ACME Cub Training & Maintenance is a Part 61 flight school and full-service aircraft maintenance facility based at Lake Hood Seaplane Base (PALH) in Anchorage, Alaska. Founded and operated by Steven Williams — an ATP-rated pilot, FAA Designated Pilot Examiner, Gold Seal CFI (ASEL and AMEL, Instrument), and IA-certificated mechanic with over 17,500 hours of flight time — ACME is Alaska's dedicated Super Cub training and maintenance specialist. The operation has been conducting floatplane instruction at Space 801 at Lake Hood since 1991, and in 2019 expanded into a purpose-built 5,775-square-foot hangar at 3610 Aircraft Drive, Unit A, on the north side of Lake Hood, which includes a maintenance floor, mezzanine office, pilot lounge, and dedicated classroom space.   ACME's training programs center on the Piper PA-18 Super Cub — arguably Alaska's quintessential bush aircraft — operated on three configurations: 35-inch Bushwheels for tundra and off-airport wheel operations, EDO 2000 floats for lake and river seaplane work, and skis for frozen surface winter operations. Flight instruction is available in all three configurations, and students may elect to mix wheel, float, and ski training within a single course. Standard flight instruction covers Private Pilot and advanced ratings from the ground up. The signature offering is a structured backcountry program available in two formats: a 2-day course (5 hours of flight instruction, 3 hours of ground, $2,900) and a 5-day course (10 hours of flight instruction, 5 hours of ground, $6,250). Both courses are conducted in the PA-18 and are designed to build competency in off-airport operations specific to the Alaskan bush — terrain assessment, usable landing area identification, go​/​no-go decision-making, and the weather and density altitude judgment required to avoid what Alaskan pilots call the "Moose Stall," a colloquial term for the low-speed energy management errors that cause many backcountry accidents in loaded bush planes at high-density-altitude strips. Float instruction season runs from approximately May, when Lake Hood's ice breaks up, through the fall.   In addition to instruction, ACME operates as a full-service Part 145-equivalent maintenance facility for Super Cubs and other backcountry aircraft, offering annual inspections, modifications, rebuilds, fabric recovering, experimental aircraft work, bush aircraft retrieval, and ferry flights. ACME also stocks and distributes aviation parts and accessories from selected manufacturers including Sensenich propellers, Dakota Cub components, Whelen lighting systems, and B&C electrical products. Aircraft for sale are listed regularly through the website, including completed builds and project aircraft.

Home Airport(s)

Lake Hood Seaplane Base ​/​ Lake Hood Strip ICAO: PALH | FAA LID: LHD | No IATA code assigned   Located approximately three nautical miles southwest of downtown Anchorage on Lakes Hood and Spenard (Niłkidal'iy in the indigenous Dena'ina language), immediately adjacent to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (PANC). State-owned and publicly accessible. Elevation approximately 71–79 ft MSL. Full-time ATC tower (Tower frequency 126.8; ATIS 125.6). The ACME hangar at 3610 Aircraft Drive, Unit A overlooks the Lake Hood Strip at the approach end of Runway 14 and offers a direct ground-level view of Denali on clear days from the north side of the field.   Lake Hood is the world's busiest seaplane base by aircraft operations, averaging approximately 190 flights per day. As of the most recent FAA survey data, 781 aircraft are based at the facility — 97% single-engine, 3% multi-engine — making it the most concentrated bush and floatplane parking in the world. During winter months, the frozen lake surface is prepared and maintained for ski-equipped aircraft operations, providing a rare year-round three-season training environment (wheels, floats, skis) within a single facility.   Water landing areas (seaplane operations): E​/​W lane — 4,540 ft × 188 ft (primary float lane; longest operational water runway) N​/​S lane — 1,930 ft × 200 ft NW​/​SE lane — 1,370 ft × 150 ft   Lake Hood Strip (wheel​/​ski operations, gravel): Runway 13​/​31 — 2,200 ft × 75 ft (gravel; unlit; for wheel and ski-equipped light aircraft)   Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (PANC) shares the same physical property boundary and airspace. PANC's Class C airspace governs the entire Lake Hood area; all departures and arrivals at Lake Hood are sequenced by the shared ATC tower. PANC's runways (07L​/​25R at 10,600 ft and 07R​/​25L at 8,900 ft) are within direct visual range from the Lake Hood ramps, and Super Cub float operations on the lake proceed in coordinated airspace that routinely includes Boeing 747 freighter traffic, military C-130s, and regional turboprops at the adjacent international airport. This unusual juxtaposition — bush planes on floats in active Class C airspace adjacent to one of the largest cargo hubs in North America — is unique in American aviation and prepares ACME students for the radio discipline and traffic awareness required to operate professionally in complex airspace.

