Owners Randy and Barbara Anderson operate Mountain Views airbnb adjacent to the airfield. The upgraded four-bedroom home can accommodate up to 12 guests. A courtesy car is available for guests to explore the nearby Cottonwood Canyon State Park with 8,000 acres of rugged terrain — vertical cliffs carved by the Wild and Scenic John Day River, deep canyons and rocky grasslands. The John Day River, a 284 mile long tributary of the Columbia River, is the longest free-flowing river west of the Continental Divide. Steelhead fishing on the river can be outstanding. Other activities include biking, hiking and wildlife viewing. Alternatively, guests can visit the quaint town of Condon, or just enjoy the solitude and completely dark night skies.
OREGON GAINS NEW RECREATIONAL DESTINATION
Oregon recently gained a new backcountry airfield, developed with RAF assistance. The Mountain Views Airfield is located on a working dry wheat farm, about eight miles northwest of Condon, OR. The 1,650 ft x 40 ft turf runway can be challenging on hot, windy days, which are quite common in the area. The presence of 1,200 ft tall wind turbines adjacent to the airfield attest to the windy conditions and add a bit of spice to the approach. Prior to use, pilots must obtain the safety briefing , with due consideration of pilot and aircraft capabilities, and receive approval by the owners.
RAF Oregon Liaison Richard Mayes worked with the owners to create this recreational opportunity: identifying the optimum airfield location and runway alignment for safe approaches, aircraft parking area and access. Richard advised the owners of the Oregon Recreational Use Statute and provided a copy of the RAF’s Guide for the Private Airstrip Owner. Earthwork and drainage were planned and constructed by local pilot volunteers. Richard advised on boundary and end markings, parking and windsock placement. He completed the FAA 5010 documents for charting, and prepared the pilot’s safety briefing . The Andersons are excited about the opportunity to create an airfield on their property for use by the pilot community.
Telephone: 541-993-0457
email: fromanfarms@ortelco.net
Submitted on November 26, 2018
Posted in News
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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.
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 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
AR Ambassador
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.
