Phase one was led by Christopher Wilcox, Chief of Maintenance for the Wrangell St Elias National Park and included brushing by NPS crews in mid-June. “Phase two was nothing short of exceptional,” Goza said.
ALASKA’S NUGGET CREEK RUNWAY REHABILITATED IN COOPERATION WITH NPS
In July, the RAF continued cooperative work on Alaska’s Nugget Creek airstrip located near a US National Park Service public use cabin. “RAF Supporter Dave Cruz led a remarkable effort to bring Nugget Creek airstrip back to a safe and usable condition,” RAF Alaska Liaison Stef Goza said. Cruz and his crew drove 15 miles one-way up the rough and twisting trail hauling compact track loaders and UTVs to the strip. For two days they cleared turnarounds at both ends. They built up the runway crown to ensure proper drainage and graded the runway, leaving a firm, smooth surface well-suited for backcountry aircraft. “Something needed to be done to restore this amazing airstrip. Thanks to our collaboration with the National Park Service staff and an exceptional RAF supporter, it was,” Goza said.
The RAF interest in Nugget Creek began when RAF supporters and local pilots expressed safety concerns. The runway edges were overgrown, and harsh weather and use had caused ruts and washouts. RAF Alaska Liaison Al Clayton and Goza began meeting with NPS staff to discuss maintenance, and the rehabilitation project gained traction in early 2024.
“Thanks to Christopher Wilcox and the NPS brush-clearing crew, Dave Cruz and his team – including Lance Williamson, Mike Uher, and Mike Lackey – Nugget Creek remains a shining example of what’s possible when volunteers and land managers work together to preserve our backcountry airstrips. Thank you for ensuring this gateway to adventure remains safe and accessible,” Goza added.
To top off the project, on Sunday, July 13, Goza and her husband Randy, RAF Director Jeff Russell, Jim Stevenson, and Joe McDonough, all of Wisconsin; and Christina Young and Gerry Moriarty both of Alaska, flew six airplanes to Nugget Creek to see the completed project and to hang the RAF Supports This Airstrip sign.
Nugget Creek cabin lies at about 3,000 ft elevation and is a short walk from the strip. It offers four bunks, a wood stove, and what Goza calls, “jaw-dropping views of Mount Blackburn. From the cabin, adventurers can hike a trail that winds toward the Kuskulana Glacier, explore historic mining ruins, or simply sit on the porch and watch the evening light paint the Wrangell Mountains,” she added.
Nugget Creek does not appear on sectionals. Its coordinates are 61°37.28’N/143°42.59’W. It will soon be added to the Airfield Guide. It is approximately 18 nm east of Chitina, CXC which is on the Copper River.
Submitted July 31, 2025
Posted in News
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At about this time, every year, we have this conversation at the RAF about what our year end letter (code for asking for your financial support) should say to you, and about the RAF and the accomplishments of the past year.
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 Stef Goza, a pilot and an RAF Alaska liaison.
Bill credits aviation for much of his success in business and the ability to serve his companies and family. What began in a Champ, and a Tri-Pacer owned by five people, turned into what Bill calls, “a key business tool” in which he accumulated 9,000 hours – in a Cheyenne, a Pilatus, and a TBM, where ninety-five percent of his flying was for business. “My retirement enabled me to recall ‘Why I Learned to Fly’, a slogan from an old RAF video.” Bill’s son, Patrick, purchased the C185 they now share. “While attending a business function, some associates arrived in corporate jets. As they joined up on the tarmac, the jet pilots gathered around Patrick’s 185, and one of the passengers asked, ‘What’s special about this?’ No explanation needed for this RAF audience,” Bill says. “My involvement in the RAF is, in a partial way, repaying the rewards aviation has endowed me with. Having been involved in many worthwhile nonprofits, this is one where financial support is only part of the picture. Physically participating in great projects that have a lasting effect, with good people, returns a great personal benefit,” he says. “My only regret is that I wasn’t there at the start.” Bill and his wife Jane are privileged to be able to split time between their long-time home in eastern Nebraska and Scottsdale, Arizona. While still serving on several boards, he enjoys golf “about every third shot,” biking, cars, and reading, but always looks forward to the time he can be involved in the RAF. “It’s flying with a purpose,” he adds. Bill can be reached at bdugan@theraf.org
AR Ambassador
A Christmas gift of flight lessons from his parents started Scott Anttila’s aviation journey in 1985. “I learned at Johnson Field, a small grass strip tucked into the woods in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and that early exposure to simple backcountry flying stuck with me,” Scott says. Growing up in the U.P., he spent a lot of time outdoors and found that flying was another way to get to the places he liked to explore—especially the ones most people never saw. As he earned more ratings and eventually moved to the Detroit area for work, Scott realized he needed a way to stay connected to northern Michigan. He bought an airplane and used it to get back to the smaller airstrips and lake country he enjoyed. Along the way, he also flew gliders out of Frankfort, soaring along the Sleeping Bear Dunes and towing sailplanes over the Great Lakes. “Those flights gave me a different appreciation for the landscape and made me even more interested in the small, out-of-the-way airports scattered around the state,” he says. Visiting those kinds of places, Scott first came across the Recreational Aviation Foundation. He started using RAF-supported airstrips both inside and outside Michigan. “I noticed how well-kept they were and how much access they opened up,” he says, adding, ”Over the years, I’ve watched a number of grass strips close, which made the RAF’s mission feel especially important to me. Maintaining these airstrips keeps aviation connected to the outdoors and makes it possible for more people to reach the quiet, remote areas that inspired me to fly in the first place.” Scott joins the other two RAF Michigan Liaisons, General Grant and Tanmoy Ganguly. He can be reached at santtila@theraf.org . Submitted December 11, 2025.
