If you want to get around Alaska, your best bet is by air. The vast majority of the state isn’t reachable by road, making flying a necessity. There are over 9,100 licensed pilots in Alaska, the most pilots per capita than anywhere else in the United States.

To serve these pilots, Alaska has a massive system of airports, airstrips and landing spots for aircraft; over 760 recorded landing areas. Nearly 400 are public-use airports, while the rest are owned by private entities or the military.

One such privately owned airport is Airkat Airpark 9AA9, located outside Haines. Owned and operated by George and Lynette Campbell, the current runway is approximately 1,100 feet long and 130 feet wide. Airkat also had a brand new hangar, about 60 feet by 80 feet, with many nice features, including a liftstrap bifold door from Schweiss Doors, measuring 55 feet by 15 feet.

“We’re not big into buying expensive cars or going on cruises,” says Lynette. “That just doesn’t suit us. So, we’ decided if we’re going to build a hangar, let’s build a really nice hangar.”

Both Lynette and George have long careers in Alaska Aviation. Lynette, now retired, worked for the Alaska Department of Transportation Aviation Division, managing airport lands in southeast Alaska. George is a bush pilot, flying various types of aircraft throughout the state. He has offered flight tours of glaciers, fishing and bear watching as well as providing air taxi services.

“Both of us come from aviation, him from the pilot side and me from the management, operations side,” Lynette says.

At one point, the couple owned a home near a glacial river where they would clear some space on the bank to be used as a landing strip for George. However, with the glacial rivers always changing and washing away the landing area, the couple decided to find a spot where they could build a more permanent setup.

They also wanted to create a landing area that could be used by other pilots in case of an emergency, such as a low-fuel incident or bad weather. Alaska’s small, rural airports and landing strips act a lot like a gas station does in the rest of the United States. The Campbells decided to register their landing strip with the Federal Aviation Administration as an airport, so it would be part of the larger network.

“You want to strategically place airports along the way, to fill in gaps so a pilot is never more than a few hours away from one,” Lynette says. “This airport does help fill a hole in the aviation system in the state. I’m real passionate about Alaska and Alaskan aviation and I feel like this is my contribution.”

Like the majority of building projects, what started as a simple runway soon turned into a much larger project.

“As we talked about what this would look like, it got more and more elaborate,” Lynette says, adding that work is continuing to extend the runway to 2,300 feet.

The hangar has a bunk room for visiting aviators to use and a more complete apartment above the hangar floor that may eventually be used to lodge visitors for extended visits. The building is clad in dark metal sheeting and includes several windows to let in the natural light.

An important piece of the Airkat hangar is the door. The Campbells knew they wanted a high-quality door that would be easy to operate while also standing up to Alaska’s challenging environment. With their aviation background, Lynette and George knew exactly which company could provide what they were looking for – Schweiss Doors.

“I’ve seen a lot of different types of door configurations in my career and always the people that put in a Schweiss door were the happiest with it,” Lynette says.

The bifold door had many features that made it the right choice for Airkat. First, it allowed the couple to maximize their hangar and apron space, since the door folds up and out of the way. Lynette says the hangar aprons in Alaska are usually on the small size so not having to worry about a door being in the way is a major positive.

Lynette is also a fan of Schwiess Doors’ patented liftstraps. Instead of using outdated cables to lift the door, the bifold door from Schweiss uses nylon straps which are stronger, safer, quieter and longer lasting than cables. Since many Alaskan towns are coastal, having straps means not having to worry about metal cables rusting or deteriorating in the damp, salty air.

The Campbells also wanted a hangar door that was well made and strong. Living in Alaska means dealing with nature at its most unpredictable. Weather can change quickly; high winds are common; and the area can even be impacted by earthquakes.

“I didn’t want to deal with door issues for the rest of my life,” Lynette says. I just wanted to put in a door that was going to work and be no hassle. The Schweiss door was constructed in a way that fits the environment to be very stable and last.”

The only worry Lynette and George had about choosing a Schweiss door for their hangar was whether they’d even be able to get one delivered to their location. While Haines can be reached by air, water and road, it can still be a challenge having something delivered and shipping charges can be hefty. Luckily for the Campbells, Schweiss came through. Schweiss Doors is no stranger to delivering doors to all corners of the globe. The Airkat Airpark door was shipped up to Haines by truck, on a load of several doors heading to Alaska and Canada. It also helped that the Campbells weren’t in a rush and could wait to have their door shipped on this load.

“We were the last on the truck,” Lynette says. “It was great! They just drove up and we had the equipment to take the door off the truck.

John Floreske of Northern Construction Inc., of Haines, was the contractor for the hangar project and installed the bifold door. Lynette says the door installation was handled with the same care a focus as the rest of the project.

“This is a hangar that he is so proud of,” Lynette says. “It’s been a really great partnership. His work is impeccable and he is building this hangar like it’s his own.”

From start to finish, the Campbells had a positive experience with Schweiss Doors, with the ordering process going smoothly. Lynette says anytime she made a call to Schweiss someone was available to answer the phone and answer her questions. She says she would recommend Schweiss Doors to anyone looking for a hangar door.

“I can’t think of another element that went any better in our hangar than the Schweiss door,” she says. “We’ve told people, just do it. Spend the money, get a Schweiss door. You won’t have any regrets.”