, who
has been doing this part-time job for twenty-some
years. Paul maintains a recorded call in number
(603-875-3498) that keeps pilots informed as to the
condition of the ice runway and whether it is open
on any particular day. You can also obtain infor-
mation about the condition of the runway by calling
Flight Service and requesting NOTAM’s for B18.
Paul measures the thickness of the ice beginning in
early January to determine when it is safe to sup-
port the weight of a landing airplane. In order to keep the ice runway up and running they have to
plow the runway when it snows and generally make decisions about openings or closings depending
upon the weather and other conditions (such as puddles of water on the surface of the ice during a
warm spell or after rain). There are no published IAP’s for B18.
The runway at B18 is RW01/19. Most landings are made on RW01, the calm wind runway. CTAF is
122.8, but many small aircraft landing here have no radio, so extreme caution needs to be exercised
while flying in the traffic pattern. The runway is plowed to be 2,800’ - 3,000’ long and 100’ wide.
Taxiways are maintained 50’ wide. Due to piles of snow which often accumulate along the runway
and taxiways after plowing, care needs to be exer-
cised when taxiing in low wing planes to avoid
catching a wing tip on a frozen snow bank.
When you go, it is not a bad idea to take a tarp that
you can put over your plane’s cowling to keep the
engine warm after landing, especially if you take
time to walk around or have dinner in one of the
restaurants within walking distance of the ice ramp.
It is not uncommon for winter day time tempera-
tures to be near zero in Alton Bay.
For lunch or early dinner I would recommend
Shibley’s at the Pier which is only a six minute
walk from parking. You won’t be able to have a
late dinner because the ice runway closes after
sunset -- which comes early in the winter. Also if
you stop at Facet Jewelers next to the Olde Bay
Diner, LaRochelle’s wife, Donna, will give you a
free certificate for landing on the ice at Alton
Bay. Logo B18 souvenir baseball caps also avail-
able for purchase.
Montauk Point
Short final for RW01
When the ice has reflections as you can see here, it is very slippery. When it is this slick, the wheels of the airplane do not even go around while taxiing.
Closer view RW01 on final
The ice runway at Alton Bay has been op-
erating for thirty years and although there
have been some minor accidents, most
years 500 - 600 landings are made with-
out incident. I have landed at Alton Bay
nearly a dozen times under a wide variety
of conditions and in several different air-
craft with no problem. On the second or
third weekend of February each year, Al-
ton Bay holds its ice festival at which time
it is not unusual to see 40 planes parked
on the ice. Planes that have a slower
landing speed are easier to land on the
ice than larger, faster planes, but twins
such as Beech Barons have landed with
out incident.
A FEW TIPS FOR MAKING A SAFE LANDING AT ALTON BAY:
1. Use a short field technique as de-
scribed in your airplane’s POH.
2. Be sure your aircraft is flying exactly
down the extended centerline of the run-
way on final.
3. Use normal approach speed on short
final, 1.2 - 1.3 VSTALL with full flaps.
4. Over the threshold your plane should
be flying at the slowest speed possible.
5. Immediately after touchdown, cut
power and steer with rudder not brakes.
6. Let the plane roll out and slow by itself
for 10 - 15 seconds, then raise flaps and
brake gently.
7. If surface winds are greater than 12
knots and not directly down the runway, land
another time.
8. Do not be shy about going around if all is not right on final.
Above all, have fun flying and landing your airplane at Alton Bay. That’s what the ice runway is all
about.
You can watch a video of a landing and takeoff at Alton Bay in the Saratoga HERE.
Landing roll out. The ice is usually more slippery in the early part of the season because it becomes pitted and lightly snow-covered toward March -- which slows it down.
The ice GA ramp at Alton Ray