Archive for 2023
Naming the RAF as a full or partial beneficiary of your traditional IRA or 401k can save estate taxes, and tax on the ordinary income. You can even specify a project if you wish! Consult your tax/legacy planner, then contact us for help in considering this way to leave a legacy. There are several other ways…
Dug Bar Airstrip (OR8) lies along the Snake River in Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, managed by the USFS. Access to Dug Bar is easiest by aircraft, jet boat, “Or you can arrive there after a two-hour drive on a primitive road from the town of Imnaha, Oregon,” RAF Oregon Liaison Bill Ables says. Ables…
A January 2, 2024 US Forest Service news release commends its partnership with the RAF for the rehabilitation of Gila National Forest’s Sacaton Airstrip. RAF New Mexico Liaison Ron Keller organized volunteers for a series of work parties that resulted in reestablishment of the long-abandoned runway, and installation of
Our many RAF supporters have such vast and varied experience, and we’re capturing some of their words of wisdom to share with you. This month’s guest editorial is by Roy Evans II, the President of Utah Back Country Pilots Association. Throughout my journey in aviation, I’ve been guided by many mentors. In my adolescence, I found…
Our many RAF supporters have such vast and varied experience, and we’re capturing some of their words of wisdom to share with you. This month’s guest editorial is by Roy Evans II, the President of Utah Back Country Pilots Association. Throughout my journey in aviation, I’ve been guided by many mentors. In my adolescence, I found myself taxiing across a spacious apron following the tire tracks of countless flight students like me. Immediately my instructor slammed the brakes, turned towards me in the tight confines of that Cessna 152 and asked me, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I quickly replied, “I want to be a professional pilot.” Twice as fast as I had replied, my instructor said, “Then start right now and get on the yellow line.” The benefits of an active, engaging mentor/mentee relationship are often overlooked. Our modern, connected lives rarely find time for the peace and solace many of us find while flying and enjoying the backcountry. In the state of Utah, we are the benefactors of the exemplary stewardship of recreational aviators who enjoy our historic, unparalleled backcountry. When two members of the Utah Back Country Pilots Association were out enjoying a fair weather day and landed at an airstrip they were met by park rangers. When questioned about pilots’ rights in landing at this airstrip, their true professionalism shone. What transpired over those tense moments for these two became the foundation that our organization has been striving for. Their innate stewardship for aviation’s access to our public lands made the impossible happen. Utah’s first airstrip located in a state park, Temple Mountain, once on the chopping block of existence, now thrives as an airstrip with access to Goblin Valley State Park. Etiquette and customs traverse generations — not in books or signs — but in actions. Each time we roll our tires in the backcountry, our impacts on the future of recreational aviation are felt across the world. Learning more about how we can turn our errant marks into positive impressions lies in our individual efforts to engage with those who’ve made this all possible, and the organizations that perpetuate those impressions to the impressionable. Whether it be your membership dues, your participation in work parties and public comment periods, many times a simple email or phone call can bridge the gaps our adversaries exploit in restricting or removing one of America’s greatest freedoms. While we all will find ourselves straying from the yellow lines from time to time, it’s important to surround ourselves with those with the passion to help us steer back on course. Organizations such as the UBCP, Idaho Aviation Association, Montana Pilots Association, and RAF are chock full of mentors looking for ways to help preserve and protect backcountry flying, and I know they would love an extra set of hands. During this winter season, while many of us wait for the snow and the skies to clear, let’s take this time to engage with our local aviation community. Find a mentor who will empower you to continue to make better aeronautical decisions; and prepare ourselves to serve in a similar role. Start making better decisions today that will provide even more opportunities for recreational aviation in the future, and find joy in keeping the dreams of backcountry flying alive. Roy Evans II has been flying airplanes since he was eight years old. Having the opportunity to make a career out of being a professional aviator, Roy volunteers as the President of the Utah Back Country Pilots Association, preserving and protecting Utah’s backcountry airstrips while enhancing the safety of pilots across the west. When his chores are done, he’s likely flying around in his Cub Special with one of his children in the back teaching them how to read a sectional while navigating them to the nearest huckleberry milkshake. Submitted December 21, 2023.
RAF Arkansas Liaison Harper Goodwin used an RAF grant and the help of Arkansas Liaison Dave Powell and a host of volunteers to build fencing for an observation area at Trigger Gap airfield, 17A. “Sixteen faithful volunteers were on hand for a full day of hard work on November 18. With the good turnout and collective efforts, two days of work was done in one,” Goodwin said. “It was a perfect Ozark fall day which saw a good bit of traffic fly in and out, including a group of Stinsons,” he added. Trigger Gap Airfield is located on The Nature Conservancy land. “We feel that this and other positive RAF projects will strengthen our relationship with TNC. We are also very focused on neighborhood support, which overall has been outstanding,” Goodwin said. Volunteers repositioned the existing gate and fence, and constructed other fencing to provide for a viewing area for spectators. Walkthrough access was provided to the airfield, and the gate has a combination lock which limits drive through access. In addition to the viewing area, volunteers constructed a traffic pattern indicator around the windsock, and built two firewood storage racks and stocked them with firewood they’d cut and split. Picnic tables were ordered but not delivered in time, so assembly will be scheduled at a later date. “I always find it surprising that most people have no idea that this backcountry thing even exists. This observation area will be a wonderful place for interested individuals to bring kids and others to learn about the RAF, backcountry flying and TNC,” Goodwin added. Pilots are asked to fly with respect to others in the environment. Trigger Gap was designed to be a destination airstrip. Land, get out, and enjoy lunch or camp. To reduce noise issues, please do not conduct multiple landings and take offs or fly low over the area. Find information on Trigger Gap in the Airfield Guide .
