WORTH THE READ: MIKE TODD 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 from Mike Todd, a career pilot and longtime RAF Supporter.

You might think that it would get old and stale, this flying thing. Modern avionics make navigation accurate and easy, and we have equipment that monitors every parameter of the engine that keeps us safely in the air, warning us if something is amiss. We have auto flight systems available for our light airplanes, even old ones like my 1956 Cessna 180, that rival those that have taken us around the world in jets. We take pride in answering the challenge of keeping skills current and working with others in the air traffic system to operate safely in busy airspace. But even with all the help from modern devices and equipment, there is still romance in flight. There is still a special feel with that “almost perfect” touchdown on a grass runway, and the sound of the cylinders cooling when there is no other sound than those of nature. It’s been that way for fifty six years and well over thirty thousand hours for me, and you would think I’d get over it. 

But there is something special about flying in general, and flying in the United States of America in particular. While light airplane aviation is alive all around the world, it’s different here. We enjoy freedom of flight that is unique to only a few places in the world. Non flyers are sometimes surprised to find that I live next to a runway where I can fly whenever and pretty much wherever I choose, and back when I earned my living flying big airplanes, some of my compatriots looked at my pictures and listened to my stories of flying the backcountry with a curious look in their eye. Nowadays, I sometimes meet up with some of those airline friends in the back country. I’d like to think I had something to do with that. 

On a nice August morning last Summer, I loaded a few tools into our 180 and pushed it out of its hangar into pre-dawn light. Some of the neighbors heard the engine start up, and more of them heard us leave. The 180 isn’t quiet at takeoff power, but we wound the prop back a bit, and as it is in the backcountry, that sound has a nice decrescendo, fading to quiet in just a moment or two, so the sleepy-heads went back to dreams, or thoughts of driving to work. 

We climbed out over the Washington Cascades and put the autopilot to work, munching on a breakfast muffin as we watched the Big Bend country of the Columbia river transition to the western Rocky Mountains and river drainages of the Pend Oreille, Clark Fork, and Flathead. My good old friend, the 180 was a magic carpet, and the scenery below was a demonstration of all those things the Geology Professor told us about way back when we were young and in a hurry. 

The mission that morning was to join friends from the Recreational Aviation Foundation at a cabin raising party at Ryan Field, the place Ben and Butchie Ryan carved out of the rocks and trees on the west slope of the Flathead Range, just outside the entrance to Glacier National Park. The Ryan story is symbolic of the mission of the RAF. It’s a story of a loving couple who created a dream they wanted to keep alive, and an organization of people dedicated to making sure that happened. The Ryans are gone now, and the future of Ryan Field is protected under the stewardship of the RAF. The airstrip is still special and requires some backcountry skill and care, but that is part of the character of the place. And thanks to the hard work, imagination, and financial backing of volunteers and supporters a big timber frame barn, as well as a pilot shelter, and those rustic cabins make Ryan Field a truly unique experience. 

For many of us in the West, Ryan Field is the poster child for the mission of the RAF, but it’s just a bookend to what is happening with the organization, and thanks to the efforts of aviators and supporters across the land, great things are happening in the name of Recreational Aviation from Alaska to Florida and California to Maine. Congratulations to the RAF on the first twenty years. Keep up the good work, I’ll look forward to seeing you “Out there”.  

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, the Backcountry and airplanes have been in Mike’s blood from his earliest days. He started flying in 1967, and his first plane, a somewhat neglected 1946 Aeronca Champ came out of the airport weeds and into his life when he was a junior in High School. College in the Midwest brought a degree in Aviation as well as his first flying job, and from there he was fortunate to make a living flying around the world, working up the ladder from Twin Otters in Alaska to 747’s at United. The old Champ introduced him to grass runways and backcountry places around the country, and seven years into retirement, those places, as well as the Super Cub and Cessna 180 that share his hangar with the old Champ continue to be his passions.

Submitted on May 23, 2023.

Posted in Guest Editorial, News

    Recent Posts

RAF OUTFITTER JULY FEATURED COLLECTION

July 5, 2026
FEATURING: RAF PULASKI GLASSES Raise a glass to the work that keeps backcountry aviation alive! These RAF Pulaski Glasses are a perfect addition to your bar or a thoughtful gift for any aviation or backcountry enthusiast. Each glass features the RAF’s signature Pulaski tool, a tribute to the hardworking volunteers who preserve, improve, and protect airstrips across the country. Just like the tool itself, these glasses celebrate grit, utility, and a commitment to getting the job done. The Pulaski is a versatile, heavy-duty tool used for trail building, chopping wood, and clearing brush, making it an essential part of backcountry work for RAF volunteers. Made in the USA from high-quality glass, they’re built to last. Get yours today. 

FEATURED AIRSTRIP: DRIGGS-REED MEMORIAL, ID

By Carmine Mowbray • July 1, 2026
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

VOLUNTEERS COMPLETE SEASONAL TASKS AT RYAN FIELD

June 30, 2026
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

MAGEE, ID FLOOD MITIGATION ASSESSMENT BEGINS

June 26, 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

TEAMWORK GETS THINGS DONE AT HISTORIC MEDICINE BOW, WYOMING

June 26, 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.