Greater Nashua
Pilot recounts winter flights in and out of Winnipesaukee’s seaplane base
LONDONDERRY — For many Granite Staters, Lake Winnipesaukee is the mecca of summertime activities and the king of Lakes Region; however, for pilot Paul Russo, it is something much different. Since 2005, Russo has landed more than 100 times at the Alton Bay Seaplane Base and Ice Runway, the only frozen landing strip in the continental U.S. to be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration. “Landing on frozen lakes has been done for years,” he said during his Jan. 15 presentation at the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire. “If you manage your speed it’s not an issue.” Located at the southern end of the lake, the runway is 2,800 feet long by 100 feet wide and is only open a few weeks out of the year when the ice is 12 inches thick. For safety reasons, the runway must cease operations each year by March 15. Although it only takes Russo 12 minutes to fly from Concord ...
