The Blank Slate of a North Pole Airfield

Liam Ferguson purchased the North Pole, Alaska, airport (95Z) in May because he was looking for a suitable place to base his sonic drilling company. The equipment-heavy business requires a large footprint, and the 61-acre property was able to accommodate, with room to grow. The runway was icing on the cake.

“When we started working in Fairbanks more often, I purchased a lot at an airstrip and ran my business out of my home there,” Ferguson said. “That was a temporary solution, and the goal was to find a block of land or a shop where we could move all of our equipment to. We looked around for about a year and the airport was for sale during this time. I thought that it was more than what we were looking for, but we started to entertain buying the airport because everything else was expensive, and I thought it would be cool as a pilot.

“Buying an airport seemed far-fetched and outside the realm of possibility, until we realized the potential that Bradley Sky Ranch had.” 

The property’s existing hangar building with dedicated office and shop space satisfied the needs of Ferguson’s business. In addition to improving the space, Ferguson has his attention focused on understanding what the future of the airport should look like.

“We have been trying to assess the place and then build from there," he said. "Now that we have learned more about the airport, I feel like I have a pretty good long-term plan of what we are going to do. I am leaving the timeline pretty open-ended, The long-term plan is to provide rental hangars, basic maintenance services, and a full range of parking options to service local pilots. We are also talking about possibly adding an Airbnb and courtesy cars to help attract pilots to come visit. Camping spots will also be available.

“We could possibly sell some lots for hangar homes or develop some ourselves. We really do have a blank slate with this and will continue to grow it as long as we have support from the local aviation community.”

The condition of the runway at the time of purchase was satisfactory and required minimal work. After grading, compacting, and removing grass from the gravel/dirt surface, Ferguson shifted his attention elsewhere. 

“For phase one of improvements, I didn’t want to come in with all of these big plans, say we are going to do something, and have nothing change,” he said. “My goal for the summer was to talk to the people that are a part of the flying community here, to learn more about this place and get an idea of what should be improved.

“Part one is to clean up and renovate the hangar. Part two is to do dirt work on the taxiways and parking spots to improve drainage in the spring and open up more parking spots. This will also include fencing and general clean up. Part three is adding infrastructure like T-hangars, fuel, and an FBO.”

Another key focus has been refurbishing the existing tie-downs at the airport, which had fallen into disrepair.

Ferguson advised that his commute from his hangar home to Bradley Sky Ranch is a paltry one-and-a-half-minute flight in his Cessna 205. His girlfriend and business partner, Maddy Thom, frequently joins the fray in her Cessna 150. There are currently 20 aircraft based at the airport.

The pair’s short-term goal for the airport is to stoke the energy that they’ve felt from current tenants and other Alaskan pilots. One of the ways that they plan to harness this shared enthusiasm for Bradley Sky Ranch’s future is by hosting an event at the end of the month. 

“The fly-in is going to be September 27-29, which is the first weekend after hunting season,” Ferguson said. “All of the pilots will be out of the bush at that time, and we’ve already gotten over 700 people signed up that are interested in coming to the event. This is the fourth year for the event and the second year that it’s being held here at this airport. It’s going to be something pretty big and will be a way to show people that we are cleaning up the airport. The goal is to include the community, and everyone is super excited.”

Notable aspects of the fly-in include food trucks, fire pits and camping, several live bands, and a pumpkin drop competition.