BILL ABLES

After family, service to community is Bill Ables’ next driving thought and motivation. He was raised in Pendleton, OR and graduated from Oregon State University as a Wildlife Biologist in 1973. He always loved the idea of flying, and earned his pilot license in 1975; but was drawn to a career in public service in the wild lands and waters of his native state.



Bill obtained training at the state police academy. This landed him a job as a backcountry game warden in the desert country of southeast Oregon. He made friends with the Basque sheepherders, and they developed mutual respect for him, as well. But he longed for the forests he grew up in, and in 1976 was assigned to Wallowa County, headquartered in Enterprise, in northeast Oregon. 


“There wasn’t a stoplight in the whole county,” he says. But it wasn’t a sleepy region. The job exposed him to homicides, car wrecks, all kinds of police work and fish and wildlife enforcement. The remote Hells Canyon National Recreation Area was his “office”, including the Snake River Canyon, the deepest canyon in North America – yes, deeper than Grand Canyon. “There were times we had to depend on a rancher’s radio phone, since we had no other way to communicate,” he said. His job required the use of horses, drift boats, kayaks, and a jet boat to patrol 102 miles of the Snake River in Hells Canyon. Referring to the end of his professional career, he said, “that last ride on the river was as exciting as my first in 1976.”


For twelve years, Bill served on the school board. He and his wife Judy are now retired; she taught elementary grades.


In the early 1990s, Bill became aware of the need to protect airstrips, saying, “we lost a couple of airstrips, and I got involved.” He is the Oregon Pilots’ Association Backcountry Committee Chairman, and Idaho Aviation Association, (IAA) District II Director. He is a frequent volunteer at work parties in eastern Oregon and western Idaho, most recently working on horse-drawn mowing operations, flying in Sakcrete and digging holes for windsocks.


It was a natural fit for Bill to join the RAF. He became aware that airstrips were overlooked in the Wallowa-Whitman Forest Revision Plan, and reached out to RAF Public Agency Consultant Ron Normandeau for some mentoring. He received an RAF orange shirt in the mail, and attended a hearing. The USFS delegate from Washington, DC saw him and exclaimed to Bill, “I recognize that shirt!”

Since then, Bill has become an RAF ambassador. He gives the Idaho Aviation Association and Oregon Pilots Association high marks for leadership on projects in cooperation with the RAF and its grant program.


Submitted on May 13, 2021.

Recent Posts

FINDING PURPOSE IN THE EFFORT

April 9, 2026
“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

RAF OUTFITTER APRIL FEATURED COLLECTION

April 5, 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.

KELLI GANT

April 3, 2026
Call To Action Volunteer

TIME TO REVIEW AIRSTRIP SAFETY BRIEFINGS

March 30, 2026
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 VOLUNTEERS BEGIN TO RESTORE HISTORIC RANGER AIRFIELD HANGAR

March 30, 2026
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.