Airport Of The Month – Mora

Swedes are famous for being persistent. That's a trait that comes in handy with airports and revolutions. Emigrants from Sweden were the earliest settlers around Mora, Minnesota. Folks there are proud of their heritage.

Downtown has a large statue of a "Dalecarlian" horse and other flavors of the "old country."

Mora Municipal Airport was established right after World War II replacing a "flying field" at a different location. At first there was a single north/south turf runway.

In 1956 a second turf runway was established with a northwest-southeast alignment which pretty much made crosswinds not a problem.

A 4,000-foot long paved and lighted runway replaced the original turf and opened in 1983. The NW/SE runway remained at the south end of the new facility, although there were some issues with it.

After 35 years, things changed. Government agencies deemed the remaining turf runway was too short, too narrow, had too many obstructions, etc.

Understanding the relationship between economic development and aviation, the city had started an industrial park just southwest of the airport.

Closing the old turf runway would make some valuable property available for development. It didn't seem like much of an issue, particularly since the fully approved Airport Layout Plan (ALP) showed a new secondary runway that would meet all the criteria when constructed. The city committed to building a new turf runway and was allowed to close the old one. Of course, it was too easy.

As shown on the ALP, the new runway would be east/west, 2,800 feet long with a turf surface, and intersect the main runway at mid field.

Various agencies charged with protecting the environment found reasons to object. Wetlands and threatened species would be impacted, so it became necessary to look at alternates.

A new alignment was chosen that would be at the north end of the main runway, parallel to the abandoned turf, and 3,150 feet long.

Generally good airport planning requires crossing runways to intersect, so it would be necessary to extend the main runway to 4,800 feet. Since there can never be enough runway to satisfy some airplane pilots, everyone liked the idea. This was before the digital storage age, so a three-drawer file cabinet was filled with the required documents. Public meetings were held, the airport zoning revised and everything stamped "approved."

The extension of the main runway and parallel taxiway was completed in 2007. Pieces of the turf runway within the runway and taxiway Object Free Areas (OFA) were constructed at the same time, allowing the second runway to be built without impacting existing operations.

While they were at it, the city reconstructed the rest of the runway and parallel taxiway. Plans for the second runway were on the "drawing board" (computer screen?) when the wind changed.

Not suddenly, but literally the wind was different. If aircraft cannot operate on a runway with acceptable crosswinds 95% of the time the FAA recommends the airport have a second runway.

Earlier statistical analysis showed that Runway 17/35 at Mora did not have the coverage needed, but with a new Runway 11/29 the wind would be acceptable 100% of the time.

Now the data showed that Mora could operate with a single runway, but the new information was from records for Minneapolis and Brainerd.

Fortunately, by this time the automated weather system (AWOS) at Mora had been in business long enough to have the needed data.

Once again, the wind was analyzed using local data and this time the result said the second runway was needed. In 2016 everyone agreed there was enough data, paperwork, and justification so Runway 11/29 was built. Mora opened the new runway in 2017, 25 years after the process had started.

There are two Moras (pun intended). Both are famous for ski races and persistence. Half a millennia before the runway opened, Denmark had ruled Sweden for over a century.

A guy named Gustav Vasa had been trying to stir up a revolt without much success. He made one last try in Mora, Sweden and was rejected so he set out for Norway.

The citizens of Mora reconsidered and decided to join the revolution. Two of them strapped on their skis and hustled after Vasa thus inventing the "Vasaloppet" (Vasa's Ski Race). Vasa kicked out the Danes and was crowned Gustav I King of Swedes, Goths and Wends.

Three crowns are still part of the Swedish coat of arms and grace the roundels of the Swedish Royal Air Force. Vasa's victory is celebrated every year with a "Vasaloppet" in Minnesota and Sweden.

Both towns have great airports, but you can probably get to the one in Minnesota with fewer fuel stops.