Julie Boatman learned to fly at a private strip in Iowa starting in high school. She holds an airline transport pilot certificate with a commercial glider rating, and is a CFII. Julie’s the editor-in-chief for Flying Media Group, and she learns something new about the art of aviating every time she flies.
WORTH THE READ: JULIE BOATMAN 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 Julie Boatman, the editor-in-chief for Flying Media Group.
A Mountain Mentor: The RAF provides more than just support for our favorite places to fly.
Mountain checkouts ranked among my favorite dual sessions to fly during the years after college that I spent instructing in Colorado out of the Boulder Municipal Airport—then 1V5, now KBDU, a change I find hilarious. We’d fly to Aspen (KASE), Leadville (KLXV), and Steamboat Springs (KSBS), which will always hold a special place in my heart—both for its bountiful slopes and stunningly beautiful summer marathon.
I spent more than a decade based in Colorado, with every flight managing relatively high field elevations and density altitude performance reductions. Not having to lean during the runup still feels a bit strange to me today when flying in the flatlands.
But by and large those airports we’d fly into west of the Continental Divide were all paved—and well used. Though they each had their elements of objective hazard, none—not even Glenwood Springs (KGWS now) with its shortish runway and mostly one-way ops—could qualify as remote or unimproved. Therefore, I treated the transition I would make into the true backcountry with a lot of respect, because I had seen firsthand how insidious those high-country hazards can be, and how quickly the risks multiply with carelessness or neglect.
That’s also why I find the work that the Recreational Aviation Foundation does so valuable. The group reaches far beyond its considerable efforts to retain access and establish and maintain places to land in every state. RAF members serve as counselors and guides to those wishing to explore these marvelous lands from the air—and with minimal impact as compared to land-based transportation, I might add.
My introduction to the types of places RAF protects began in 2005, and though my teachers weren’t all RAF mentors per se, the model they collectively presented lies in the same vein.
In October 2005, I went flying on a mountain course with Lori MacNichol out of McCall, Idaho. After detailed airwork understanding her 180 hp Cessna 172’s specific performance, we headed first to Johnson Creek (3U2). Then she worked us to progressively more challenging terrain and approaches: Soldier Bar (85U), Wilson Bar (C48), and Cabin Creek (I08) in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. I learned immeasurably from each one, taking pieces I could incorporate into my flying, and techniques I still practice to this day.
Flash forward to October 2019, and I found myself in a beginner’s mindset again under the tutelage of Fred Williams on a WomanWise Adventure Week in Cascade, Idaho. He introduced me first to his backcountry version of the Kitfox—an amazing tool—and then worked me into progressively more “interesting” places. The next day I flew with Stacey Budell in her stock Cessna 182, and though Stanley (2U7) and Smiley Creek (U87) were “easy”—save for the bear and cubs passing along the perimeter—the approaches into Idaho City (U98) and Garden Valley (U88) kicked it up a notch. Again, the tools that these sessions with experienced instructors added to my box of tricks and have served me so well, so far.
Two RAF-connected mentors have taught me even more. In October 2020, Steve Taylor not only introduced me to his beautiful bouncing beach ball of a Republic SeaBee, but also to his Cessna “184 a half” in which we plied around the San Juans near Seattle in search of ghosts and glaciers and marionberry pie.
My latest off-airport adventures I shared last August in eastern Washington state with Brad Damm at CubCrafters—to landing sites without names. The time we spent talking and thinking and flying drove home the unique nature of these spaces once more.
The mentorship from these pilots goes beyond the hard skills and techniques you learn. There’s an overall philosophy you absorb through the behaviors they model—the respect for the airplane, the terrain, the land, and the people around you. You might venture out to an RAF-supported strip using the guidance you find on their website, but I encourage you to get to know the teachers within the group from whom you can learn so much.
Submitted on June 26, 2023.
Posted in Guest Editorial, News
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“The only people who can change something are the ones who really want to. And not everybody does.” When I read this, it took me back to the early days of the RAF. We saw a troubling trend taking place — the loss of airstrips across the country with no real organized voices to help put the brakes on the decline. And we really wanted to change that. Change demanded new ideas from us. Ideas that we assumed would initially be resisted. This defined our purpose. Good ideas come with the burden of effort and purpose. That separates those with a strong purpose from those without. We wanted to create an organization that would counteract the attrition of backcountry airstrips we saw taking place. We rolled up our sleeves and didn’t look back. Easy to say now that the RAF was lucky, but it was purpose that drove the organization in the early years; that really formed who we are today. A group of people with a purpose who knew we needed more people who thought like we did, and cared; people who took this idea called the RAF and added to it, keeping it unique but effective. We felt that most of the existing business models in the nonprofit space were not what we needed to be, and we pushed forward persistently with our thinking – thinking that required putting our own personal desires aside and pursuing ones that were for a greater good. You joined in. You, too, found purpose in the RAF and now look where we are. Nearly 15,000 of us are making the necessary sacrifices to make our voices heard, to create a better environment for the future of recreational aviation. We have more opportunities today because of you. Each one of us is important to continue the momentum we have gained. To determine what the RAF can do to further our mission to preserve, improve, and create airstrips for recreational access. To prioritize the many opportunities coming our way. It is about us, and what we are going to do with the time we have left on this earth. This organization will hopefully give you purpose now and in the future. Most importantly, I really hope it will give you as much sense of accomplishment as it has me. Thank you for what you continue to do. - John McKenna, RAF Chairman Submitted April 15, 2026
FEATURING: THE RAF DOG COLLECTION MODELED BY JOSIE & MUD Outfit your four-legged co-pilot for every adventure! From airplane rides to backcountry trails, this collection has everything they need to travel in comfort and style. Featuring two new additions—a stainless steel Orvis dog bowl and DawgMuffs—alongside RAF favorites like the collar, leash, and bandana. This collection includes items designed and created by RAF supporters. Shop the Dog Collection here. If you have questions, please email contact@theraf.org or call 406-582-1723. Your RAF Outfitter purchase is greatly appreciated and furthers the mission to preserve, improve, and create airstrips for recreational access. You can support the RAF mission all year by shopping at the RAF Outfitter online store. Products are being added regularly, and items are thoughtfully selected for durability and suitability for pilots, by pilots. We welcome photos of supporters using RAF gear! Please send your images to ewhite@theraf.org , and let us know if we have permission to post them on social media or our website. Submitted April 5, 2026.
Call To Action Volunteer
As you're planning your 2026 flying adventures, remember to review safety briefings for the airstrips you plan to visit. The RAF strongly recommends you review safety briefings and print a copy to have in your airplane - it's even required to fly into some airfields, like Ryan Field (2MT1). For those airfields, pilots flying in are required to review the briefing on an annual basis, and now is the perfect time to catch up on any changes to the runway/area that happened throughout the winter. You can find safety briefings on the RAF Airfield Guide . If an airfield in the Airfield Guide has a required briefing, the airfield listing will clearly indicate it and have a tab to view the briefing. Submitted March 30, 2026 Photo By Jim Stevenson
RAF Texas volunteers and Ranger Airfield Foundation volunteers helped begin restoration of the historic 1928 Ranger Airfield hangar on March 28. “A Wright biplane landed here at the field in 1911, and people have been using it ever since,” Ranger Airfield Foundation Founder Jared Calvert said. He noted that Amelia Earhart landed there in a Pitcairn Auto Gyro. Richard Bach, Pancho Barnes, and General Patton also landed at the field. It’s the oldest continuously used turf field in Texas.
