Palmer, Alaska Hosts Great Alaska Aviation Gathering and Hub of Backcountry Flying Around Warren "Bud" Woods Palmer Municipal Airport
Why It MattersPalmer shows how a small general aviation field with dense backcountry airstrip networks and a bush-flying support industry anchors Alaska's regional aviation economy and flying culture.
Palmer, Alaska, a town of about 6,700 people covering just over 5 square miles in the Mat-Su Borough, serves as a regional hub for an area rooted in Alaskan agriculture. It sits between the Talkeetna and Chugach mountain ranges and is fed by the Matanuska River.
In early May, a Plane + Pilot writer made a first trip to Alaska, flying Delta Air Lines from Seattle to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (PANC) and driving to Palmer, in temperatures around 32 degrees with mist, wind and low ceilings. The purpose was the Alaska Airmen's Association's Great Alaska Aviation Gathering, which serves as the unofficial start of Alaska's flying season, and a visit to McFarlane Alaska, home of Airframes Alaska and Alaskan Bushwheels, formerly part of Alaska Gear Company. McFarlane's parent company is Victor Sierra.
Just outside the McFarlane headquarters is Warren "Bud" Woods Palmer Municipal Airport (PAAQ), a general aviation airport with two paved runways and a dedicated gravel runway. It supports flight training, aerial firefighting, charter operators, air cargo, aircraft maintenance and recreational flying, with more than 220 aircraft based on the field. At least seven privately owned airstrips lie in the immediate vicinity, and the Greater Palmer-Wasilla area contains dozens more grass and gravel strips, together forming a gateway to the state's wilderness and backcountry flying destinations.
Nearly 10 days of rain, low ceilings and cold spring weather kept the author from flying during the four days spent in Palmer. Local pilots gathered at the Palmer Alehouse brewery regardless of the conditions.
