Luke Lachendro is a Wisconsin RAF Ambassador and founder of Aviation Asset Management Group. He grew up on a private airstrip and has built a career around his lifelong passion for aviation, helping clients navigate aircraft ownership and management. An active volunteer and advocate for recreational flying, Luke is committed to giving back to the aviation community that shaped his journey.
WORTH THE READ: LUKE LACHENDRO 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 guest editorial is by Luke Lachendro, a Wisconsin pilot and an RAF Ambassador.
Preserving More Than Airstrips
In aviation, we often talk about freedom. The ability to lift off from the ground and chase horizons few others get to see. But for me, the real freedom in aviation comes not just from where we can fly, but from who we meet when we land.
As a younger aviator who grew up on a private airstrip in south-central Wisconsin, I’ve been incredibly lucky. Not just to fly over 80 different types of airplanes, but to be surrounded by a tribe of aviators, mentors, and friends who have helped shape my path. That sense of community and shared purpose is at the heart of why I fly, and why I believe so deeply in the mission of the Recreational Aviation Foundation.
Backcountry aviation and grassroots flying are full of technical challenges, regulatory work, and physical labor. But what keeps it moving forward is the people. The airstrip owner who hands you a wrench and a story. The couple who opens their hangar and fires up a grill. The mentor who walks you through your first “real” cross-country. These relationships don’t just make flying better, they make it sustainable, meaningful, and worth protecting.
I’ve found that my aviation family isn’t about blood, it’s about shared passion. The people I’ve met through aviation have opened doors I never knew existed. Opportunities to fly new aircraft, to grow a business, to take on leadership roles, and to give back. And in return, I try to do the same. That spirit of paying it forward and lifting others as you grow is a thread I see woven into every RAF volunteer I’ve had the pleasure to meet.
The RAF understands this better than anyone. Their work isn’t just about preserving airstrips; it’s about preserving access. Not only to places, but also to relationships (very important to focus on this with the next generation of aviators). Every time the RAF protects a backcountry airfield, they’re safeguarding a gathering place. A space where friendships are born over donuts by a windsock, or where a kid gets their first airplane ride that changes the direction of their life.
The beauty of RAF-supported airstrips isn’t just in the views or the remoteness. It’s in the connections. They bring us together in ways that’s unexplainable. In a world that often feels disconnected, aviation remains one of the few places where a stranger on the radio becomes a friend by the time you shut down the engine. As a fellow RAF supporter likes to say, “For those who understand, no explanation is necessary. For those who don’t, no explanation is possible.” The RAF is an excellent steward of explaining the necessity of keeping the impossible, possible!
I’m still early in my aviation journey, and I know there’s a lot left to learn. But one thing has become clear. You can’t solo your way through aviation. You can’t fake it until you make it. You need the hangar talks, the right-seat rides, the advice that only comes from years of experience, trial, and a few mistakes along the way.
To those who have guided me so far, thank you. And to those just starting out: don’t chase the ratings without also chasing the relationships. Because when you need advice, a part, or a place to land, your logbook won’t have the answer. Your friends, mentors, and RAF family will.
Supporting the RAF isn’t just about making a donation (please keep doing that though). It’s about joining a culture that believes flying isn’t a solo act, but a shared experience. It’s about saying yes to being part of something meaningful and lasting. Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about where you can land. It’s about who’s there when you do. And if you land at my home airstrip, you want my mom to be there because there’s nothing that beats her dark chocolate chip banana bread after a flight.
Submitted June 26, 2025
Posted in Guest Editorial, News
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RAF New Hampshire Liaison John Meade coordinated a work party over the June 13-14 weekend at Hawthorne-Feather Airpark, 8B1. The paved 3,260-ft runway lies in a forested valley three miles south of Hillsborough, New Hampshire. Additionally, there is a 2,000 foot adjoining turf landing area to the East of the paved runway. The airpark is privately owned, but is open to the public, and camping is allowed. A group of 11 volunteers showed up to help, including RAF Director Bill Brine. The group helped open up five campsites on the southern end of the airfield, installed a commemorative flagpole, and weed-whacked along drainage ditches and a walking trail. “With volunteers from six different states and great weather, this was a special day, with plenty accomplished,” Meade said. Submitted June 23, 2026
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 Neil Mortine, a marketing and relations executive, RAF Supporter, and husband of RAF Ohio Liaison Christine Mortine.
