Work continues on the Childs Glacier airstrip near Cordova, Alaska, with the airstrip expected to be usable by Aug. 1, 2022.
Funded by a $50,000 grant from the U.S. Forest Service, as well as a grant from the Alaska Airmen’s Association, volunteers have been busy extending the airstrip to 1,800 feet, adding 400 feet to the backcountry airstrip, as well as cutting cottonwood trees and other work.
With the airstrip almost ready for pilots flying in, the Recreational Aviation Foundation granted funds to RAF Alaska Liaison Al Clayton to buy four bicycles for visitors to get to the USFS campground one mile away, as well as installation of aircraft tie-downs and a RAF windsock.
“Local RAF supporter Troy Tirrell offered to retrieve and store the bicycles at his home in Cordova during the winter and return them to the airstrip in spring,” Clayton said.
Lodge Owner Luke Borer has offered to shelter the bicycles at his bunkhouse near the airstrip for the convenience of visitors, he added.
In summer 2023, the USFS is expected to use the remaining funds from the $50,000 grant to bring equipment into the area “to further groom the airstrip surface and move some nearby rock hazards,” RAF officials reported.
Read more about the airstrip and its improvements here.