Cripple - Iditarod checkpoint #11

Like Finger Lake, Cripple Airstrip is not a year-round airport.  It is built each year using snowplows and snow machines by the Iditarod organization and the Iditarod Air Force.  It is built on approximately the same location each year.  As such, the airport ID "PXCR" is a fictional code.

Today, Cripple, population zero, isn’t a village; it’s only a place on the Innoko River in the former Iditarod Mining District. The checkpoint takes its name from an old steamboat landing located nearby on the river. During the Gold Rush between 1908 and 1925, $35 million in gold, including some of the largest nuggets ever mined were taken from the area. It’s always a guess as to exactly where the checkpoint will be located. It’s dependent upon overflow and other surface conditions. Generally, it’ll be somewhere near the Poorman airstrip. Abandoned buildings, trucks and bulldozers still sit near the airstrip. The Cripple checkpoint is a maze of tents amongst inflatable palm trees where mushers either experience frigid cold in extreme winter gear or enjoy sunny warmth while wearing Hawaiian attire.

Cripple Airstrip is one of 24 airstrips and airports on the Iditarod Trail that runs from Anchorage to Nome.  The Iditarod Airforce is a group of pilots who volunteer their time and planes to service the 24 race checkpoints. Their missions include delivering food for the teams, picking up injured sled dogs, and many other logistical services for the volunteers who manage the checkpoints.

Dimensions:       2891 x 65ft / 880 x 20m
Surface:               Turf / Gravel, in poor condition
Runway:              02/20

To learn more about the Iditarod, its airports, and the race itself, go to the Iditarod.com website.  I’ve included a link to a short video, Wings of the Iditarod that features the Iditarod Airforce.

To replicate Iditarod conditions, I recommend setting your sim Weather parameters to:
Month = March.  Snow Depth = 29”.  Temperature = 0 degrees.

Installation:
Copy the airstrip folder inside of the WinZIP file into your MSFS Community folder.

Many thanks to the creators of the Required and Recommended libraries.  If you have not previously installed these libraries in your Community folder, some objects may not be visible in your sim.  Remember, you only have to install these one time.  Also, go to the sim marketplace and download the free UK2000 Scenery Common Library.  All Microsoft World Updates should be installed also.

Easter Egg is hidden. 

BTW: I could not find a library that had inflatable palm trees or plastic flamingos.  Perhaps one of these fine creators will help out.