JEROME MORRISON “JERRY” CAIN

Director Emeritus

Thoughts After Retirement


When I raised my hand at the Montana Pilots Association’s (MPA) Board of Directors retreat in Bozeman in September of 2003, I had no idea what I was getting myself into!  I had been following the MPA’s Recreational Airstrip Committee for several years and watching them try to raise money. I even donated dogsled rides for their online auction.  To boost their fundraising effectiveness I suggested  they create an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 501(c) (3) Public Charity in order to solicit tax-deductible donations.

Since the MPA charter included commercial aviation a legally separate organization needed to be created, and about a half dozen attendees indicated that they would like to be involved in such an organization and I set it up.

We decided on the name Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF).  We decided that it should be a national organization – not limited to just Montana – since we were now going to be separate from the MPA.  After further discussion about mission, organization, location, etc., I began the process of filing the application with the State of Montana to become a Montana Non-Profit organization and then with the IRS to become a 501(c) (3) Public Charity.

During the process, I needed and asked for Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws, Mission Statement, logo, etc..  To my surprise, when I sent out an email asking for these, the reply was almost immediate.  I then found out that several of the pilots at the organizing meeting in Bozeman had previously been involved in trying to create just such an organization several years before to be named the Backcountry Airstrip Foundation or BAF.  They had already created the necessary documentation, etc., but hadn’t actually filed with a state and the IRS.  It was agreed to change BAF to RAF and other necessary modifications were made, and I filed everything with the State of Montana and the IRS in December 2003.

After about 90 days, the IRS requested more documentation. I sent the IRS a one-inch three-ring binder filled with all of the information they requested. 90 days later, we received our Letter of Determination granting the RAF 501(c) (3) Public Charity status effective in December 2003.

From there the rest is history. We started with our original Board Of Directors made up mostly from the pilots at the original organizing meeting in Bozeman plus a few new ones to satisfy IRS requirements. I volunteered to be Secretary / Treasurer. By the end of 2004, we had about $15,000 in the bank and a membership of several hundred. I continued in this role for eight years retiring December 31, 2011, when the RAF membership had grown to several thousand from all fifty states and about a dozen foreign countries. The RAF had preserved, maintained, and created multiple backcountry airstrips across the country, and my RAF activities had become so involved that I was spending ten to fourteen hours almost every day trying to keep up with it. I was either going to retire or go insane!

Fortunately, the transition of my duties to a new Administrative Director and new Treasurer went fairly smoothly, and I was able to retire as “Director Emeritus” which meant that I could continue to participate in BOD activities without the right to vote. I have continued to monitor and participate as appropriate in emails and the monthly BOD teleconferences, and other activities. It’s extremely satisfying to observe how the RAF is progressing and growing on a first-hand basis. Wow! Retirement is wonderful!

I could not have imagined in 2003 what the RAF would accomplish in its first ten years and could not be more proud of those accomplishments and the members of the BOD, and the membership who make this all possible through their generous support of both their time and their dollars.  And to do all of this with all volunteers except for the Administrative Director is absolutely phenomenal!  Again, who would have imagined what has been accomplished.  The RAF is now nationally recognized as the “go to” organization for anything related to recreational and backcountry airstrips.

I offer a big “Thank you!” and “Well done!” to all who have been a part of the RAF.  Keep up the good work, and good luck.  I hope I will be around and involved for the next ten years!

406-461-5631
jcain@theraf.org

Posted in Former Director

Recent Posts

IF WE COULD . . .

By Kodi Myhre • December 23, 2025
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.

WORTH THE READ: STEF GOZA GUEST EDITORIAL

By Taylin Trafton • December 23, 2025
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 DUGAN IS NEW NEBRASKA LIAISON

By lellington • December 21, 2025
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

Jake Hampton

December 15, 2025
AR Ambassador

RAF ADDS MICHIGAN LIAISON SCOTT ANTTILA

By Taylin Trafton • December 11, 2025
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.