JEFF DEFREEST

Alaska State Liaison

Jeff DeFreest started flying early in life – logging his first hours in 1972 – but his flight training stalled until he was well into his career as a professional geologist with the US Forest Service (USFS). He worked in Idaho, Oregon, and Utah before transitioning to Alaska in 2001. 


Before moving to Alaska, he had restarted his flight training and got an introduction to backcountry flying in the San Rafael Desert in Utah. He flew SuperCubs in Arizona on weekends, while studying to become a certified minerals examiner for the USFS. He earned his private pilot certificate in Alaska on the 99th anniversary of powered flight on December 17, 2002. 

Jeff DeFreest started flying early in life – logging his first hours in 1972 – but his flight training stalled until he was well into his career as a professional geologist with the US Forest Service (USFS). He worked in Idaho, Oregon, and Utah before transitioning to Alaska in 2001. 

Before moving to Alaska, he had restarted his flight training and got an introduction to backcountry flying in the San Rafael Desert in Utah. He flew SuperCubs in Arizona on weekends, while studying to become a certified minerals examiner for the USFS. He earned his private pilot certificate in Alaska on the 99 th  anniversary of powered flight on December 17, 2002. 

Jeff earned his Single Engine Seaplane rating at Kenmore Air near Seattle, then trained in Oregon to fly in actual IMC conditions, then both Comm SES and SEL in Alaska flying Beavers, and earned his Comm MEL in Arizona, all while serving in various capacities with the USFS.

Jeff’s first airplane was a Cessna 170B on floats, which he put on wheels to engage in year-around flying in SE Alaska. He started visiting logging camp airstrips, river delta and gravel bar strips while on conventional gear, and accessing USFS lake cabins on floats. 

From 2010-2017, he served as District Ranger for the 3.3 million acre Ketchikan-Misty Fiords Ranger District on the Tongass National Forest. This district is made up of about two-thirds National Monument and Wilderness and one third multiple use Forest Service lands. 

In Ketchikan Jeff met Kari, his wife to be. They invested in a Skywagon on floats for their first anniversary to visit the many USFS lake cabins in the panhandle of SE Alaska. In 2017 Jeff was offered the position of USFS Alaska Regional Geologist and the couple moved to Juneau. He also had collateral duties working in the lands program, and for the fire aviation program with single engine air tankers. Jeff conducted rifle training for federal employees, and also assisted with ANILCA (Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980) training for federal, state, and native corporation employees, as well as tribal members. Jeff retired in November of 2020 but continues to serve on the ANILCA training cadre, works part time on-call for the fire aviation program, helps Alaska youth in Hunter Education, and was appointed to the Alaska Minerals Commission. 

Kari and Jeff are passionate about the USFS cabins on the many amazing lakes in SE Alaska and spend much of their free time lake-hopping with their Skywagon and advocating for the USFS to keep those fly-in cabins available to the public.

jdefreest@theraf.org
907-321-9800

    Recent Posts

VOLUNTEERS IMPROVE CAMPING AT NEW HAMPSHIRE AIRPARK

June 23, 2026
RAF New Hampshire Liaison John Meade coordinated a work party over the June 13-14 weekend at Hawthorne-Feather Airpark, 8B1. The paved 3,260-ft runway lies in a forested valley three miles south of Hillsborough, New Hampshire. Additionally, there is a 2,000 foot adjoining turf landing area to the East of the paved runway. The airpark is privately owned, but is open to the public, and camping is allowed. A group of 11 volunteers showed up to help, including RAF Director Bill Brine. The group helped open up five campsites on the southern end of the airfield, installed a commemorative flagpole, and weed-whacked along drainage ditches and a walking trail. “With volunteers from six different states and great weather, this was a special day, with plenty accomplished,” Meade said. Submitted June 23, 2026

WORTH THE READ: NEIL MORTINE GUEST EDITORIAL

June 18, 2026
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 Neil Mortine, a marketing and relations executive, RAF Supporter, and husband of RAF Ohio Liaison Christine Mortine.

