Throughout Wednesday, EAA and Redbird’s “Backcountry Flying Day” in the Pilot Proficiency Center, the RAF presented several seminars discussing backcountry flying, etiquette, and accessibility. The RAF extends a big thank you to Charlie Gregoire of Redbird Flight Simulators for organizing the seminars, all the presenters for sharing their knowledge, and everyone who attended.
RAF AIRVENTURE ACTIVITIES BRING CROWDS
Again this year, the RAF was highly visible and active throughout AirVenture week at Oshkosh July 21-27. Beginning Monday morning at Daher’s press conference, the RAF awarded Daher CEO Nicolas Chabbert with its prestigious Golden Pulaski for his commitment to the RAF mission. “We were proud to present him with this well-deserved award,” RAF President Bill McGlynn said, adding, ”It’s our way to thank Daher Kodiak and Nicolas, especially, for all their extraordinary support of RAF efforts keeping backcountry airstrips available for recreational access.”
RAF’s traditional Tuesday morning Donuts and Coffee on the Hartzell Rooftop was the place to be again. ”We always enjoy seeing old and new friends at this event. We served a lot of coffee and a record number of donuts, and we loved seeing all of the orange shirts flock to the Hartzell building,” RAF Operations Coordinator Kodi Myhre said. “Thank you to Hartzell Propeller for hosting us again this year. We appreciate their friendship and generosity,” RAF Director Steve Taylor said.
To recognize its many volunteers, the RAF placed more tribute tiles in the vicinity of AirVenture’s gateway Brown Arch. An RAF supporter had pre-purchased an array of tiles, and each year, volunteers’ names are engraved and added. “We added twenty new names at the Brown Arch this year, and our volunteers had fun going to see their respective tiles,” RAF Volunteer Coordinator Erin White said.
“Throughout the busy week, we ran into many people wearing RAF gear and cherished our reunions with volunteers, friends, and meeting new RAF supporters,” McGlynn said.
Submitted July 31, 2025
Posted in News
Recent Posts
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.
