Archive for 2017
The first of several fall/winter work parties at Georgia’s Meadowlark, (GA75) took place November 18. “Neighbors showed up with tractors and graders,” Georgia Liaison Eric Davis said. Volunteers cleared the tall brush from the north end of the runway, which opened it up to the county road, so fencing became a requirement. “So another neighbor,…
Ten volunteers responded to my last-minute call for support at Keystone Heights (42J) airport, 15 nm northeast of Gainesville. Its maintenance shed/pilot shelter — affectionately called the “Hooch Hut” — is being re-purposed for aviation-only use. This facility will support meetings, fly-ins and camping. Once completed, aviation organizations will be able to block out their event…
The RAF is pleased to report that efforts by its membership contributed to a 17% share of comments received by the Helena/Lewis and Clark National Forest during their public scoping period. These comments will steer the future travel plan on the Helena/Lewis and Clark National Forest, 2,846,606 acres of public land located in the Rocky…
The RAF and the National Park Service (NPS) officially renewed their cooperative maintenance agreement on the three airstrips within the boundaries of Death Valley National Park September 1. The original renewable five-year agreement was inked in 2008 and approved RAF volunteers performing maintenance on the Park’s air
The first-ever Fly-in weekend at Carver’s Cut airstrip Aug 25-27 brought 15 planes and 30 folks to the newest recreational airstrip in California’s southern Sierra Nevadas. Guests enjoyed camping, potluck meals, trout fishing, hiking, and fellowship under the festive lights of the new pilot shelter. Anthony Longobardo, the RAF’s newest California Liaison, opened his new…
Sunrise Valley Ranch is an 11,000 acre working cattle ranch located approximately 40 miles by air, or 85 miles by road, due east of Bend, Oregon. Nestled in a small valley surrounded by the Ochoco Mountains, the ranch is owned by Larry and Susan Fildes. Three generations of their extended family live on the ranch…
Ben William Ryan passed away peacefully July 26 at the Montana Veteran’s Home in Columbia Falls with his loving wife Agnes, “Butchie” and friends at his side. Ben began life March 21, 1923 in Belleflower, CA, the son of Ben and Mary Ryan. Ben had an older sister, T. Antoinette. His family moved to Three…
The RAF is pleased to report that once North Fox Island airstrip was re-opened, RAF Michigan Liaison Brad Frederick got to work on another beautiful recreational destination, this time along the Two-Hearted River in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Work has begun on reclaiming the airstrip, but it is not yet open to the public. Brad staked out…
RAF Alaska Liaison Al Clayton organized a June 3 work party to trim and remove trees along 1,000-ft Jake’s Bar, which lies within Alaska’s Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. The group gathered Friday at Clayton’s rustic cabin at Fireweed airstrip, near the old mining town of McCarthy. The pilots enjoyed an incredibly scenic flight, while Al’s wife Beth…
Another success in keeping with the RAF mission happened as the new Phoenix FAA sectional shows no X through the Grapevine Airstrip symbol. It’s taken nearly five years of collaboration between the RAF, Arizona Pilots’ Association (APA) and the US Forest Service – including the signing of the national MOU between the RAF and the USFS – to remove…
Recent Posts
“The only people who can change something are the ones who really want to. And not everybody does.” When I read this, it took me back to the early days of the RAF. We saw a troubling trend taking place — the loss of airstrips across the country with no real organized voices to help put the brakes on the decline. And we really wanted to change that. Change demanded new ideas from us. Ideas that we assumed would initially be resisted. This defined our purpose. Good ideas come with the burden of effort and purpose. That separates those with a strong purpose from those without. We wanted to create an organization that would counteract the attrition of backcountry airstrips we saw taking place. We rolled up our sleeves and didn’t look back. Easy to say now that the RAF was lucky, but it was purpose that drove the organization in the early years; that really formed who we are today. A group of people with a purpose who knew we needed more people who thought like we did, and cared; people who took this idea called the RAF and added to it, keeping it unique but effective. We felt that most of the existing business models in the nonprofit space were not what we needed to be, and we pushed forward persistently with our thinking – thinking that required putting our own personal desires aside and pursuing ones that were for a greater good. You joined in. You, too, found purpose in the RAF and now look where we are. Nearly 15,000 of us are making the necessary sacrifices to make our voices heard, to create a better environment for the future of recreational aviation. We have more opportunities today because of you. Each one of us is important to continue the momentum we have gained. To determine what the RAF can do to further our mission to preserve, improve, and create airstrips for recreational access. To prioritize the many opportunities coming our way. It is about us, and what we are going to do with the time we have left on this earth. This organization will hopefully give you purpose now and in the future. Most importantly, I really hope it will give you as much sense of accomplishment as it has me. Thank you for what you continue to do. - John McKenna, RAF Chairman Submitted April 15, 2026
FEATURING: THE RAF DOG COLLECTION MODELED BY JOSIE & MUD Outfit your four-legged co-pilot for every adventure! From airplane rides to backcountry trails, this collection has everything they need to travel in comfort and style. Featuring two new additions—a stainless steel Orvis dog bowl and DawgMuffs—alongside RAF favorites like the collar, leash, and bandana. This collection includes items designed and created by RAF supporters. Shop the Dog Collection here. If you have questions, please email contact@theraf.org or call 406-582-1723. Your RAF Outfitter purchase is greatly appreciated and furthers the mission to preserve, improve, and create airstrips for recreational access. You can support the RAF mission all year by shopping at the RAF Outfitter online store. Products are being added regularly, and items are thoughtfully selected for durability and suitability for pilots, by pilots. We welcome photos of supporters using RAF gear! Please send your images to ewhite@theraf.org , and let us know if we have permission to post them on social media or our website. Submitted April 5, 2026.
Call To Action Volunteer
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
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.