UBCP HELPS RAF REOPEN TAYLOR FLAT AND "EXPAND THE MAP"

June 17, 2026
Taylor Flat Airstrip, just a stone’s throw from the wild and scenic Green River as it carves through spectacular Utah canyons, is officially reopened. Thanks to a cooperative effort between the RAF and Utah Back Country Pilots (UBCP), Taylor Flat Airstrip, TF9, is one more recreational destination pilots can once again enjoy as the RAF works on Expanding The Map ! In 2023, dialog was initiated with the BLM to reopen the airstrip. Daggett County got involved, and RAF Utah Liaison Wendy Lessig navigated the required NEPA process. Lessig was instrumental in preparing a right of way (ROW) lease agreement application, coordinating between Daggett County, the BLM, and other stakeholders, and gathering information to assist the BLM throughout the required Environmental Assessment. “Thanks to Wendy taking action as the RAF Liaison, and her professional persistence following through the lengthy public review process, Taylor Flat Airstrip will reopen as another unique backcountry destination," RAF President Bill McGlynn said. The RAF and UBCP teamed up May 9 to revitalize the airstrip, which had lain dormant for thirty years. “The work party was a resounding success,” Lessig reports. ”We are grateful for the twenty-five volunteers who hand-picked rocks from the airstrip, and used them to mark the runway corners and threshold. “

WE'RE ALL PART OF SEE'ING

June 16, 2026
Starting this month, we’re sharing messages from our RAF Safety, Education and Etiquette “SEE” committee. We hope you like the way we present these stories, and most importantly, we hope you’re one of those folks willing to sit around the campfire and help your friends become better at this thing we call backcountry aviation. We all see things that might not end well. We don’t intend to call anyone out for what might already be a bad day in someone’s flying life. In the interest of safety, we’re inviting you to be part of the culture starting with, “see something, say something.” The hard part might be how to politely deliver that message, and even more important, how to react if we are on the receiving end of someone’s comment. It takes maturity to accept input, especially at one of those moments when maybe we realize things could have just gotten much worse for us. I know I’ve been in “that place” when some thoughtful input about my flying or behavior has been offered. Part of flying is to always strive to be better; and when we aren’t at our best, try to own our shortcomings, learn from them, and move forward. I think about this often. I worry that if we don’t work at getting this part right, at best we risk losing access due to bad practices or behavior; and at worst we risk people getting hurt or worse. It’s that last piece that keeps me up at night. Of all the joys that doing this work brings us at the RAF, the risk of people getting hurt is what I think about the most. Safety, education, and etiquette are tied. Getting these right means the best outcome. So, get out there this summer. Get some grass stains on your wheels, get some bugs on your windscreen, get better at your craft of flying the airplane, meet some new people, and for sure start to create those special friendships that begin around a campfire under a starlit night. - John McKenna, RAF Chairman Submitted June 16, 2026

TWO STRIKES AND WALK AWAY

June 15, 2026
By RAF Director Bill Brine and the RAF's Safety, Education, and Etiquette Committee. Too many backcountry accidents happen on the third approach. After two unsuccessful attempts at landing, the pilot is tired, anxious, behind the airplane, and making decisions with a brain that has been running down since the first go-around. The airstrip hasn’t gotten easier. Third time’s NOT a charm. What’s driving this is cultural. Baseball is “three strikes, you’re out.” Could this thinking have joined us in the cockpit? We aren’t playing baseball out here. The backcountry does not give you that third strike. It gives you consequences. Our RAF Code of Conduct calls on each of us to establish personal minimums based on sound aeronautical decision-making — before we need them. Decide your limits at the kitchen table. Write it down. Brief your passengers. Commit to it before you start the engine. That’s when the rule does its job and leads to that hoped-for experience you set out on. Here is one worth considering: two attempts, fly away, head somewhere else . Not because your mission failed, but because you made a sound decision. Flying away is not defeat. Head to your alternate. Land, shut down, and let everyone decompress. Unload gear, leave passengers, go back solo, or call it a day. Those are good outcomes. Submitted June 15, 2026 Photo Credit: Scott Newpower