Oil Patch Bits: Fairweather’s aviation center nears completion

Fairweather LLC, an Anchorage-based provider of remote medical, meteorological and expediting services, said Feb. 24 that construction is nearing completion on its new aviation facility on Alaska’s North Slope.

The Deadhorse Aviation Center is designed to provide oil companies and their suppliers with a safe and efficient aviation command center to successfully manage onshore operations and outer continental shelf exploration and production activities on the Arctic Ocean and Beaufort Sea.

Slated for completion in June 2012, the DAC is located at the FAA-approved Deadhorse Airport with access to roads and the ocean. It is available for lease to companies working on the North Slope in need of terminal and hangar facilities, logistics support, staging and storage areas, offices and conference facilities, medical services and accommodations for sleeping and dining and is wholly owned by Offshore Support Services LLC, Fairweather LLC and the Kaktovik Inupiat Corp.

The 21,000-square-foot aircraft hangar can accommodate two to three large helicopters or smaller fixed-wing aircraft and comes fully equipped with safety, fire suppression and environmental features that meet international standards. A secure logistics facility offers complete cargo handling services and a 10.4-acre staging and storage yard with direct access to the Alaskan road system. It will be the only airport in the area with a complete weather and ice forecasting center and a design in place for a heated jetway.