AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2022 - 38

BRIEFING
DEST INAT IONS /
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
You can land long
BY JULIE SUMMERS WALKER
I T 'S A QUINTESSENT I AL New England seaport. Its brick and cobblestone streets
lead to the ocean or the river; Federal, Colonial, and Georgian architecture is preserved
throughout the town; and lobstermen and fishermen deliver their catch
daily. Sea breezes carry the scent of saltwater, and there's an ice cream shop on
nearly every corner (what is it with New Englanders and ice cream?).
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is one of the oldest cities in the United States,
established in 1623. John Paul Jones lived here, and it was one of the towns Paul
Revere rode to on his horse to warn of British invasion in 1774. Portsmouth sits on
the Piscataqua River, which divides New Hampshire and Maine. The Portsmouth
Naval Shipyard was established across the river in 1800.
Portsmouth International Airport at Pease (PSM) is the former home of the
Strategic Air Command's 509th Bomb Wing. It was the 4,255-acre Pease Air Force
Base for 35 years. The military announced the closing of Pease in 1988 and it was
transferred from military to civilian control in 1991. Today, the airport represents
one of the most successful military-to-civilian conversions in the country.
The airport's runway is big. It is 11,322 feet long (more than two miles), making
it one of the longest runways on the East Coast and capable of accommodating the
world's largest aircraft. It is designated as an alternative landing site for all NASA
space shuttles. The airport has U.S Customs and Border Protection agents on site. It is
named for Capt. Harl Pease Jr., a B-17 pilot who was killed in the Pacific Theater
in World War II.
Portsmouth is home to the USS Albacore, once one of the fastest submarines in
the world. Tours and information as well as tributes to submarine servicemen are
on the site.
Downtown Portsmouth offers waterfront dining, eclectic shopping, and
breweries. Market Square is the heart of downtown with many original seventeenth
century buildings housing restaurants and shops. At the Press Room,
bartenders toss full pint glasses back and forth to one another. Strawbery
38
AOPA PILOT / March 2022
Bank (one R, please) is a 10-acre openair
living history museum where you can
experience life as a colonial resident. There
are shops, taverns, and gardens. The Black
Heritage Trail of New Hampshire documents
the lives of the Africans and African
Americans who lived in Portsmouth for more
than 350 years. julie.walker@aopa.org
GETTING THERE /
Portsmouth International Airport at Pease
(PSM) is one mile west of the downtown. It is
a towered airport with 24/7 services. There
are no landing and no parking fees; a $15
overnight fee is waived with fuel purchase.
Runway 16/34 is 11,322 feet long by 150
feet wide.
peasedev.org/travel
WHY YOU SHOULD GO /
Portsmouth International Airport is home to
12 Boeing KC-46A Pegasus refueling tankers
that provide aerial refueling support to the
U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps as
part of the 157th Air Refueling Wing.
goang.com
http://www.peasedev.org/travel http://www.goang.com
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2022

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