Fleet and Facilities

ACME Cub Training operates a small, purpose-configured fleet of Super Cubs and utility singles, each set up for a specific operational configuration: Piper PA-18 Super Cub (×2, floats — EDO 2000) — PA-18s on EDO 2000 straight floats; used for Single-Engine Sea (SES) rating instruction, float endorsement training, and the backcountry float program. Float instruction season begins in May with ice-out at Lake Hood; float parking at Space 801, Lake Hood. These aircraft are the same fundamental platform Alaska's commercial floatplane operators use to access remote lodges, fishing camps, and villages; training in them at Lake Hood provides genuine commercial-context experience. Piper PA-18 Super Cub (Bushwheels — 35-inch tundra tires) — PA-18 on 35-inch Bushwheels; used for off-airport wheel operations, backcountry training, gravel bar landings, and the wheel-configuration backcountry courses. The 35-inch Bushwheel is the defining hardware of Alaskan bush operations — dramatically reducing ground roll and impact loads on unprepared surfaces — and ACME's Bushwheel training directly replicates what backcountry pilots need for hunting, fishing, and remote camp access throughout Alaska. Piper PA-18 Super Cub (skis) — Winter ski operations on the frozen Lake Hood surface and surrounding terrain; used for ski endorsements and winter backcountry operations training. Available when lake and terrain conditions permit, typically November through March​/​April. Cessna 180 (wheels and skis) — Four-seat tailwheel utility single; used for standard flight instruction and IFR training as a complement to the PA-18 fleet. The Cessna 180 is among the most widely used utility aircraft in Alaska and provides students with a second platform that represents the short-haul air taxi and personal transport role. Piper PA-34 Seneca — Twin-engine IFR trainer; used for multi-engine instruction and instrument training. Extends ACME's capability beyond the PA-18 specialty into commercial and IFR certification pathways.   The 5,775-square-foot hangar at 3610 Aircraft Drive, Unit A includes a full maintenance shop floor, 1,600-square-foot mezzanine with classroom and pilot lounge, aircraft storage, and maintenance bays equipped for PA-18 rebuilds, fabric work, and experimental aircraft modifications. Aircraft retrieval capability and ferry flight services are available for downed or stranded aircraft throughout Alaska.

Hours of Operation

Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Float instruction is seasonal, beginning in May when ice-out occurs at Lake Hood. Ski operations are seasonal, available through winter months when ice and terrain conditions permit. Backcountry course scheduling requires a 20% deposit at least one month in advance of the start date. Contact directly to confirm current availability and seasonal status.

Additional Notes

Steve Williams's credentials as both a DPE and an IA at the same facility are a meaningful combination in the Alaskan context. A Designated Pilot Examiner can administer FAA practical tests on-site — including the Single-Engine Sea checkride, tailwheel endorsement signoffs, and backcountry-relevant ratings — without the student having to travel to an FSDO or locate an external examiner. In a state where distances are enormous and examiner availability outside major population centers is limited, having a DPE in-house is a genuine logistical advantage.   The "Moose Stall" concept that ACME specifically addresses in its curriculum is worth understanding. The term refers broadly to a failure mode common in overloaded or density-altitude-affected Super Cubs approaching short strips: the pilot attempts to stretch a marginal approach, slows below critical airspeed, and loses control at low altitude with no recovery margin. Alaska has one of the highest GA accident rates in the country, and a disproportionate share of those accidents occur during off-airport operations in bush aircraft. ACME's deliberate focus on go​/​no-go decision-making and energy management awareness reflects a mature understanding of where the real risks lie — not in the mechanics of landing a Super Cub, but in the judgment calls made before the approach begins.   ACME's position at Lake Hood also gives it access to a training environment that is genuinely irreplaceable. The combination of world-class seaplane infrastructure, immediate access to Alaskan terrain and weather, adjacency to Class C commercial airspace, and a based aircraft population of 781 aircraft — floats, skis, Bushwheels, turbines, and everything in between — means students train in a community of working Alaskan aviators that cannot be replicated anywhere else on earth.