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