PURPOSEFUL PRACTICE...AT HOME
By Matt Foster - Safety, Education, and Etiquette Committee Chair
Your backcountry adventure likely involves a heavily loaded airplane, a short strip, challenging terrain, and limited options. Your practice should reflect those realities – at your home airport. Weave exercises into your normal flying, and consider bringing someone along to observe and keep you honest.
Make your normal operations backcountry-ready operations. Seek out an instructor with backcountry experience or challenge your local instructor to learn about your upcoming mission and play a role in your preparation.
Load the airplane as you expect to fly it. Bring the camping gear, survival equipment, and ballast that simulates your expected weight and center of gravity. You’ll learn more about how the airplane performs when it's configured for the mission…not when it's empty and light.
Make all your landings “spot” landings (remember: your “worst” landing is your standard). Know your performance for takeoff distance and power settings. Learn to lean for density altitude. Practice these calculations for your aircraft. Fly non-standard patterns where airports allow. Practice go-arounds with varying flap settings. Practice slow flight and canyon turns.
You can do many of these on every local mission with only a little more thought and purpose…and it can be fun and rewarding.
Visualize the adventure, and practice before you launch your adventure.
The backcountry is no place to discover your limitations.
Submitted July 14, 2026
Photo Credit: Bill Brine
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“It's hard to describe the emotions associated with this effort,” said RAF California Liaison Katerina Barilov of the restoration of Monache Meadows airstrip, on the Kern Plateau south of California’s Mount Whitney. This High Sierra airstrip had been accessed for recreation for years until the US Forest Service unofficially closed it in the 1970s citing the Wilderness Act, although the strip is not in a Wilderness area; it lies between the Golden Trout and South Sierra Wildernesses. The RAF is thrilled to announce that Monache Meadows is officially charted as L80, and has been brought back into safe operation after many years of neglect. It is open for public access, thanks to years of effort and support by RAF volunteers and donors. RAF California Liaison Rick Lach first learned of the airstrip in the 80s on a Jeep excursion planting trout in the High Sierras. Lach became an RAF Liaison in 2011, and determined ways to approach the appropriate land managers about restoring the airstrip for use after being abandoned. Persevering for 15 years with respectful communications with the series of District Rangers, he finally delivered a breakthrough in 2024 when the Forest Service agreed to include Monache Meadows in its scope of work, allocating some funds in cooperation with RAF volunteer efforts. "After years of patience and persistence, I am glad to announce that we have restored Monache Meadows to be enjoyed by pilots once again," said Lach. Both Lach and Barilov organized repeated work parties, seeing as many as 20 volunteers making the arduous drive to help. A Monache resident and RAF supporter donated the windsock. The remote area is popular for camping, hiking, and fishing, and up until now was only accessible seasonally by a rough and rocky road, requiring high clearance 4WD vehicles. The road becomes soft and impassable during wet conditions and closes due to snow. Barilov said, “We appreciate everyone's help. The strip ended up nearly 2,400 feet in length, is very flat, and grass. Frankly, it looks like one of the best grass airstrips I have ever landed on.” The airstrip lies at an elevation of 7,874, so those wishing to access it must consider density altitude, and that it seasonally gets heavy snows. The RAF's Expanding the Map initiative is a nationwide effort focused on opening, improving, and restoring access to airstrips, helping connect aviators to more of the places they love to explore. Learn more about Monache Meadows Airstrip and how the RAF is Expanding The Map . Submitted July 15, 2026 By Carmine Mowbray
The annual Meadow Creek, Montana cooperative work party occurred on June 20. Volunteers from Montana Pilots Association, Montana Aeronautics, and the RAF flew in to do seasonal maintenance together on this popular NW Montana Forest Service airstrip adjacent to the Bob Marshall Wilderness.
RAF New Hampshire Liaison John Meade originally came on board as Liaison in 2016 and has recently volunteered to add Vermont to his Liaison role. We are thrilled to have his help in both states going forward. John grew up in New York and had the Navy take him away; eventually depositing him in Massachusetts. John’s father-in-law was a pilot, and in the late 80s, John got bitten by the flying bug as well. Eventually, a SuperCub on floats became his pride and joy. It became a convertible with Bushwheels, skis, and floats. He credits his association with SuperCub.org for coast-to-coast friendships and finding a cadre of local New England pilots in search of backcountry adventures. John’s current airplane is a Bearhawk Patrol that he built. John and his wife Jennifer split their work week between Massachusetts and New Hampshire, where they have a home and airfield. Their Wentworth Aerodrome – affectionately known as the “WAD” – is located 12 miles from Vermont, where he flies routinely. John has one son and five grandchildren. RAF NH/VT Liaison John Meade can be reached at jmeade@theraf.org . Submitted July 14, 2026 By Carmine Mowbray
RAF Supporter Chris Erkmann lives in Chesterfield, Missouri – about 20 miles west of St. Louis, midway between the airfields at Trigger Gap, AR and Henderson, IL. He has flown his 1962 Cessna 182 into both places to volunteer at work parties alongside other RAF supporters.
Utah, Tennessee, Kansas, Indiana, Maryland . . . Forest Service, BLM, private landowners . . . are just a few of the places, agencies, and individuals the RAF is involved with to generate new opportunities on our quest to “Expand the Map.” The fun is talking about destinations, maybe sitting around a campfire with a few folks, and thinking of new places to go. Working with partners and new people who might not have worked with us in the past, and seeing a project go from an idea to a place for all to enjoy. It is happening right now, and we are collectively Expanding the Map. But like our flying, when we expand our capabilities, we take on new responsibilities. Responsibilities we might not have felt at the prior level. From flying a fixed-gear aircraft to one with foldable wheels, we add the responsibility not to forget to put the wheels back down when we get ready to land. Very few incidents have been reported about forgetting to raise the gear when departing, but forgotten gear-down landings litter the reports. As we grow and Expand the Map we all need to make sure to do our best to plan for and conduct a successful outcome. We need to be responsible and remember to put the wheels down. The responsibilities of taking care of one nearby airstrip is not such a big task, sort of like flying a basic airplane. However, as we expand our options, there are levels of complexities that come with the territory. More levers to pull, and buttons to push, more things to remember in order to safely conduct the flight. So it goes with Expanding the Map. We need to pay all the more attention. Who will our partners be? How do we make sure the place stays in good shape? Who will take care of cutting the grass, cleaning the outhouse, changing the windsock, and maintaining online listings? What is there to do when we arrive, and for sure, how will we pay the bills? Expanding the Map is exciting, but it will be the little things all along the way that we have to keep our eyes on. “Cockpit Resource Management” if you please. We are so excited to be asking you to get even more involved, because we are going to need you. You have heard it before, but without you, Expanding the Map would not be possible, and frankly, without you, there would be no reason to Expand the Map. The RAF is on a roll, and just like the basics of flying, we all need to remember those things needed to make this work – Gas on, switch on, hang on. - John McKenna, RAF Chairman Submitted July 15, 2026
