FEATURED RAF SUPPORTER: JERRY LATVALA

 “If you give of your time and labor, you tend to get back more than you put in,” Jerry Latvala says, and that keeps him motivated to help the RAF anytime he can, whether it’s near his home in coastal Georgia, or far away. Jerry flew his Mooney over 1,800 nm to tent camp at Ryan Field and help during the barn-raising project. He helped construct the pavilion at Trigger Gap, and has helped at Richland Creek in Arkansas, and Gillette’s Lakewood Lodge in Wisconsin among many other RAF projects. “It’s the people,” he says, that motivate him to pitch in. 

Jerry’s professional career began after graduation with his mechanical engineering degree from North Carolina State University. He provided technical sales expertise to large industrial customers like utilities, paper, and pulp mills. “I enjoyed working with large industry clients. It was fun,” he says. He was especially interested in helping these facilities gain maximum efficiency by balancing energy self-generation with outside sources of power. He has since retired, which has allowed more time to pursue his passion for aviation.

The Latvalas are an aviation family. Jerry’s father flew for Pan Am as a flight engineer. When they hired him in 1938, he expected to be a mechanic, but he already had his pilot license, and they needed him on the flight deck of a Sikorsky S42. After 30 years, Mr. Latvala retired on the stretch DC-8 in 1968. “I was only a kid in the 1960s, but I always loved hanging around Miami International Airport and Tamiami Airport with my dad,” Jerry says. “His friends ran the Kendall Flying School at Tamiami Airport, Charles and Mary Gaffney, so I loved visiting. Looking back, that was my first touch with general aviation,” Jerry added. Jerry’s father-in-law flew submarine patrol off the North Carolina coast during World War II. Jerry’s niece is a FedEx captain.

Jerry’s brother earned his private pilot license in 1966, and Jerry earned his in 1979. He decided on a Mooney and earned his instrument rating, “to be able to afford the insurance,” he says. So far, Jerry has flown it 3,000 hours, which includes flights to 43 of the lower 48 states. Jerry and his wife Bev enjoy getting to faraway places. A memorable journey was to the San Francisco area for a family wedding. They departed St. Simons Island, “had lunch in New Orleans, toured the Mooney factory in Kerrville, Texas, then toured the famous ‘boneyard’ of military aircraft in Tucson’s Pima Air Museum, made our way up the west coast to Novato for the wedding, and returned,” Jerry recalls. Their son Bruce Latvala flies professionally as a production test pilot for Textron-Cessna, and volunteers as an RAF Ambassador in Kansas.

It was Bruce who introduced Jerry to the joys of backcountry flying after he’d spent time accessing Idaho’s backcountry airstrips with a friend in a Cessna 180. Jerry then did the same, and discovered for himself the challenges and rewards, and the importance of stepping up to preserve the privilege. The retractable, low-wing Mooney does not deter Jerry from landing on good turf fields, with proper planning and technique. In fact, it looks quite at home, tied down in front of a tent, with a backdrop of forest. 

Submitted September 15, 2025

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RAF OUTFITTER JULY FEATURED COLLECTION

July 5, 2026
FEATURING: RAF PULASKI GLASSES Raise a glass to the work that keeps backcountry aviation alive! These RAF Pulaski Glasses are a perfect addition to your bar or a thoughtful gift for any aviation or backcountry enthusiast. Each glass features the RAF’s signature Pulaski tool, a tribute to the hardworking volunteers who preserve, improve, and protect airstrips across the country. Just like the tool itself, these glasses celebrate grit, utility, and a commitment to getting the job done. The Pulaski is a versatile, heavy-duty tool used for trail building, chopping wood, and clearing brush, making it an essential part of backcountry work for RAF volunteers. Made in the USA from high-quality glass, they’re built to last. Get yours today. 

