Archive for August 2020
Silver Lake airfield (45S) is located in the Fremont-Winema National Forest in central Oregon. For the past several years, maintenance at the 3,000 x 55-ft runway had been neglected. “Earlier this year the Forest Service discussed closing and de-listing the airfield because it was considered unsafe and a liability risk,” RAF Oregon Liaison Richard Mayes said. He…
Cowboys may not first come to mind when one thinks of eastern Maine, just a few miles from the Saint Croix River, Maine’s border with New Brunswick. RAF Maine Liaison Andy Rowe identified Cowboy’s Air Ranch Airport, (84ME) in Forest Township near the village of Brookton, ME as a desirable recreational airfield. He received an…
In March, the RAF reported that aviation weather cameras were in the works in Colorado, and now the official announcement is out. Thanks to a partnership between the Colorado Division of Aeronautics and the FAA’s Alaska Weather Camera Program, there are now four new aviation weather cameras functioning on the Division’s network of 13 Mountain…
RAF New Mexico Liaison Ron Keller has announced that after more than forty years of disuse, the Rainy Mesa airstrip is now open for recreational use, after removal of encroaching trees. “RAF Ambassador, and former State Liaison Larry Filener’s vision and dream to reopen Rainy Mesa airstrip is now a reality,” Ron said. He credits…
Georgia RAF Ambassador Eric Davis reports that Creighton Island airfield now has a pair of runway cameras streaming video via separate YouTube channels. At this time, Eric recommends bookmarking this link as the easiest way to tune into the two live webcams: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvNRmOSzakItdbaHKSZChrw/videos. In order to not overwhelm the resident’s home Internet service, Eric rate-limited the…
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John was blessed to have two neighbors with 1000s of hours in Cessna 185s, and obtained his private pilot license with their encouragement in 2013. They introduced him to the magic of backcountry Idaho and the amazing capabilities of a 185. He purchased his own at the Big Creek Lodge in 2014. John was introduced to the RAF in 2018, at a fly-out to Seeley Lake around AOPA’s Missoula fly-in, and a few weeks later at RAF’s fly-in at Ryan Field. He is a firm believer in the RAF’s mission. Without RAF’s advocacy, he fears the steady loss of precious resources. John retired from the Coca-Cola system in 2017 after 25 years of service. His career prior to Coke included five years in operations consulting with Booz Allen & Hamilton, and three years with Hewlett Packard in Boise, Idaho – where his love of the west was born. When not flying, John enjoys tennis, photography and woodworking – a skill he is actively applying to a new house he and his wife Blythe are building in Longboat Key, FL. His border collie, Tot (pictured here perched on her RTIC cooler throne), isn’t a fan of how loud a 185 is, but thinks Johnson Creek’s airstrip is the most amazing place to chase a frisbee on the planet. jhodgson@theraf.org Submitted October 30, 2025
Liz grew up in Louisiana, but she has lived in Georgia with her husband, Mike, for the past 35 years. They have two grown sons, John and Will. Liz’s interests include reading, DIY projects, walking/hiking, hanging out with friends, and accompanying Mike on camping trips, fishing excursions, or flights in his Carbon Cub. She enjoys spending time at their lake house and especially at their home in Driggs, Idaho. Her favorite vacations usually involve a national park. ltouchstone@theraf.org Submitted October 30, 2025
Ed wanted to fly as long as he could remember. Growing up as an “Air Force Brat,” his early life involved living on air bases, watching airplanes and living among Air Force pilots. His father flew P-47, P-38 and P-51 fighters in the South Pacific during the Second World War. Ed has enjoyed GA flying since getting his license to fly in 1977. He was exposed to and fell in love with backcountry flying only a few years ago. Among other airplanes, Ed has flown several types of backcountry planes. He currently flies a C182 King Katmai. Ed believes in the RAF and wants to do all he can to support the RAF Mission. ecooper@theraf.org Submitted October 30, 2025
Posted in Idaho Ambassador
Paul Kosubinsky’s logbook tells the story of his true love affair with flight – from the J-3 Cub to the Boeing 747. Though he’s flown many different airplanes, “My heart has always remained in the Cub,” he says. Paul has stepped up to take on the role of RAF Virginia Liaison and will team up…
