Flight Simulator Flights at PAAM Driftwood Bay Air Force Station Airport

Driftwood Bay Air Force Station Airport is a remote, unattended gravel-turned-hard-surface airstrip on Unalaska Island in the Aleutians, built in 1958 to serve a Cold War Distant Early Warning Line radar station. It sits about 12 to 13 nautical miles northwest of Dutch Harbor and remains a private military facility, not open to public use, making it a curiosity for simulator pilots rather than a realistic real-world destination.

Overview

Driftwood Bay Air Force Station Airport (PAAM) is a small, isolated airstrip on Unalaska Island in the Aleutian chain of Alaska, owned by the United States Air Force. It was built to support a Cold War radar station and today survives only as a disused, unattended airfield, of interest to simulator pilots for its remote setting and unusual history rather than for any active flying operation.

Airspace & Location

The airfield lies on Unalaska Island, roughly 12 to 13 nautical miles northwest of Dutch Harbor and Unalaska, in one of the most remote parts of the Aleutian Islands. There is no indication of any control tower, controlled airspace or nearby major aerodromes; the surrounding area is sparsely populated and dominated by rugged, weather-exposed terrain typical of the Aleutians.

Runways

The field has a single physical runway aligned 15/33, with the 15 threshold measuring 3462 feet and the 33 threshold 3463 feet, both on a hard surface. There is no ILS or other instrument approach equipment.

Radio & Navigation

No communications frequencies are published for Driftwood Bay Air Force Station Airport, and there is no air traffic control or advisory service. The field has no known navaids or instrument approaches, consistent with its unattended, closed status. Source: https://ourairports.com/airports/PAAM/frequencies.html

Joining & Circuit Procedures

There are no published joining or circuit procedures for this airfield. It is unattended and not open to the public, so pilots should not expect any local traffic pattern guidance, noise abatement rules, or circuit height restrictions to be in force. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driftwood_Bay_Air_Force_Station_Airfield

Visual Reference Points

The airstrip lies within Driftwood Bay on Unalaska Island, roughly 12 to 13 nautical miles northwest of the settlements of Dutch Harbor and Unalaska, which serve as the nearest identifiable landmarks for locating the field visually. No formal visual reporting points are published. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driftwood_Bay_Air_Force_Station_Airfield

History

The airstrip was built in 1958 to support Driftwood Bay Air Force Station, a Cold War Distant Early Warning Line radar installation. The station was operated by Detachment 2 of the 714th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, based at Cold Bay Air Force Station near Cold Bay, Alaska. The radar station was inactivated in September 1969, which ended military flying activity at the airfield. Around 2000 the Air Force remediated the site, removing abandoned military structures and returning it to a natural condition. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driftwood_Bay_Air_Force_Station_Airfield

The Airfield Today

Driftwood Bay Air Force Station Airport is privately owned by the United States Air Force and is not open for public use. It is unattended, with no support personnel present, and its present physical condition is undetermined. During the winter months the site may be inaccessible because of the extreme weather conditions typical of the Aleutians. There is no indication of any fuel availability, training activity, or flying club presence, and any approach to the field would require prior permission from the owning authority. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driftwood_Bay_Air_Force_Station_Airfield