Jeanne has been a supporter of RAF since it’s inception. Her aviation work experience includes flying freight, Bureau Chief and Chief Pilot for Montana Aeronautics Division, copilot for the Montana Governor’s Office, and owning a flight school teaching basic aerobatics and mountain flying. She and her husband love flying into backcountry airstrips and are grateful to RAF for working so hard to maintain these aviation treasures.
WORTH THE READ – JEANNE MACPHERSON GUEST EDITORIAL
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 month’s guest editorial is by Jeanne MacPherson, a longtime RAF supporter. Here is her philosophy on life, and how it relates to flying . . .
Can we ever become accomplished enough to stop practicing our craft?
Pablo Casals was one of the most renowned musicians of the 20th Century. Though he was a brilliant cellist, even in his eighties Casals continued to practice daily. When asked why he kept practicing when he was the best in the world, he replied: “I feel like I am making progress.”
This lifetime practice resonates with me in so many things that I love to do. Flying our two airplanes takes constant practice. Sometimes it is one of life’s upsets that forces you into learning and practicing yet again. I recently broke my hip ice skating on Canyon Ferry Reservoir’s wild ice. Daily physical therapy and exercise are now my routine. After a two month break from flying, I am once again practicing landings over and over…looking for that “daily progress.” I have never been comfortable with the saying: “any landing you can walk away from is a good landing.” I believe in striving for excellence.
Challenges that I have taken on to improve my ability to land accurately in a stabilized approach at a pre-specified spot are wheel landings in a tailwheel airplane, glassy water landings in a seaplane, short/soft field arrival at a planned spot, touching down on one wheel, and crosswind landings. It is always an ongoing practice.
Enhancing aviation skills can be done in many ways and yet made to be fun. One of my favorite approaches to flight reviews is to engage in add-on ratings or specialized flight training. AOPA’s Air Safety Institute offers “focused flight reviews” using tailored lesson plans for mountain flying, positive aircraft control, IFR proficiency, and others. I encourage you to check them out.
My husband, Bill, and I like to take on new challenges for our flight reviews. Several years ago, we traveled to the world’s best and friendliest airport in Santa Paula, California, to take Rich Stowell’s Emergency Maneuver Training Course at CP Aviation. This course not only challenged us and made as safer pilots but took us down a path toward ownership of a beautiful Super Decathlon and participation in the International Aerobatic Club. This also prompted me to start a flight school for emergency training, aerobatics, and Montana Mountain flying.
I am now retired from my work at Montana Aeronautics Division as Bureau Chief for Safety and Education and from my flight school, Mountain Airdance, but recently our Granddaughter, Graci, has expressed a passion for flying. Now, with a renewed sense of purpose, I am practicing landings from the back seat of our Super Decathlon with Bill in the front. I am making daily progress, getting the sight picture and perception from the rear seat so that I once again can be on top of my game as a flight instructor for our granddaughter Graci.
The philosopher Seneca said: “As long as you live, keep learning how to live.” I believe that if we follow this advice, we – like Pablo Casals the cellist – can keep making progress as pilots.
Submitted April 23, 2024.
