THIS ISN’T A.I. – WE BUILD WITH REAL RELATIONSHIPS

Recently I’ve been thinking a lot about how we get so much done at the RAF. It all starts with building a relationship. Relationships truly make things happen. What you’ll note generally about a strong relationship is that it’s built on a shared personal connection. Not one designed to drive clicks, but rather one that motivates a desire for more engagement with one another, and in turn, with an organization like the RAF.

Here’s one highlight of what I’m talking about. Just recently, volunteers took on the task of moving the RAF Fire Hub from Texas to South Carolina. As we reinstalled it, I was fortunate to stand shoulder to shoulder with volunteers and longtime friends John “JC” Carroll, Paul Iverson, Steve and Rachel Thompson, and of course Triple Tree founder Pat Hartness. We raked and leveled the ground, installed brick, and made a welcoming site for future Triple Tree campfire gatherings. This was not an AI generated project.

Another highlight was the one-hour flight in our 185 with RAF friends. It was a blue sky, “Big Sky” day. As Charlie Gregoire of Texas reminded me during our flight over Yellowstone National Park and into Driggs, Idaho at the base of the Tetons, “We are some of the most fortunate people on the planet, without this unique touch to aviation and one another, who knows what dull corner of life we might have ended up in?”

When we got news that one of the RAF family had lost a grandson in an accident we shared a deep sense of loss. This is who we are. We can laugh around a campfire with not a care, then we take care and embrace our friends at these most difficult times.

And finally, Bill McGlynn and I shared time in Washington State at the Northwest Aviation conference with friends. In addition, we had the opportunity to begin another great friendship with AOPA’s new President Darren Pleasance. Looks like he’s an RAF kind of guy, and sure to be an AOPA leader we’ll all be proud of.

In closing, it’s all of these friendships and relationships that fuel the RAF mission. Thanks to each of you for throwing an extra log of authentic passion on the RAF fire.

– John McKenna, RAF Chairman

Submitted on March 11, 2025.

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