AVIATION

It's estimated Alaska has about six times as many pilots per capita and 16 times as many aircraft per capita as the rest of the United States.

Air commerce in Alaska carries the equivalent of four times the state's population each year, compared to about 1.7 times the U.S. population carried by air commerce in the other states.

Lake Hood, in Anchorage, is the world's largest and busiest seaplane base. It accommodates more than 800 takeoffs and landings on a peak summer day.

Alaska not only has the largest seaplane in the world, but is first among the states in number of seaplane bases with 102. This is 25% of the U.S. total. Minnesota ranks second with 66.

In 1992, Merrill Field in Anchorage was the 64th busiest general aviation airport in the nation with 225,713 flight operations during the year. On a peak day in April there were 1,379 takeoffs and landings.

Alaska ranks sixth in the number of airports (583 including heliports and seaplane bases). That is 3.5 percent of the total number of airports in the U.S. Texas is first with 1,662; Illinois is second with 924; California is third with 922, Pennsylvania is fourth with 752; Ohio is fifth with 752; and Florida is sixth with 698.

As of February 2006, Alaska had 10,805 registered pilots and 9,902 registered aircraft. This is about one pilot and one aircraft for every 61 Alaskans.

General aviation hours flown in Alaska annually are about 995,000, which is 3% of the U.S. total general aviation hours flown. Alaska averages 105 hours flown per pilot, while the U.S. as a whole averages 43 hours per pilot.