Taylor Flat Airstrip, just a stone’s throw from the wild and scenic Green River as it carves through spectacular Utah canyons, is officially reopened. Thanks to a cooperative effort between the RAF and Utah Back Country Pilots (UBCP), Taylor Flat Airstrip, TF9, is one more recreational destination pilots can once again enjoy as the RAF works on Expanding The Map ! In 2023, dialog was initiated with the BLM to reopen the airstrip. Daggett County got involved, and RAF Utah Liaison Wendy Lessig navigated the required NEPA process. Lessig was instrumental in preparing a right of way (ROW) lease agreement application, coordinating between Daggett County, the BLM, and other stakeholders, and gathering information to assist the BLM throughout the required Environmental Assessment. “Thanks to Wendy taking action as the RAF Liaison, and her professional persistence following through the lengthy public review process, Taylor Flat Airstrip will reopen as another unique backcountry destination," RAF President Bill McGlynn said. The RAF and UBCP teamed up May 9 to revitalize the airstrip, which had lain dormant for thirty years. “The work party was a resounding success,” Lessig reports. ”We are grateful for the twenty-five volunteers who hand-picked rocks from the airstrip, and used them to mark the runway corners and threshold. “
Starting this month, we’re sharing messages from our RAF Safety, Education and Etiquette “SEE” committee. We hope you like the way we present these stories, and most importantly, we hope you’re one of those folks willing to sit around the campfire and help your friends become better at this thing we call backcountry aviation. We all see things that might not end well. We don’t intend to call anyone out for what might already be a bad day in someone’s flying life. In the interest of safety, we’re inviting you to be part of the culture starting with, “see something, say something.” The hard part might be how to politely deliver that message, and even more important, how to react if we are on the receiving end of someone’s comment. It takes maturity to accept input, especially at one of those moments when maybe we realize things could have just gotten much worse for us. I know I’ve been in “that place” when some thoughtful input about my flying or behavior has been offered. Part of flying is to always strive to be better; and when we aren’t at our best, try to own our shortcomings, learn from them, and move forward. I think about this often. I worry that if we don’t work at getting this part right, at best we risk losing access due to bad practices or behavior; and at worst we risk people getting hurt or worse. It’s that last piece that keeps me up at night. Of all the joys that doing this work brings us at the RAF, the risk of people getting hurt is what I think about the most. Safety, education, and etiquette are tied. Getting these right means the best outcome. So, get out there this summer. Get some grass stains on your wheels, get some bugs on your windscreen, get better at your craft of flying the airplane, meet some new people, and for sure start to create those special friendships that begin around a campfire under a starlit night. - John McKenna, RAF Chairman Submitted June 16, 2026
By RAF Director Bill Brine and the RAF's Safety, Education, and Etiquette Committee. Too many backcountry accidents happen on the third approach. After two unsuccessful attempts at landing, the pilot is tired, anxious, behind the airplane, and making decisions with a brain that has been running down since the first go-around. The airstrip hasn’t gotten easier. Third time’s NOT a charm. What’s driving this is cultural. Baseball is “three strikes, you’re out.” Could this thinking have joined us in the cockpit? We aren’t playing baseball out here. The backcountry does not give you that third strike. It gives you consequences. Our RAF Code of Conduct calls on each of us to establish personal minimums based on sound aeronautical decision-making — before we need them. Decide your limits at the kitchen table. Write it down. Brief your passengers. Commit to it before you start the engine. That’s when the rule does its job and leads to that hoped-for experience you set out on. Here is one worth considering: two attempts, fly away, head somewhere else . Not because your mission failed, but because you made a sound decision. Flying away is not defeat. Head to your alternate. Land, shut down, and let everyone decompress. Unload gear, leave passengers, go back solo, or call it a day. Those are good outcomes. Submitted June 15, 2026 Photo Credit: Scott Newpower
