“We have an RAF member who is an expert at heating big spaces,” Brine said. “A quick call to John Meade was all that was needed.” John’s company, [Preferred Mechanical Services] donated the engineering on behalf of the RAF, and sold the needed equipment to the Trust at trade cost. “Without the help of the RAF and John Meade, the new hangar would sit without heat and idle during the long gray winters on Martha’s Vineyard,” Brine explained, adding, “Our dream is to have young islanders involved with aviation during the winter months.”
THIS JEWEL GETS EVEN BRIGHTER
“Of the many jewels of aviation, Katama Airfield stands out as unique in the United States,” says the Katama Airfield Trust website. And now the sign “The RAF Proudly Supports This Airstrip” can go up at the field, thanks to RAF Director Bill Brine and New Hampshire Liaison John Meade.
By an overwhelming voice vote, Town Meeting members authorized funding to replace a dilapidated World War II hangar at Katama, (1B2) for local groups to engage in aviation projects year-round. But the Town could not allocate enough to provide for heating the hangar, so local supporters and the RAF stepped in with resources.
The Trust formed years ago to provide support to both the Town of Edgartown and The Nature Conservancy to preserve the airfield’s economic and ecological benefits. The Trust website explains:
“Residents of Edgartown benefit from having a historic grass airfield that is relatively low impact and is considered one of the most ecologically significant natural areas in Massachusetts.”
Pilots as well love this airfield. The longest of its three turf runways is 3,700 feet at a field elevation of eighteen feet. It dates back to 1924 and was used by the Curtis Wright Corporation. The airfield has direct access to the ocean beach and is a popular place to swim in the Atlantic. “The seasonal restaurant is always fantastic,” Meade says, and on nice days, a person might have a chance to take a ride in one of two barnstorming Waco biplanes hangared at the field. “The airport’s future is protected by its conservation trust,” Meade explained, and this project had to reflect the spirit of its long history.
Brine, a native New Englander and resident of Martha’s Vineyard says, “Katama is often mispronounced. Most Islanders pronounce it ka-TAY-ma. Those from the mainland sometimes call it KA-tama. No matter how you pronounce Katama on the unicom, you will be welcomed with open arms.”
Submitted on June 24, 2021.
Posted in News
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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.
