Petersburg James A. Johnson Airport (PSG), named for the pioneering aviator, serves a vital air access role for the remote Alaskan panhandle fishing town of Petersburg – dubbed ‘Little Norway’. JA Johnson’s early aircraft ventures and later contributions as the city’s first Mayor birthed this airport in the late 1920s. Let’s explore PSG’s background supporting community growth ever since across forestry, fishing and advanced cold climate research enterprises.

Legacy of James A. Johnson Airport (PSG)

Like many drawn to opportunities on Alaska’s rugged yet promising frontier in its territorial years, Johnson sought both adventure and advancement when he migrated from Wisconsin in 1917 aged just 17. His early work packing supplies had him frequently fording icy rivers evading brown bears and other natural threats confronting newcomers. But a burgeoning interest in aviation opened new possibilities. 

Teaching himself to fly only four years after the Wright brothers, Johnson acquired surplus Jennys from WWI to establish early commercial air services for passengers and critical mail relay flights connecting remote native villages toJuneau when no roads penetrated dense Tongass forests and island passages separating communities. Braving volatile weather and emergency landings on rocky shores, Johnson’s intrepid trips made the impossible accessible during an era when floatplanes provided the only lifeline to civilization for much of coastal Alaska’s inhabitants. His Infrastructure improvementsEnabled Petersburg’s airfield origins by the late 1920s with further WW2 expansions to support military staging and transport.

In later years “JA” also served extended tenures in public office including four terms as the fledgling city of Petersburg’s first mayor through the 1950s. There he modernized critical services and expanded the harbor central to community livelihoods before the airport adopted his namesake in 1985 to honor indelible pioneering legacy on land, sea and especially Alaska’s risk-fraught skies.

Fun Facts and Figures

Before delving into benchmarking, let’s glimpse key PSG statistics showcasing its capability and scale:

– Single ~5700ft runway length supports substantial aircraft 

– Alaska Airlines provides year-round passenger jet services regionally

– Annual passengers approximate 30-40k recently 

– Third busiest airport by traffic in Southeast Alaska region

Holding Its Weight for Service Area Needs

Up against high volume operations flowing through Anchorage or Juneau hubs, how does PSG size up amid other airports of Alaska’s panhandle?  

By total passengers, PSG lands:  

– Approximately 3rd in Southeast behind Juneau and Ketchikan    

– But dwarfed by lead site Juneau International  

For flight operations ranking regionally:

– Falls behind Juneau, Ketchikan and Sitka airports  

– But supports considerable air taxi and chartered traffic  

The James A Johnson Airport clearly fulfills an indispensable transportation role as the key passenger and freight aerial gateway keeping this commercial fishing community of 3k viable year-round despite remoteness. Its early floatplane days gave way to extensive WWII military development which continued gradually advancing facilities ever since.

The Future of Petersburg Airport (PSG)

As Little Norway passes its centennial, the forward-looking community still very much connected to subsistence livelihoods continues modernization across sectors from green energy innovations to advanced maritime research. But PSG airport infrastructure still echoes the daring path blazed by James A Johnson when he first took to skies as the only passageway through enveloping mountainous wilderness and temperamental seas isolating the region. That spirit to expand horizons persists at PSG today.

So whether resident or visitor when next traversing Southeast panhandle channels, consider touching down to experience echoes of the pioneer past at Peterson’s Airport named for a local hero who opened up Alaska’s forbidding yet astonishing vistas.