Archive for 2012
The New Mexico Pilot Association held its third annual Negrito Fly-In Oct. 5-7, 2012. This year’s event marked the first year that NMP partnered with the Arizona Pilots Association to host the event. The Negrito Airstrip (0NM7) is situated at 8,100 feet in southwestern New Mexico’s remote and beautiful Gila National Forest. Most mornings we were serenaded by bugling elk and…
Northeastern Washington at Sullivan Lake was the setting for a work party/fly-in this past weekend. Over 30 airplanes arrived, some by floats on the pristine lake and others landed on the turf 1765’ airstrip. (Metaline Falls, 09S.) The airstrip was already in great shape, but the recurring gopher holes needed filling in, and weeds needed whacking, and we left…
RAF President John McKenna attended a planning meeting regarding a potentially new airstrip in an area of Minnesota known as the North West Angle, or as the locals refer to it as “The Angle.” The meeting, organized by James Hanson of Albert, Lea, Minnesota, was held Monday August 6th in Baudette, Minnesota, which is the county seat…
Sixty-six years of separation evaporated when Ben Ryan climbed the ladder of the P-38, Glacier Girl, at Oshkosh 2012 — it was 1946 when Ben last flew a P-38 in the final days of World War II. In fact, on Columbus Day in 1945, Ben was overrun by his wingman, a fellow aviator in another P-38 in trail. The damage…
Located roughly forty miles west of the Tuweep airstrip in northern Arizona is the historical Grand Gulch Mine. History has this as the first copper mine in Arizona, and you can admire the last remaining earthen smelter in the country amongst the ruins of this wonderful site. Taking the cue from aviation historian, and APA member,…
The Minam River Lodge (Minam Lodge sits deep inside the Eagle Cap Wilderness Area. Use at your discretion), airlift was an outstanding success, with 25-plus volunteers in 20-plus planes flying multiple sorties between Joseph, Oregon, and the lodge, on April 14th and 15th. The volunteer crews ferried new supplies in and roughly 50 years of accumulated debris out. The effort was a mutual…
Both Utah and South Dakota have passed amendments to their state recreational use statutes to include aviation as a recreational activity. Bills have passed both the house and the senate in each state and are being sent to the respective governors for signatures. Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) Member Dave Tunge led the effort in South Dakota and contacted Representative…
Recent Posts
As you're planning your 2026 flying adventures, remember to review safety briefings for the airstrips you plan to visit. The RAF strongly recommends you review safety briefings and print a copy to have in your airplane - it's even required to fly into some airfields, like Ryan Field (2MT1). For those airfields, pilots flying in are required to review the briefing on an annual basis, and now is the perfect time to catch up on any changes to the runway/area that happened throughout the winter. You can find safety briefings on the RAF Airfield Guide . If an airfield in the Airfield Guide has a required briefing, the airfield listing will clearly indicate it and have a tab to view the briefing. Submitted March 30, 2026 Photo By Jim Stevenson: Ryan Field, MT (2MT1)
RAF Texas volunteers and Ranger Airfield Foundation volunteers helped begin restoration of the historic 1928 Ranger Airfield hangar on March 28. “A Wright biplane landed here at the field in 1911, and people have been using it ever since,” Ranger Airfield Foundation Founder Jared Calvert said. He noted that Amelia Earhart landed there in a Pitcairn Auto Gyro. Richard Bach, Pancho Barnes, and General Patton also landed at the field. It’s the oldest continuously used turf field in Texas.
For adventurers seeking access to the Gila Wilderness, we suggest landing at Sacaton Airstrip, NM16, near Buckhorn, New Mexico. The runway lies on a “finger mesa,” and the Rain Creek trailhead lies just northeast of the field. Thanks to RAF New Mexico Liaison Ron Keller's coordination with the USFS using a Cost Share Agreement, Keller was able to organize RAF and New Mexico Pilot Association (NMPA) volunteers to rehabilitate and reopen the long-abandoned airstrip in 2022. Beyond reopening the airstrip, Keller added camping amenities, including picnic tables and a new vault toilet. Most recently, Keller oversaw the installation of new shade structures, most welcoming to campers and hikers. RAF and NMPA volunteers complete ongoing maintenance at Sacaton and other airfields in the Gila National Forest. You’ll see white-painted rocks along Sacaton’s 3,989-ft dirt runway, and surrounding the segmented circle near the RAF windsock. The airstrip lies at 6,200-ft elevation, so pilots should be mindful of density altitude while flying over high terrain in the vicinity, even in winter temperatures. “Anglers will enjoy plying streams for the rare native copper-colored Gila trout, once a threatened species,” Keller reports. The mile-and-a-half trail to the crossing at Rain Creek is narrow and challenging and traverses a variety of terrain, but the serious hiker will be rewarded trekking through steep canyon walls lined with green alder, willow, and boxelder, hoodoos, and eagle aeries above. There are rumors of a double waterfall some distance on the west fork of Rain Creek trail. See the Sacaton page in the Airfield Guide for more details. Note that the airstrip may be unusable due to snow or after heavy rains. This runway should be considered one-way in/one-way out to avoid overflying the Wilderness boundary. There is a 4.6% upslope to the East, favoring landing Runway 08 with right traffic, remaining clear of the Wilderness east and north of the airfield. Please consider others seeking a Wilderness experience. Prior to landing at Sacaton, permission is required by calling the USFS Gila Dispatch center at 800-538-1644. Please familiarize yourself with Sacaton in the Airfield Guide and the New Mexico Pilots Association Safety Briefing . Submitted March 30, 2025 By Carmine Mowbray
