They say that Montana is one small town with a big backyard. Taylin Trafton experienced that small town feel when she was looking for a job related to the outdoors, and saw that the RAF was hiring. Then she recognized Kodi Myhre’s name as the contact person. Like Kodi, Taylin grew up in Lewistown, Montana.
MEET TAYLIN TRAFTON, NEW RAF MARKETING COORDINATOR
Taylin graduated from Montana State University in May 2025 with a degree in business finance, and a minor in entrepreneurship and small business management. While in school in Bozeman, she served several internships, including one focused on online merchandising for the outdoors industry. “That sparked my interest in following a career related to the outdoors,” she says.
Her passion for aviation comes from her boyfriend’s family, who include both commercial and GA pilots. “They really opened my eyes to how great it is,” she says. Blending that with her desire to find meaningful work related to the outdoors industry made the RAF a great fit.
Taylin adds another member of HQ to help manage the growing responsibility of supporting RAF volunteers, donors and events. She will help with social media, administrative tasks, and bookkeeping as well. Taylin will also continue efforts to make the RAF Outfitter Store the go-to place where pilots and passengers can find proven products. “I hope to help find ways to grow our efforts and support our volunteers,” she says. “I’m looking forward to helping RAF headquarters spread the workload, and try out new ideas. I would love to be a part of getting younger people involved with the mission.”
She adds, “The RAF has a sense of community that I really appreciate.” It’s clear that Taylin is ready to use the knowledge from her college education, and that she retains her small-town values, something that aligns well with the RAF’s tight-knit culture.
Taylin can be reached at ttrafton@theraf.org.
Submitted June 30, 2025
By Carmine Mowbray
Posted in News
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“The only people who can change something are the ones who really want to. And not everybody does.” When I read this, it took me back to the early days of the RAF. We saw a troubling trend taking place — the loss of airstrips across the country with no real organized voices to help put the brakes on the decline. And we really wanted to change that. Change demanded new ideas from us. Ideas that we assumed would initially be resisted. This defined our purpose. Good ideas come with the burden of effort and purpose. That separates those with a strong purpose from those without. We wanted to create an organization that would counteract the attrition of backcountry airstrips we saw taking place. We rolled up our sleeves and didn’t look back. Easy to say now that the RAF was lucky, but it was purpose that drove the organization in the early years; that really formed who we are today. A group of people with a purpose who knew we needed more people who thought like we did, and cared; people who took this idea called the RAF and added to it, keeping it unique but effective. We felt that most of the existing business models in the nonprofit space were not what we needed to be, and we pushed forward persistently with our thinking – thinking that required putting our own personal desires aside and pursuing ones that were for a greater good. You joined in. You, too, found purpose in the RAF and now look where we are. Nearly 15,000 of us are making the necessary sacrifices to make our voices heard, to create a better environment for the future of recreational aviation. We have more opportunities today because of you. Each one of us is important to continue the momentum we have gained. To determine what the RAF can do to further our mission to preserve, improve, and create airstrips for recreational access. To prioritize the many opportunities coming our way. It is about us, and what we are going to do with the time we have left on this earth. This organization will hopefully give you purpose now and in the future. Most importantly, I really hope it will give you as much sense of accomplishment as it has me. Thank you for what you continue to do. - John McKenna, RAF Chairman Submitted April 15, 2026
FEATURING: THE RAF DOG COLLECTION MODELED BY JOSIE & MUD Outfit your four-legged co-pilot for every adventure! From airplane rides to backcountry trails, this collection has everything they need to travel in comfort and style. Featuring two new additions—a stainless steel Orvis dog bowl and DawgMuffs—alongside RAF favorites like the collar, leash, and bandana. This collection includes items designed and created by RAF supporters. Shop the Dog Collection here. If you have questions, please email contact@theraf.org or call 406-582-1723. Your RAF Outfitter purchase is greatly appreciated and furthers the mission to preserve, improve, and create airstrips for recreational access. You can support the RAF mission all year by shopping at the RAF Outfitter online store. Products are being added regularly, and items are thoughtfully selected for durability and suitability for pilots, by pilots. We welcome photos of supporters using RAF gear! Please send your images to ewhite@theraf.org , and let us know if we have permission to post them on social media or our website. Submitted April 5, 2026.
Call To Action Volunteer
As you're planning your 2026 flying adventures, remember to review safety briefings for the airstrips you plan to visit. The RAF strongly recommends you review safety briefings and print a copy to have in your airplane - it's even required to fly into some airfields, like Ryan Field (2MT1). For those airfields, pilots flying in are required to review the briefing on an annual basis, and now is the perfect time to catch up on any changes to the runway/area that happened throughout the winter. You can find safety briefings on the RAF Airfield Guide . If an airfield in the Airfield Guide has a required briefing, the airfield listing will clearly indicate it and have a tab to view the briefing. Submitted March 30, 2026 Photo By Jim Stevenson
RAF Texas volunteers and Ranger Airfield Foundation volunteers helped begin restoration of the historic 1928 Ranger Airfield hangar on March 28. “A Wright biplane landed here at the field in 1911, and people have been using it ever since,” Ranger Airfield Foundation Founder Jared Calvert said. He noted that Amelia Earhart landed there in a Pitcairn Auto Gyro. Richard Bach, Pancho Barnes, and General Patton also landed at the field. It’s the oldest continuously used turf field in Texas.