Posted in Guest Editorial, News
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You’d have a hard time finding a more beautiful place to fly than Driggs-Reed Memorial Airport (KDIJ). The Grand Teton, Big Hole, and Snake River mountain ranges surround this eastern Idaho valley. Driggs has become a world-class destination for the pilot community. National Geographic magazine listed Driggs as “one of the ten best outdoor recreation destinations in the U.S.” Just a 45-minute drive over Teton Pass is Jackson, Wyoming, a famous Western destination. The airport, at an elevation of 6,257, accommodates aircraft on both its 7,300-ft paved runway and 3,000-ft turf landing area, marked with cones. Note: The SW 3,451 feet of the paved runway is closed until August for reconstruction. Check NOTAMS before landing. Fly-in visitors are welcome to camp underwing at its grassy tie-down area. It’s an ideal gateway to the Idaho backcountry. Enjoy views of the nearby Teton Range from the 12' x 16' cedar pilot shelter. There is potable water, a toilet, power, a gas barbecue, and a charging station nearby. Within walking distance of the campground is the Forage restaurant. A bike shed and loaner bikes, provided by the Idaho Aviation Association Borrow-A-Bike program, are available to ride into town. If you desire a more urban experience or wish to explore further, the airport has rental cars. “It’s a great destination for the pilot community, with access to hiking, biking, fishing, floating, golf and a small town with numerous shops and restaurants,” RAF Director and Driggs resident Tim Riley says. He and a local RAF supporter recently completed a spring cleanup to ready it for the season. The amenities were provided cooperatively through the RAF, the Idaho Aviation Association (IAA), the City of Driggs, and its Airport Board, with financial contributions from each. For more information on Driggs, see the Airfield Guide . Submitted July 1, 2026 By Carmine Mowbray
It’s bear grass season around West Glacier, Montana, and nearly a score of volunteers from three different states drove in to Ryan Field June 12-13 to complete seasonal maintenance, and enjoyed spotting the showy blooms throughout the woods. Bear scat was also seen in several places – a reminder that a clean camp protects both campers and wildlife. The airfield remains closed until the new runway grass has stabilized for landing, so watch the Airfield Guide for an announcement that the field has re-opened. As a result, there was no annual Ryan Fly-in this year. Volunteers removed downed trees, cleared and marked hiking trails, mowed around the buildings and part of the runway, cleaned bear boxes, the pilot shelter, cabins, and barn. “We welcomed new volunteers and continue to work hard maintaining the field. We are as eager as everyone for the grass to take good hold so the runway can open again,” Administrative Director Tricia McKenna said. Submitted June 30, 2026
RAF President Bill McGlynn met in mid-June with the US Forest Service, Idaho Dept of Aeronautics, and Idaho Aviation Association to evaluate steps to improve Magee (S77) airstrip, 23 nm east of Coeur d’Alene. On the way, Bill picked up Joe Sober, one of two airport engineers from Oklahoma City who have volunteered their professional services and have been instrumental in creating maintenance and remediation plans on Idaho backcountry airstrips. “The Forest Service engineering teams have too much on their plate just addressing roads, so having this resource to make airstrip engineering assessments and plans is instrumental to resolving challenges on USFS airstrips like Magee,” McGlynn said. The improvement project at Magee has been organized through a Cost Share Agreement that the RAF has with the USFS. McGlynn, Sober, Willy Acton of the Idaho Airstrip Network, along with USFS District Ranger Holly Hampton, Don Macintosh of IAA, Dan Conner of Idaho Aeronautics, and RAF Idaho Ambassador George Weaver investigated the sources of flooding that plague Magee airstrip every spring and analyzed means of redirecting the problematic water. Magee airstrip was created in the 1940s by the Corps of Engineers as a hidden fighter base in case of a Japanese attack on the western US coast. A dike that was built to channel water away from the runway has eroded over the past eighty years. Sober took numerous measurements and will develop a plan to submit to the USFS for approval. Work could begin over the next year or two to recover about 700 feet of runway. “We truly could not do this work without our volunteer engineers and are very fortunate to have their expertise,” McGlynn said. Weaver said, “The airstrip is a real gem, and the restoration work will make it a great backcountry destination.” Submitted June 28, 2026
“It was really nice to spend some time with Wyoming folks cleaning up a little piece of history,” RAF WY/UT Ambassador Karen Larson said of the May 30 work party at Medicine Bow airport, on the historic US airmail route. RAF Wyoming Liaison Joe Feiler organized the work and reports that about 15 people with a wide range of backgrounds arrived at 9 am to help. Attendees included RAF supporters, EAA Chapter 420 members, local residents, as well as Lee Cook, Medicine Bow airport board member and town council member.
