RAF FEATURED SUPPORTER: TOM DOLASKIE

When Tom Dolaskie returned from his service in the US Air Force to his hometown of Munising, Michigan in 2008 he saw the effects of the economic downturn. As he walked among the many vacant buildings and abandoned houses, he didn’t see a doomed town, he saw opportunity.

Today, visitors to this scenic town may be drawn by its natural beauty and recreation, but are rewarded with choices for eco-exploration, fine dining, and the luxury of five-star hotels.

Tom and his sibling-partners tapped their complementary talents and world-wide experiences, added a partner, and worked to create an extraordinary destination. Tom’s wife Ana’s career is restaurant guest experience, and she manages their fine dining enterprise. Together they created the Roam Community Foundation, which is focused on improving the quality of life in Munising.

Their town is nestled in the mixed forest along the shores of Lake Superior, near Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and trails through the 880,000 acre Hiawatha National Forest. Summer tourist season is short in the Upper Peninsula, but thanks to the vision and determination of Tom’s team, there’s plenty of economic activity to sustain this town of 1,800 residents. The Roam Community Foundation keeps folks engaged all year long with events, good-spirited competitions, and heartwarming fundraisers.

Hanley, the local airfield hosts EAA Young Eagles flights, and Tom and his son enjoyed a flight together. Tom realized he now had the opportunity to accomplish a long-time goal to become a fixed-wing pilot right at home. He’d been around C-130s and Blackhawks in the Air Force, and he’d already taken rotor-wing training. He bought a 1943 Taylorcraft.

Tom’s introduction to the RAF was all about improving his local airfield, rather than flying cross-country to backcountry places. The airport had reached a tipping point of failure or change. In 2023, RAF Director Jeff Russell and retired Naval aviator Roger Bentlage from Marquette County Flying Club addressed a local crowd about the benefits of supporting their town airport. “Jeff and Roger calmly and professionally engaged, even with those opposed. I was so impressed by their passion,” Tom said. “I realized that with my experience, I could execute some improvements. ‘Can’t be done’ does not live in my world,” Tom added. RAF Michigan Liaison General Grant said, “Tom tackled remediation, rehabilitation, and investment with the same dedication and vigor as he had done in his other efforts for Munising.”

Tom was also affected when he saw visitors arrive at the airport with their own Subway sandwiches. “They had no way to travel the last mile,” Tom observed, so his nonprofit provided an airport courtesy car. Now visitors landing at Hanley can enjoy the new restroom, shower, and kitchenette, then drive to town and find many attractions among its variety of vibrant shops and businesses.

Tom has lived and worked all over the world, and continues as an executive in their global IT enterprise. “I’ve moved forty-three times,” he said. When he was opening the Montage in Beverly Hills, his dad called to say his mother was terminally ill. That triggered his return to Munising, and settled his sense of home. His brother and sister live in homes next door. “Our kids all play together,” he added.

They lost their dad not long after. “Losing people who are important to you, critical to your purpose . . .I needed to turn those losses into motivation,” he said, “ and I went full throttle from then on.” And the town, and anyone fortunate enough to visit are beneficiaries of all this family dedication and enterprise.

Submitted August 14, 2024
By Carmine Mowbray

TIME TO REVIEW AIRSTRIP SAFETY BRIEFINGS

March 30, 2026

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: Ryan Field, MT (2MT1)

RAF VOLUNTEERS BEGIN TO RESTORE HISTORIC RANGER AIRFIELD HANGAR

March 30, 2026

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.

FEATURED AIRSTRIP: SACATON, NM

By Carmine Mowbray • March 30, 2026

For adventurers seeking access to the Gila Wilderness, we suggest landing at Sacaton Airstrip, NM16, near Buckhorn, New Mexico. The runway lies on a “finger mesa,” and the Rain Creek trailhead lies just northeast of the field. Thanks to RAF New Mexico Liaison Ron Keller's coordination with the USFS using a Cost Share Agreement, Keller was able to organize RAF and New Mexico Pilot Association (NMPA) volunteers to rehabilitate and reopen the long-abandoned airstrip in 2022. Beyond reopening the airstrip, Keller added camping amenities, including picnic tables and a new vault toilet. Most recently, Keller oversaw the installation of new shade structures, most welcoming to campers and hikers. RAF and NMPA volunteers complete ongoing maintenance at Sacaton and other airfields in the Gila National Forest. You’ll see white-painted rocks along Sacaton’s 3,989-ft dirt runway, and surrounding the segmented circle near the RAF windsock. The airstrip lies at 6,200-ft elevation, so pilots should be mindful of density altitude while flying over high terrain in the vicinity, even in winter temperatures. “Anglers will enjoy plying streams for the rare native copper-colored Gila trout, once a threatened species,” Keller reports. The mile-and-a-half trail to the crossing at Rain Creek is narrow and challenging and traverses a variety of terrain, but the serious hiker will be rewarded trekking through steep canyon walls lined with green alder, willow, and boxelder, hoodoos, and eagle aeries above. There are rumors of a double waterfall some distance on the west fork of Rain Creek trail. See the Sacaton page in the Airfield Guide for more details. Note that the airstrip may be unusable due to snow or after heavy rains. This runway should be considered one-way in/one-way out to avoid overflying the Wilderness boundary. There is a 4.6% upslope to the East, favoring landing Runway 08 with right traffic, remaining clear of the Wilderness east and north of the airfield. Please consider others seeking a Wilderness experience. Prior to landing at Sacaton, permission is required by calling the USFS Gila Dispatch center at 800-538-1644. Please familiarize yourself with Sacaton in the Airfield Guide and the New Mexico Pilots Association Safety Briefing . Submitted March 30, 2025 By Carmine Mowbray