RAF FEATURED SUPPORTER: ORRIN BANKS
Along with volunteering his time and talents at RAF work projects, RAF supporter Orrin Banks and his family business have left a positive and lasting mark on airstrips across the West through donated windows and glasswork.
When you think of a family business, maybe an old-fashioned country store or corner drug comes to mind. Banks Glass in Jamestown, California, is seeing its fourth generation stepping up, and it’s something Orrin Banks is very proud of. “My grandfather started this business in 1961. I have a large family, and many of them live in the area and work at our company,” he says. He and his cousin are third-generation and manage the commercial side of the business. They grew it right out of the original building into bigger quarters. Speaking of Jamestown, he says, “This was the perfect place to grow up on a ranch near the foothills. My cousin and I got into all kinds of trouble on three-wheelers. Now we’re still the best of friends.”
Aviation has played a big role in the success of the business. In 1982, Orrin’s grandfather bought a new Cessna TU206 for corporate flights. Orrin’s dad flew it throughout the 90s when he added a Skywagon 180. Using aircraft for business and pleasure, he introduced young Orrin to flying. Orrin got his license and owned a Cherokee 140. He worked for the US Forest Service, and while working in Libby, Montana, he flew into many of the suitable airports in Montana and the Idaho Panhandle. He returned to Jamestown to work in the family business, and has really found his own mission there.
Orrin got his tailwheel endorsement and acquired a Maule M4 from his dad. He learned of the RAF when he and his girlfriend Jess flew into Ryan Field in 2021 and met Tim Riley. “When I discovered who the RAF is, I definitely wanted to be a part of this organization. I like the vision, and all the missions it’s doing,” he said.
Flying to a trade show in Las Vegas, he stopped at Lone Pine and learned that a group of local volunteers and the RAF were renovating the little terminal to create a pilot lounge, so he offered to provide windows for the project. “We loaded windows in the back of our 206, and my nephew and I flew up and installed them.” Now Orrin makes a point to attend the Lone Pine fly-in.
When Orrin learned that the RAF was building a caretaker’s cabin at Ryan Field, he again was eager to help. “We shipped windows up, then flew in with hand tools to install them,” he said. He, Jess, and his parents camped for a week, then flew through Idaho, taking time to enjoy a few backcountry strips on their way back home.
To help RAF California Liaison Doug Lumgair’s work party to reclaim California’s Walker Ridge BLM airstrip, Orrin hauled his family's skid steer to the work party. The drive was very challenging, but it didn’t deter a crew of hardworking volunteers.
“Mom and Dad were high school sweethearts,” Orrin says, and the family remains very close. Outside of business, they enjoy flying together. They sometimes haul electric bikes for “that last mile.” His dad found a small electric bike that will fit into the small baggage door of the Skywagon 185 he has now. “We have a few airport cars scattered around for ground transportation at our favorite places, and we let friends use them,” Orrin said. The family owns a turf airfield near Kamiah, Idaho, for recreation, and has added a Cub strip at the ranch.
The next big adventure together is a flying trip to Alaska in the summer of 2026, and you can’t miss the enthusiasm in Orrin’s voice when he talks about it.
Submitted May 11, 2025
By Carmine Mowbray
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