FEATURED AIRSTRIP: DRIGGS-REED MEMORIAL, ID

By Carmine Mowbray • July 1, 2026
You’d have a hard time finding a more beautiful place to fly than Driggs-Reed Memorial Airport (KDIJ). The Grand Teton, Big Hole, and Snake River mountain ranges surround this eastern Idaho valley. Driggs has become a world-class destination for the pilot community. National Geographic magazine listed Driggs as “one of the ten best outdoor recreation destinations in the U.S.” Just a 45-minute drive over Teton Pass is Jackson, Wyoming, a famous Western destination. The airport, at an elevation of 6,257, accommodates aircraft on both its 7,300-ft paved runway and 3,000-ft turf landing area, marked with cones. Note: The SW 3,451 feet of the paved runway is closed until August for reconstruction. Check NOTAMS before landing. Fly-in visitors are welcome to camp underwing at its grassy tie-down area. It’s an ideal gateway to the Idaho backcountry. Enjoy views of the nearby Teton Range from the 12' x 16' cedar pilot shelter. There is potable water, a toilet, power, a gas barbecue, and a charging station nearby. Within walking distance of the campground is the Forage restaurant. A bike shed and loaner bikes, provided by the Idaho Aviation Association Borrow-A-Bike program, are available to ride into town. If you desire a more urban experience or wish to explore further, the airport has rental cars. “It’s a great destination for the pilot community, with access to hiking, biking, fishing, floating, golf and a small town with numerous shops and restaurants,” RAF Director and Driggs resident Tim Riley says. He and a local RAF supporter recently completed a spring cleanup to ready it for the season. The amenities were provided cooperatively through the RAF, the Idaho Aviation Association (IAA), the City of Driggs, and its Airport Board, with financial contributions from each. For more information on Driggs, see the Airfield Guide . Submitted July 1, 2026 By Carmine Mowbray

VOLUNTEERS COMPLETE SEASONAL TASKS AT RYAN FIELD

June 30, 2026
It’s bear grass season around West Glacier, Montana, and nearly a score of volunteers from three different states drove in to Ryan Field June 12-13 to complete seasonal maintenance, and enjoyed spotting the showy blooms throughout the woods. Bear scat was also seen in several places – a reminder that a clean camp protects both campers and wildlife. The airfield remains closed until the new runway grass has stabilized for landing, so watch the Airfield Guide for an announcement that the field has re-opened. As a result, there was no annual Ryan Fly-in this year. Volunteers removed downed trees, cleared and marked hiking trails, mowed around the buildings and part of the runway, cleaned bear boxes, the pilot shelter, cabins, and barn. “We welcomed new volunteers and continue to work hard maintaining the field. We are as eager as everyone for the grass to take good hold so the runway can open again,” Administrative Director Tricia McKenna said. Submitted June 30, 2026

MAGEE, ID FLOOD MITIGATION ASSESSMENT BEGINS

June 26, 2026
RAF President Bill McGlynn met in mid-June with the US Forest Service, Idaho Dept of Aeronautics, and Idaho Aviation Association to evaluate steps to improve Magee (S77) airstrip, 23 nm east of Coeur d’Alene. On the way, Bill picked up Joe Sober, one of two airport engineers from Oklahoma City who have volunteered their professional services and have been instrumental in creating maintenance and remediation plans on Idaho backcountry airstrips. “The Forest Service engineering teams have too much on their plate just addressing roads, so having this resource to make airstrip engineering assessments and plans is instrumental to resolving challenges on USFS airstrips like Magee,” McGlynn said. The improvement project at Magee has been organized through a Cost Share Agreement that the RAF has with the USFS. McGlynn, Sober, Willy Acton of the Idaho Airstrip Network, along with USFS District Ranger Holly Hampton, Don Macintosh of IAA, Dan Conner of Idaho Aeronautics, and RAF Idaho Ambassador George Weaver investigated the sources of flooding that plague Magee airstrip every spring and analyzed means of redirecting the problematic water. Magee airstrip was created in the 1940s by the Corps of Engineers as a hidden fighter base in case of a Japanese attack on the western US coast. A dike that was built to channel water away from the runway has eroded over the past eighty years. Sober took numerous measurements and will develop a plan to submit to the USFS for approval. Work could begin over the next year or two to recover about 700 feet of runway. “We truly could not do this work without our volunteer engineers and are very fortunate to have their expertise,” McGlynn said. Weaver said, “The airstrip is a real gem, and the restoration work will make it a great backcountry destination.” Submitted June 28, 2026

TEAMWORK GETS THINGS DONE AT HISTORIC MEDICINE BOW, WYOMING

June 26, 2026
“It was really nice to spend some time with Wyoming folks cleaning up a little piece of history,” RAF WY/UT Ambassador Karen Larson said of the May 30 work party at Medicine Bow airport, on the historic US airmail route. RAF Wyoming Liaison Joe Feiler organized the work and reports that about 15 people with a wide range of backgrounds arrived at 9 am to help. Attendees included RAF supporters, EAA Chapter 420 members, local residents, as well as Lee Cook, Medicine Bow airport board member and town council member.