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Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport (former Galena Air Force Base)
IATA: GAL ICAO: PAGA FAA LID: GAL
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	State of Alaska DOT&PF – Northern Region
Serves	Galena, Alaska
Elevation AMSL	154 ft / 47 m
Coordinates	64°44′10″N 156°56′15″W / 64.73611°N 156.93750°W / 64.73611; -156.93750
Map
GALLocation of airport in Alaska
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 8/26 6,000 1,829 Asphalt/Concrete 6/24 2,600 792 Gravel Ski Strip
Statistics (2022)
Aircraft operations 19,000 Based aircraft 0
Source: Federal Aviation Administration

Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport (IATA: GAL, ICAO: PAGA, FAA LID: GAL) is a state-owned public-use airport located in Galena, a city in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska.

As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 7,784 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008, 7,447 enplanements in 2009, and 12,421 in 2010. It is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a non-primary commercial service airport (between 2,500 and 10,000 enplanements per year) based on enplanements in 2008; however, it qualifies as a primary commercial service airport based on enplanements in 2010.

History

This section needs expansion with: who is "Edward G. Pitka Sr." and why is the airport named after him?. You can help by adding to it. (September 2012)

As Galena Airport, it was used as a military transport base during World War II, facilitating the transit of lend-lease aircraft to the Soviet Union.

As Galena Air Force Station, it was used by the USAF during the Cold War as an interceptor base for aircraft patrolling the western areas of Alaska. It was downsized in 1993, but the military airfield is maintained by a private contractor as a weather/emergency diversion airfield since Regular Air Force fighter-interceptor alert operations ended. It is now known as Galena Forward Operating Location.

Facilities and aircraft

Edward G. Pitka Sr Airport covers an area of 1,250 acres (506 ha) at an elevation of 154 feet (47 m) above mean sea level. It has two runways: 8/26 is 6,000 by 100 feet (1,829 x 30 m) with an asphalt and concrete surface; 6/24 is 2,600 by 50 feet (792 x 15 m) with a gravel ski strip surface.

The airport also sports a ski-jump takeoff ramp at one end and provisions for arresting gear (see picture, ski jump at 07 end) at the other, a leftover from the Cold War years as Galena Air Force Base, as tactical aircraft required more landing and takeoff space than was available on the runway.

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2022, the airport had 19,000 aircraft operations, an average of 52 per day: 68% general aviation, 16% scheduled commercial, 11% military, and 5% air taxi. At that time there was no aircraft based at the airport.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Prior to its bankruptcy and cessation of all operations, Ravn Alaska served the airport from multiple locations.

Top destinations

See also

• Northwest Staging Route
• List of airports in Alaska
• Alaska World War II Army Airfields
• Air Transport Command

References

1. ^ FAA Airport Form 5010 for GAL PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. effective May 31, 2012.
2. "Enplanements for CY 2008" (PDF, 1.0 MB). CY 2008 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. December 18, 2009.
3. "Enplanements for CY 2010" (PDF, 189 KB). CY 2010 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2011.
4. "2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A" (PDF). National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF, 2.03 MB) on September 27, 2012.
5.  This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
6. "Passenger Schedules". Retrieved December 20, 2020.
7. "Wright Destinations". Retrieved September 16, 2022.
8. "BTS | Transtats".

External links

• Topographic map from USGS The National Map
• AIR FORCES'S ALASKA PILOTS AWAIT CALL TO INTERCEPT SOVIET CRAFT GALENA AIR FORCE STATION, Alaska
• Galena Air Force Station
• FORMER GALENA FORWARD OPERATING LOCATION
• FAA Airport Diagram for Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport (GAL) (PDF), effective November 28, 2024
• FAA Terminal Procedures for Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport (GAL), effective November 28, 2024
• Resources for this airport:
  • FAA airport information for GAL
  • AirNav airport information for PAGA
  • ASN accident history for GAL
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS latest weather observations for PAGA
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for GAL

• Alaska
• Aviation

v t e USAAF Eleventh Air Force in World War II
Previously: Alaskan Air Force (1941-1942)
Bases	Combat airfields Adak/Davis Alexai Point Amchitka Elmendorf Fort Glenn Fort Morrow Fort Randall Shemya Support airfields Annette Island Cordova Gakona Juneau Kiska Ogliuga Island Yakutat Air Transport Command Northwest Staging Route (xfr to 11AF 1945) Bethel Big Delta Galena Gambell Ladd McGrath Marks Mile 26 Moses Point Naknek Northway Tanacross
Units	Commands XI Bomber XI Fighter Groups Bombardment 28th Bombardment Fighter 343d Fighter
United States Army Air Forces First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Thirteenth Fourteenth Fifteenth Twentieth

• Airports in the Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska