Next stop at Fairbanks Airport with Ramp tour at Everts Air Cargo

Fairbanks International Airport (IATA: FAI, ICAO: PAFA) is a state-owned public-use airport located three miles (5 km) southwest of the central business district of Fairbanks, a city in the Fairbanks North Star Borough of the United States state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the smallest city in the United States with non-stop service to Europe, as Condor offers weekly flights to Frankfurt during the summer tourist season. Air North is another international airline with flights (to Canada). The terminal building, situated on the southwest side of the airport, contains seven gates: two for commuter carriers and five for larger carriers. Fairbanks International Airport covers an area of 3,470 acres (1,404 ha) at an elevation of 439 feet (134 m) above mean sea level. It has four runways:

• Runway 2L/20R: 11,800 by 150 feet (3,597 x 46 m), surface: asphalt

• Runway 2R/20L: 6,501 by 100 feet (1,981 x 30 m), surface: asphalt

• Runway 2/20: 2,900 by 75 feet (884 x 23 m), surface: gravel/ski strip

• Runway 2W/20W: 5,400 by 100 feet (1,646 x 30 m), surface: water/winter ski strip

Everts Air Cargo

Everts Air Cargo is an American Part 121 airline based in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA. It operates D.O.D, scheduled and charter airline cargo within Alaska, Canada, Mexico and continental US Its Maintenance base is Fairbanks International Airport with its major cargo hub at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. The company slogan is Legendary Aircraft. Extraordinary Service.

Everts Air Cargo, established as Air Cargo Express, is the sister company of Everts Air Fuel, that specializes in fuel transport throughout the state of Alaska and into Canada. A family-owned business run by Robert W. Everts who created Tatonduk Flying Service in 1977 with a single Cessna 180 aircraft to provide air transportation for miners in the remote places of Alaska. Since 1980, his father, Clifford R. Everts, has owned and operated Everts Air Fuel Inc., which specializes in airlifting flammable and hazardous materials.

In 1993 the airline, originally Federal Aviation Regulations Part 135 certified (Commuter and On-Demand Operations), became FAR Part 121 certified (Domestic, Flag, and Supplemental Operations) as Tatonduk Outfitters Limited purchased Everts Air. With the introduction of larger aircraft like the Douglas DC-6B and Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando the company split between Everts Air Alaska and Everts Air Cargo. As of July 2016, the active Everts Air Cargo fleet includes eighteen aircraft:

• 11 Douglas DC-6

• 2 Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando (cargo only)

• 3 Douglas DC-9 (cargo only)

• 2 McDonnell Douglas MD-80 (cargo only)

A further twelve aircraft (two DC-9, two MD-80, seven DC-6 and one C-46) are inactive or in storage.

Since Northern Air Cargo abandoned their regular service with the Douglas DC-6, Everts Air Cargo is the last airline in the USA to operate scheduled flights with a rather large fleet of 60-year-old piston-powered aircraft. In a 2007 video interview, the Anchorage Station Manager stated that the DC-6 was still considered to be a valuable aircraft for operations in the harsh conditions of Alaska, with excellent landing and takeoff performance on gravel runways. The downside is the difficulty to find Avgas and the maintenance labor cost. Everts Air Cargo estimates a ratio of 12 hours of maintenance for every single flying hour. Spare parts could also be a problem but Everts Air Cargo anticipates they will have enough in stock to keep the last DC-6 flying beyond 2020.

All photos are Copyright by Rogosz Photography