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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FEATURING: TOOL ROLLS Whether you’re heading to the hangar, the backcountry, or your next work party, staying organized matters. The RAF Tool Roll keeps your essential tools secure, accessible, and ready when you need them most. Designed to fit conveniently in your airplane or vehicle, it features multiple zippered pouches, labeled compartments, and a durable roll-up design with built-in handles for easy transport. No more digging through a loose toolbox or searching for that one tool you need. Keep your gear organized to spend less time looking and more time flying!
Landing and camping at Taylor Flat airstrip puts your tent only a stone’s throw from the wild and scenic Green River, as it carves through spectacular Utah canyons. You can tie down and camp under your wing along the north side of the airstrip, or walk to the river and camp. Just 34 nm northeast of Vernal, you can now land at this high, remote BLM airstrip and enjoy its world-class fly fishing, but be sure to get your license before you arrive. If you packed your kayak or inflatable, there’s a boat ramp just west of the public campground. An easy 1.8-mile walk from the airstrip takes you to the historic 1880 John Jarvie Ranch, an open-air museum with hands-on exhibits showing pioneer ranch life in this remote northeast corner of Utah. This airstrip had lain dormant for thirty years, and is now open for public non-commercial use, thanks to pilots who recognized its special recreational value. The RAF worked through the steps to see that the BLM reopened it. One restoration work weekend brought twenty-five volunteers from both Utah Back Country Pilots (UBCP) and the RAF who hand-picked rocks from the airstrip, painted them, and used them to mark the runway corners and thresholds. UBCP provided a new windsock pole for the new RAF windsock. RAF Utah Liaison Wendy Lessig said, “It was another demonstration of working together toward the same goal.” There are no other amenities, so be prepared with what you need, and as always, please pack everything out. Those using the airstrip are asked to be mindful of the sensitive environmental area, marked with 16-ft X’s, creating a displaced threshold on the east end of the dirt runway. The useable runway length is 2,500 feet, and the field elevation is 5,630. The area east of the runway is hazardous to aircraft operations. In addition to being a sensitive environmental area, it. is cross-crossed with ditches, and is not safe for aircraft use. Taylor Flat is another special recreational destination for pilots to visit as RAF works across the country on Expanding The Map! Find more on Taylor Flat in the Airfield Guide . You may also find user reports here on the UBCP website . Submitted July 31, 2026 By Carmine Mowbray
RAF Maine Liaison Andy Rowe and former Maine Liaison/now Ambassador Steve Mason have long been advocating for and organizing improvements at several airfields in North Maine, in cooperation with North Maine Woods (NMW). Rowe was awarded an RAF grant for materials to add a shelter, picnic table, and outhouse at Estcourt Airfield (19ME) and organized RAF and NMW volunteers to provide labor.
The new Fly Rocky Top airstrip network, developed by the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF), is now open to backcountry aviation enthusiasts. Located in East Tennessee, Fly Rocky Top is a "basecamp and outpost" concept for regional aviation exploration, adding the Southeast to a growing collection of well-recognized recreational airstrip networks across the country, including Fly Oz in Arkansas and others in the West and Southwest. Fly Rocky Top is the most significant achievement to date of the RAF's Expanding the Map initiative, a nationwide effort focused on opening, improving, and restoring access to airstrips, helping connect aviators to more of the places they love to explore. Named and inspired by local culture, each Fly Rocky Top airstrip has unique features, amenities, and recreational options that embody the mission and spirit of the RAF. The new network is in the heart of a region nationally recognized for its unique topography that includes the Obed Wild and Scenic River, Big South Fork National Recreation Area, Cumberland Plateau, and Great Smoky Mountains… altogether a landscape uniquely suited to backcountry aviation. Rockwood Municipal Airport, RKW, anchors the network with its 2,400-ft manicured turf landing area and is designed with backcountry flyers in mind. Rockwood Aviation, which operates RKW, offers products and services for pilots to engage in tailwheel, backcountry, and recreational flying, including training, service, and support. City of Rockwood Mayor Jason Jolly highlighted the significance of Rockwood Airport to the community and East Tennessee. Mayor Jolly said, "We are a national recreation destination and the progress at Rockwood Airport and the surrounding network of airstrips is just the latest step in our region's growth and development for adventurers and enthusiasts." The Fly Rocky Top network is unique in that the initial collection of airstrips – with more planned – are a combination of both public lands and privately owned property with the common desire to welcome the flying public. Specific new airstrips in the Fly Rocky Top network include Smuggler's Landing, a grass landing area at RKW (with tent camping and a welcoming pavilion planned), McGraw's Backyard (5TN4), Robbin's Farm, and Tellico Plains (85TN). An additional outpost, Sawbriar, will be ready in August 2026. More airstrips are in the process of being added and will appear on the Fly Rocky Top webpage . Plans continue to add amenities to each RAF Fly Rocky Top airstrip, including accessible flush toilets and timber-framed shelters where camping is available. Other attractions include access to world-class upland bird hunting, hiking, some of the nation’s best trout fishing, kayaking/canoeing on the Clinch and Tennessee Rivers, and a 44-mile Water Trail on Beaver Creek. Select airstrips have access to meals and accommodations. RAF Co-founder and Chairman John McKenna highlighted what makes this opening so important. “Fly Rocky Top is not just a new airstrip network; it’s also a group of pilots who are passionate about aviation, stewardship, and the great outdoors,” he said. “Fly Rocky Top will connect Southeast pilots, landowners, and outdoor enthusiasts alike with the shared mission to preserve access to the region's wild beauty and outdoor recreational opportunities.”
RAF Montana Liaison Scott Newpower organizes the annual Montana Pilots Association and RAF cooperative work party at Schafer Meadows USFS airstrip, and on Saturday, July 18, nearly two dozen volunteers flew in to help. The airstrip lies in the Great Bear Wilderness, so work is limited to hand tools. A special thanks to Montana Aeronautics Aviation Support Officer Stephen Torske and the team at MT Aeronautics for their support.
