One of the most scenic airstrips in the west, Las Trancas, 17CL lies alongside the Pacific Coast just north of Davenport, CA. It was developed by redwood mill owners Bud and Lud McCrary. Thanks to the family’s wishes to keep the airstrip active after Bud’s passing, and a generous RAF grant and volunteer help, the 800-foot strip was widened, graded, and stabilized. The RAF also provided a portable toilet, picnic table and gas grill.
GUESTS GATHER TO ENJOY CALIFORNIA’S LAS TRANCAS
Las Trancas lies immediately above the coast and a gentle path connects the airstrip to the beach and tide pools below. “The owners have authorized airplane-only camping, as long as tents are not visible from the highway,” RAF California Ambassador Jeremy Lezin said, adding, “As far as I know this is the
only airstrip on the west coast that provides an ocean view from your tent!”
On Sunday, February 6, Lezin organized and hosted an impromptu barbecue along with RAF supporter Barry Porter and his wife Phyllis. In all, 11 airplanes and more than two dozen people came from a wide area to enjoy beautiful 70 degree weather and blue skies, including RAF Director Tim Riley and his wife Janette from Idaho.
With cliffs on three sides, westerly breezes can cause low level turbulence and wind shear on short approach. Pilots must read and acknowledge the Las Trancas safety briefing.
“If you fly in, please fill out the pilot logbook on the wall and if you aren’t an RAF supporter already, join up!” Lezin added.
See the
Airfield Guide
https://airfield.guide.theraf.org/map/airfield-details/510adcd9-8953-41cc-a10e-f163341a0d7e/overview?searchQuery=Las+Trancas for information and the required Las Trancas safety briefing.
Submitted on February 14, 2022.
Posted in News
Recent Posts
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.
