CHUCK HOWARD
Day Job: Restaurant Owner and College Student
Favorite Airstrip: TIE SO FAR: Trigger Gap (17A) and John Harris Field (AR05)
Next Adventure: Spring airplane camping in New Mexico
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Day job: Distinguished Member of Technical Staff at Calix, Inc. Favorite airstrip: Transylvania Community Airport (3NR3) Next adventure: Haven't flown out west since 2023, so that'll be my next flying adventure.
TN AMBASSADOR
Your RAF Directors met January 22-24 for their annual in-person board meeting in Bozeman, MT, with Director Bill Brine coming the farthest from his home on Martha’s Vineyard. Director Emeritus Alan Metzler of Pennsylvania attended, in spite of the heavy weather forecast in the Northeast. RAF Alaska Liaison Stef Goza attended, demonstrating the great distances these volunteers are willing to travel to be present. The RAF Board meets monthly, but this annual get-together allows time to explore opportunities in more detail, and set areas of focus. RAF Kansas Ambassador Bruce Latvala was elected as RAF Secretary, joining current RAF officers . Director Steve Taylor of the Seattle area is stepping down as an active board member, but will continue his wholehearted support of the RAF mission. This year’s meeting included special guests to discuss topics relevant to upcoming RAF initiatives. Director Emeritus Todd Simmons presented a new hub and spoke network of backcountry airfields in Tennessee, with the opportunity for RAF support. Director Matt Foster updated the group on the goals and responsibilities of the Safety, Education, and Etiquette (SEE) Committee. The board reviewed opportunities to support new airfield locations on both public and private lands; and were given a customary review of RAF financials. - By Carmine Mowbray Submitted January 29, 2026
RAF Chairman John McKenna and President Bill McGlynn met recently in Washington, DC with US Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz, who oversees the management of 193 million acres of public land across the nation. McKenna and McGlynn reviewed backcountry airstrips with Mr. Schultz, with an appeal to continue to maintain existing airstrips and possibly open some additional ones. Mr. Schultz said that some of the best recreational opportunities in the world are on Forest Service lands, and he desires to increase those opportunities. He was receptive to the RAF’s request to explore returning some of the airstrips to service. Mr. Schultz studied forestry at the University of Montana and is familiar with the western backcountry, as his career includes working for state agencies in both Montana and Idaho. In addition to the meeting with the Chief and other key team members of the USFS, McKenna & McGlynn met with Department of Interior staff to discuss opportunities on DOI & BLM lands. “These were productive and engaging meetings and will lead to continued opportunity for collaboration,” McGlynn said. “We're excited to work with the Forest Service on additional recreational airstrips on our public lands that can be enjoyed. - By Carmine Mowbray Submitted January 29, 2025
If you’re looking to extend your backcountry flying season in the Southwest, consider plans to visit New Mexico’s Gila National Forest. Me-Own, 28 nm NE of Silver City, is one of Gila’s several recreational USFS airstrips, and has a 3,700 x 50 foot runway at an elevation of 7,554 feet. You can count on cool summer days and moderate winters among the ranges of desert grasses and mountain forests of ponderosa pine, pinyon-juniper, aspen, spruce, and fir. The Gila’s USFS backcountry airstrips are cooperatively maintained by RAF and New Mexico Pilots Association (NMPA) volunteers and provide access to this remote and beautiful region of the state. Sacaton, Rainy Mesa, Beaverhead, Negrito, and Jewett Mesa are "comfortably long and level runways [that] create a flying paradise,” according to the NMPA. Paved Reserve airport serves as a base for NMPA's annual Gila Regional Fly-In. Me-Own, 1NM0 offers trail access to the Aldo Leopold Wilderness, just past the vault toilet. Here’s where you can join Section 23 of the Grand Enchantment Trail that stretches 770 miles from the Sonoran Desert near Phoenix to the outskirts of Albuquerque. This remote and rugged Wilderness trail passes Gila cliff dwellings, traverses canyons and verdant creek bottoms, and offers sweeping views from elevations reaching 10,770 feet at Mogollon Baldy. The NMPA assures us that the sluggish but venomous Gila Monster is “rarely encountered.” RAF New Mexico Liaison Ron Keller is working with the USFS to improve facilities at Me-Own thanks to the RAF’s cooperative Challenge Cost Share agreement with the Gila National Forest. The USFS requires prior permission to land at this airstrip. For permission, please call the Gila Dispatch at (800) 538-1644 and ask for the Aviation Branch. Me-Own is also used for firefighting. Check with the USFS office in Silver City for conditions prior to use at 575-388-8451. For the latest PIREPs, go to the NMPA website , and click "Backcountry PIREPs.” See the RAF Airfield Guide for more information. - By Carmine Mowbray Photo by Joyce Woods Submitted February 1, 2026
