I am bringing my new plane up in a few weeks and was wondering where the best places to base the plane are. I have only flown out in the bush mostly and IFR out of PANC but have done little VFR flying around ANC and I am unfamiliar with the different GA airports, tiedown prices, fuel prices, VFR procedures, MX availablity, etc. I live in midtown Anchorage so I am equal distance to Lake Hood Strip and Merrill.
Where to base in ANC?
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jim in anchorage
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Not to mention far less inlet fog.
A_K_H_U_N_T_E_R
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I am on wheels or skis so I park over at Merrill on the ski strip most of the time. The high fence and key card gates help me sleep a little better at night knowing that if you can get thru the gate you probably respect other peoples planes. The open gates or no gates at Lake Hood make me worry. I have seen tour buses stop at lake hood and an army of people file out and start crawling all over somebody's personal plane to get a picture of themselves. Only a matter of time till something breaks or disappears.
Lots of choices but Merrill is not totally secure ... I was there for about six years (worked in Anch and it was close to work) and you go in the entrance by Northway mall and you can go anywhere. When I was there I was by a video camera maintained buy the city and you could go online and see your bird whenever you wanted to. It actually caught my AP/AI taking a leak on his truck tire when we were doing an annual ... LOL ... he did not know .... I said W*T*F* ... see that camera ... too funny
The other thing about Merrill was with all the sea fog my non stainless hardware on the plane showed additional rust.
The other thing about Merrill was with all the sea fog my non stainless hardware on the plane showed additional rust.
AK_Dave
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You're right about Merrill being open to anyone, except I believe the ski strip (04/22) ramp is entirely fenced in. I could be wrong. If so it's more secure than Hood or Birchwood.
A tail-in tiedown at Merrill is costing me about $165 a quarter (no electric).
AK_Dave
I think you are right about the Gravel/Ski strip, I had a drive thru no electric parking place paid $165.00 per month, you probabily have a tail in space. BTW, before I bought a hangar at birchwood, I had gas stolen from me last year ... by a (I think, total supposition) a white junk chief that parked in a vacant space next to me, was only there for a few weeks, probably did not pay for the parking. Birchwood is not without security issues like that. Lots of cops park their planes there but there is still times when there are "no wittnesses"
I think you are right about the Gravel/Ski strip, I had a drive thru no electric parking place paid $165.00 per month, you probabily have a tail in space. BTW, before I bought a hangar at birchwood, I had gas stolen from me last year ... by a (I think, total supposition) a white junk chief that parked in a vacant space next to me, was only there for a few weeks, probably did not pay for the parking. Birchwood is not without security issues like that. Lots of cops park their planes there but there is still times when there are "no wittnesses"
