RAY JILEK

South Dakota Ambassador

Ray grew up on a family farm in southwestern North Dakota and moved to the Black Hills of South Dakota in the late 80s where he met Laura, the love of his life. Laura and Ray now live in Spearfish and have two daughters.


Ray learned to fly in a Cessna 150, then bought a C-172 in which he earned his instrument and commercial ratings. In 1996 Ray started an Aerial Application business based in Sturgis, SD and expanded into banner towing, flight instruction, wildlife surveys, and aerial predator control. In 2001 Ray and Laura purchased Eagle Aviation, Inc. at Spearfish and offer flight Instruction, charter, maintenance, and the full complement of FBO services. Ray currently owns and flies two Cessna 172s, a 206, and a recently rebuilt SuperCub, and flies corporate turbo props.

Ray learned to fly in a Cessna 150, then bought a C-172 in which he earned his instrument and commercial ratings. In 1996 Ray started an Aerial Application business based in Sturgis, SD and expanded into banner towing, flight instruction, wildlife surveys, and aerial predator control. In 2001 Ray and Laura purchased Eagle Aviation, Inc. at Spearfish and offer flight Instruction, charter, maintenance, and the full complement of FBO services. Ray currently owns and flies two Cessna 172s, a 206, and a recently rebuilt SuperCub, and flies corporate turbo props.

Ray’s passion for backcountry aviation began after several flights to Alaska and into the backcountry in the lower 48. Ray is a Life Member of the South Dakota Pilots Assoc. and understands the need for advocacy groups that support and foster aviation interests. Through Ray’s involvement with SuperCub.org, “that bunch made flights into the Missouri Breaks strips,” Ray said. “Pilots experienced firsthand the results of hard work and efforts by the RAF and MPA to re-gain access to this beautiful piece of paradise.”

“Through these aviation activities, many friends have been made and campfires shared,” he says. “I always have time to visit with like-minded individuals and look forward to meeting other RAF supporters as well as recruiting new interest to further the RAF mission.”

Recent Posts

IF WE COULD . . .

By Kodi Myhre • December 23, 2025
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.

WORTH THE READ: STEF GOZA GUEST EDITORIAL

By Taylin Trafton • December 23, 2025
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 DUGAN IS NEW NEBRASKA LIAISON

By lellington • December 21, 2025
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

Jake Hampton

December 15, 2025
AR Ambassador

RAF ADDS MICHIGAN LIAISON SCOTT ANTTILA

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.