RAF RESOLUTIONS

About now it’s pretty much SOP for us to reflect on our New Year’s resolutions. So, in the spirit of the season I asked Mr. Google what the top three resolutions for 2024 happened to be. The response in some varying forms were 1) Improving fitness, 48%; 2) Improving finances, 38%; 3) Improving mental health, 36%.

IMPROVING our FITNESS: Gotta believe the RAF likes being lean and fit. We like the idea that staying in good physical shape has allowed us to perform at our best when called upon. We have worked hard not to find ourselves in the plus sizes when it comes to overhead. That, however, doesn’t suggest that we’d pass on ways to get in even better shape if opportunity presents itself.

IMPROVING our FINANCES: Usually this suggests paying off debt and not incurring unnecessary expenses. Fortunately for all, the RAF started with a pay-as you-go mindset and that continues today. We have no debt and a few bucks in the bank. Our next step is to look over the financial horizon as far as we can. We have done well by living within our means, and now we are working to build our future with legacy and long-term planning that’s catching on among our RAF friends. We look forward to sharing more about these opportunities with you.

IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH: Being outside simply makes one feel better. Doing so with friends and family is all the better. What better way to improve our mental wellbeing than being part of an organization that is rooted in special places with sunshine, fresh air, starlight, and sitting around a campfire with those we care about. Whether it’s a day of flying, or a day of volunteer work, know that the RAF values you. Further, know we appreciate what you have done for the RAF and consider you and yours part of our RAF family.

Let’s resolve to all getting out and enjoying some of that special RAF spirit.

– John McKenna, RAF Chairman

Submitted on January 10, 2023.

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By Taylin Trafton • December 11, 2025
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.