ARIZONA’S DOUBLE CIRCLE RANCH GETS NEW PORCH ROOF

Thanks to an abundance of willing labor, the old Double Circle Lodge in the US Forest Service Apache Sitgreaves​ Clifton District got a new porch roof May 8-10. The USFS and local support has made the Recreational Aviation Foundation’s efforts possible at the old Double Circle, and RAF’s work on the national scene helped grease the skids.

The roof was our own design and we had one shot to get all the right materials, tools and hardware to the site. I really appreciated that all the wood was oiled and ready when I arrived.


Due to high winds in my area, I regret I had to drive in, but 15 aircraft, including two from NM flew in, and along with vehicles, brought roughly 35 people, including the Forest Archaeologist and Recreation intern.


Being classified as “historic preservation,” special measures and design were required to ensure a period look – no prefab metal brackets and a great deal of attention to aesthetic detail, making this more challenging than your average construction project. Thanks a bunch to all those who found other things that needed attention around the site!

Again, locals showed up eager to work with the “airplane folks.” One couple drove eight hours to help. Other locals provided our grill and brought the new picnic bench/tables from Costco (Thanks Darcy!)  Mike Wilson is putting together a video documentary of the project.


We have also begun a friendly partnership with our new Forest Archaeologist, Eric Bredemann, of the Clifton Ranger District. Eric jumped through hoops to get this project approved by the State Historic Preservation Office in time for the weekend. 

The project would not have been complete without a lot of good cooking from Diane Wisda and Rick Bosshard, and all the side dishes carried in by participants made for banquet meals.

Our visitor log revealed a nice reward: A three-page entry written by the great-granddaughter of Abner T. Wilson whose family ran the Double Circle for over two decades in the early 1900’s. The visitor entries indicate that a lot of folks appreciate what we’re doing to save this historic ranch.

Our next project may be replacing the many broken windows on the lodge, hopefully for the National Public Lands event the last weekend of September.

Submitted on May 19, 2015.

Posted in News

Recent Posts

IF WE COULD . . .

By Kodi Myhre • December 23, 2025
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.

WORTH THE READ: STEF GOZA GUEST EDITORIAL

By Taylin Trafton • December 23, 2025
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 DUGAN IS NEW NEBRASKA LIAISON

By lellington • December 21, 2025
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

Jake Hampton

December 15, 2025
AR Ambassador

RAF ADDS MICHIGAN LIAISON SCOTT ANTTILA

By Taylin Trafton • December 11, 2025
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.