Archive for 2011

Bozeman, Mont. — The Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) and BackcountryPilot.org (BCP), under guidance of the National Park Service (NPS), have combined efforts to successfully reopen the legendary “Chicken Strip.”  Thanks to a group of hard-working volunteers, the Chicken Strip, closed by the NPS in August, due to safety concerns, reopened on October 15. Following weeks…

RAF and NPS Reach Agreement on September 27, 2011 to Reopen the Chicken Strip The Recreational Aviation Foundation and the National Park Service in cooperation with Chief Ranger,  Brent Pennington reached an agreement under the existing Memorandum of Understanding  to reopening  the Chicken Strip.  The Chicken Strip airstrip is located in Saline Valley, and is…

Fort Kent Airfield Re-Opens September 19, 2011 The RAF has been informed by the Fish River Flying Club that Fort Kent Airport is now available for aircraft operations. The 2200 foot grass airstrip in the very northern portion of Maine is restricted use rather than public use, so a call to Mr. Tom Voisine at 207-834-5685…

What could be better than the option to land “wet” or “dry”?  The weekend of August 19th, at Sullivan Lake, WA (09S), just south of the Canadian border, gave pilots that option.  Some came on floats, some on wheels.  Few sites offer the opportunity to land on either – Sullivan Lake is one of those…

GREAT FALLS, MT – August 9, 2011– Last week, a Federal Judge ruled in favor of both the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) in response to a 2009 lawsuit brought against the agency by the Montana Wilderness Society and Western Watersheds Project. The RAF, with support from the Montana Pilots…

A blue sky, perfect temperature, fun group of people, and one of the prettiest places in the West…That was Russian Flat last weekend. RAF volunteers from Montana, New Mexico, Idaho, and Washington spent much of the day clearing brush and rocks from the campground area, felling some dead trees, and bucking them up into firewood.  As the shadows…

The “Chicken Strip” at Saline Valley in Death Valley National Park, which was recently closed for safety reasons, should reopen soon due to quick action by the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) with the full support of National Park Service (NPS) managers. Death Valley Chief Ranger Brent Pennington reported that a local volunteer, Lizard Lee, had…

In Fort Kent, Maine a small group of pilots has contacted the town requesting that they be allowed to re-open the local municipal airport near the Fish River.  They formed the Fish River Flying Club and have now signed a lease agreement with the town to repair, maintain and operate the 3,200 foot grass runway.  John Nadeau of the Recreational…

On July 7, 2011 Pennsylvania became the ninth state to include aviation in its Recreational Use Statute (RUS).   House Bill 870 was sponsored by Representative Garth Everett and strongly supported by Representative Tina Pickett along with twenty two other co-sponsors, and was approved last week by Governor Tom Corbett.   HB 870 added the words “recreational noncommercial aircraft…