This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. (September 2016)
Merrill Field (IATA: MRI, ICAO: PAMR, FAALID: MRI)[2] is a public-use general aviationairport located one mile (1.6 km) east of downtown Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska. The airport is owned by Municipality of Anchorage.[1] It opened in 1930 as Anchorage Aviation Field and was renamed in honor of Alaska aviation pioneer Russel Merrill.
History
The old control tower in the fall of 1961, prior to its completion. This tower saw service for approximately four decades before a new, much taller tower was built on the opposite side of the east–west runway adjacent to Fifth Avenue.
Merrill Field, located on the east end of 5th Avenue in Anchorage, was the first official airport in the city when it opened in 1930. It was Anchorage's only airport until 1951, when the introduction of ever larger and faster commercial aircraft required that an airfield with longer and heavier runways be built.
Construction of the original 35-acre (14 ha) site one mile east of the city was completed on 22 Aug. 1929. Originally named Anchorage Aviation Field, it was later renamed Anchorage Municipal Airport. The airport is now named for Russel Merrill, an Alaskan aviation pioneer. An aerodrome beacon was located at Merrill Field and dedicated on 25 September 1932 in Merrill's honor.[3]
The airfield remains in use today as the primary field for private wheel-equipped aircraft in the warmer months, and for ski-equipped aircraft in the winter. A section of the property used to be a municipal landfill.
Facilities and aircraft
Merrill Field covers 436 acres (176 ha, 1.76 km2) and has three runways:[1]
Runway 5/23: 2,000 x 60 ft (610 x 18 m), surface: gravel/dirt
Runway 7/25: 4,000 x 100 ft (1,219 x 30 m), surface: asphalt
Runway 16/34: 2,640 x 75 ft (805 x 23 m), surface: asphalt
For the 12-month period ending September 30, 2013, the airport had 126,234 aircraft operations, all of which were general aviation. There are 844 aircraft based at this airport: 786 single engine, 41 multi-engine, 16 helicopters and one glider.[1]
When it landed in February 2013, the Boeing 727 was the largest aircraft ever to have landed at Merrill Field.[6] The landing required special permission from the city,[4][6] and preparatory surveys of the runway and airfield infrastructure to ensure the aircraft could be landed safely;[5] the captain practiced the landing in a flight simulator beforehand.[7]
The airfield hosts two locally owned flight schools, air taxi services, and fixed-base operators. An extension of the Q Taxiway connects the airport to Alaska Regional Hospital for MEDEVAC operations.
A section of the airport is built over the closed Merrill Field Land Fill. This section requires slightly more maintenance due to settling and emissions.
,_an_airport_in_Anchorage,_Alaska,_United_States.jpg)
