HERRENS BESS HOLLOW UPGRADES WITH RAF GRANT

Herrens Bess Hollow airport, LL77 at Kamaroo Farms is as interesting a place as its name. Located near Kampsville, IL, the airfield has hiking trails, fishing ponds, and a “gold mine” for kids to explore. Exotic farm animals such as camels, kangaroos ostriches, and emus make this a family friendly destination.

You can camp under an old walnut tree and soon you’ll enjoy upgrades that Illinois Ambassador David Warner is adding thanks to an RAF grant. The airfield is 3,400 feet of maintained turf with clearly marked ends and displaced thresholds. The FAA restricts it to 1,924 feet due to terrain on each end. It’s near a population of active pilots, just north of the St. Louis Class B airspace, but can still be reached by unequipped aircraft. Warner is using the grant to provide a second windsock, and owners Mike and Tammy Herren will supply the post, concrete, labor and equipment to install it. The grant will also fund an improved RAF fire ring, and Herren will level, install, and provide pavers surrounding it.

The Herrens welcome visitors and continue to build attractions to those already available. “We stumbled on to one of their occasional crawfish boils last year when we dropped in to camp,” Warner said, adding, “The attendees really enjoyed themselves, and all were impressed by the quality of everything the Herrens did and their overwhelming hospitality.

The inviting field lies in hilly country between the Mississippi and Illinois rivers, very nearthe free Kampsville ferry that crosses the Illinois River. It runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The village of Kampsville is home of the Center for American Archeology that contains exhibits demonstrating evidence of 7,000 years of human habitation excavated nearby. Check their website for access information.

For more information on Herrens Bess airfield and the required safety briefing, see the Airfield Guide.

Submitted July 22, 2024
By Carmine Mowbray

Posted in News

ROB KEANE

February 24, 2026

FLORIDA AMBASADOR

HOWIE BOHL

February 24, 2026

CALIFORNIA AMBASSADOR

RAF AWARDS GRANT FOR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF HCRC

February 24, 2026

Oregon RAF Liaison Bill Ables has been awarded a $5,000 RAF grant to retain RAF membership in and support the Hells Canyon Recreation Collaborative (HCRC) for the next five years. The HCRC was organized in 2016 at the request of Idaho’s Congressional Delegation as a framework for the various recreational user groups to collaborate with the US Forest Service within the 652,488-acre Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. Ables, a past Director and current member of the group, explained that HCRC membership is a cross-section of user groups from both the private and commercial sectors, including river rafters and jet boaters, backpackers, horse packers, aviators, and governmental management agencies. Providing ongoing support ensures continued aviation representation. The rugged Snake River canyon region hugs the borders of northeastern Oregon and western Idaho, and includes nine backcountry airstrips within the Recreational Area. All are maintained by volunteer aviation groups in collaboration with the USFS: Cache Creek, Salmon Bar, Dug Bar, Temperance Creek, Pittsburg Landing, Sluice Creek, Lord Flat, Memaloose, and Big Bar. “Our support of HCRC, combined with the other involved aviation groups, ensures ongoing maintenance and improvements at each of these nine airstrips. It benefits general aviation by preserving access to enjoy the beauty of the Hells Canyon area, which directly speaks to the Mission of the RAF,” Ables said. For more information on Dug Bar, Cache Creek, Big Bar, and Memaloose, see the Airfield Guide . Pittsburg Landing, Sluice Creek, Temperance Creek, and Salmon Bar are not listed in the Airfield Guide at this time. Submitted February 24, 2026