RAF Arkansas Liaison Harper Goodwin used an RAF grant and the help of Arkansas Liaison Dave Powell and a host of volunteers to build fencing for an observation area at Trigger Gap airfield, 17A. “Sixteen faithful volunteers were on hand for a full day of hard work on November 18. With the good turnout and…
Our many RAF supporters have such vast and varied experience, and we’re capturing some of their words of wisdom to share with you. This month’s guest editorial is by Nicolas Chabbert, the Senior Vice President of Daher’s Aircraft Division and CEO of DAHER Aircraft, Inc and Kodiak Aircraft, Inc. As the world’s oldest ai
Volunteers celebrated the RAF’s twentieth anniversary November 10-12 at Florida’s Blackwater Airfield with a party in the RAF style – a work party! The group included RAF Florida Liaison Bobby Capozzi and his wife Kim, who serves as an RAF VP of Appreciation; as well as RAF Ambassadors Shane Hartman, Lynn Gardner, Cole Pearson and Joe DeLeon. The team accomplished seasonal clean up and maintenance along with other RAF Florida supporters who came out to celebrate. The Experimental Aircraft Channel came by during the fly-in and recorded an 11 minute YouTube video that you can view here . It features RAF Florida Ambassador Shane Hartman’s homebuilt 400 hp Moose. Hartman also acknowledged and thanked Florida State Forest for allowing the public to access the 2,500 foot turf strip, 8FD3, in the Blackwater River Forest adjacent to the Krul Recreational Area campground. For more information about Blackwater Airfield and the required safety briefing, visit the Airfield Guide. Submitted on November 29, 2023 By Carmine Mowbray, Photos by Ambassador Lynn Gardner
The RAF’s recent efforts at Moose Creek, Idaho have been featured in a stunning video by FLYING Magazine’s Julie Boatman. Watch it now, below.
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Some outdoor enthusiasts experience Utah’s Labyrinth Canyon Wilderness from the flat and peaceful water of the Green River as it goosenecks between Navajo Sandstone canyon walls, spires, and side arches. From a vantage high above, this region of stunning geologic and cultural wonders is equally as stunning. Thanks to the diligence of the RAF’s Utah Liaison Wendy Lessig, pilots may now land on a mesa overlooking the vast San Rafael Desert at Keg Knoll airstrip. This public airstrip is truly a gateway to some of Utah's most remarkable canyon country near Horseshoe Canyon and Canyonlands National Parks, offering a quiet alternative to the busy national park trails. Lessig led an effort over the past three years to advocate for the reopening of Keg Knoll airstrip. Various meetings were organized with the BLM to explore whether the airstrip could be reopened as allowed by the Wilderness Act, leading to the BLM's decision to authorize public access earlier this year. Lessig is planning a work party at Keg Knoll this fall with BLM and Utah Back Country Pilots to further improve the airstrip. Keg Knoll Airstrip has outstanding recreational value and offers pilots ready access to a true wilderness experience. Trails take visitors past ancient stories etched in desert varnish and painted on stone. Or to Colonnade Arch – just two miles from the airstrip – much-photographed for its five time-honed windows in the sandstone. Pilots are reminded that this airstrip lies within a Wilderness Area and all wilderness rules apply, including leaving all motorized and mechanized devices at home; no bicycles, drones, power tools, etc. The southwest 700 feet of the original airstrip is closed to aircraft due to sensitive vegetation. Those seeking a remote, dark sky experience should put Keg Knoll on their travel plan. Bring your self-reliance, and leave nothing behind. The RAF is thrilled that this airstrip has opened this year as part of its nationwide Expanding the Map initiative. Find out more about Keg Knoll airstrip in the Airfield Guide and on our dedicated web page . Submitted August 28, 2026 By Carmine Mowbray
RAF Michigan Liaisons Tanmoy Ganguly and Scott Anttila met with district U.S. Forest Service staff prior to starting work at Lost Creek airstrip, now MI45, (formerly 5Y4) in the Huron-Manistee National Forest in north-central Michigan. “We had a very constructive discussion about what the RAF does, and what we envision for future amenities at Lost Creek airstrip,” Ganguly said. The mid-August work weekend attracted 16 aircraft and 20 volunteers, including new MI Ambassador Ryan Minnick, MI Ambassador Ehsan Hamtaei, and IN Liaison Bill Steinmetz, many of whom enjoyed camping overnight in the forested setting. The crew was joined by nearby residents who donated their time, tools, and machinery to help and provided snacks.
Submitted August 27, 2025
CALL TO ACTION: Public Comments Requested to Support Access to 10 of Utah's Sensational Backcountry Airstrips The BLM has issued an Environmental Assessment (EA) regarding the following ten Moab-Monticello backcountry airstrips. Pilot comments will help to open access to the airstrips. Your Comments are Needed by Thursday, September 3. Please use the link below to state in your own words why you support access to these backcountry airstrips: Nokai Dome Piute Canyon Potato Ridge Playa Big Flat Red Canyon Spring Canyon Castle Creek Steer Ridge West Wee Hope Mine
Our many RAF supporters have such vast and varied experience, and we’re capturing some of their words of wisdom to share with you. This guest editorial is by Bill McGlynn, President of the RAF.
