WORTH THE READ: NEIL MORTINE 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 Neil Mortine,  a marketing and relations executive, RAF Supporter, and husband of RAF Ohio Liaison Christine Mortine.

An Aerophobic Speaks Out


My name is Neil, and I suffer from Aerophobia – an extreme, irrational fear of flying. My fear includes take offs, landings, being locked in small spaces, loss of control, pre-flight anticipation, and motion sickness.


I say this with embarrassment, knowing that flying is statistically safer than driving a car or perhaps even walking out your front door. But knowing that doesn't help.


My wife Christine is a recognized and experienced aviator and safety advocate in an industry where less than 10% of pilots are women. She is a CFII, FAA Designated Pilot Examiner, and accomplished backcountry pilot. She is an officer in numerous aviation groups.


Christine once skillfully guided her Cessna 185 into a heavily wooded suburban neighborhood following engine failure. Her primary thought was “not to kill anyone else.” Three weeks after her emergency landing, she was flying and teaching again.


None of this eases my fears, but I bravely move forward. It’s exciting locating our house from above, flying between canyon walls and landing in remote backcountry locations. It’s truly beautiful — when I open my eyes. 


I’ve met many incredible people from the Recreational Aviation Foundation who share a passion for its mission. In my career, I’ve served many clients and on numerous boards. Rarely have I seen an organization more focused, or more consistent and precise in its messaging and branding — and more enjoyable to be around — than the RAF.


I enjoy the thoughtful and well-organized spouse events at RAF volunteer gatherings, often being the only male. The restaurants, museums, alpaca farms, skijoring competitions, and microbrewery visits are awesome.


Another group I enjoy is the Ninety-Nines, an international organization of licensed women pilots. Male spouses are referred to as “forty-nine-and-a-halvers,” (yes, half a human being), damaging my already low aviation self-esteem. Regardless, I wear my “Friends of the 99s” hat and lapel pin proudly.


When Christine and I travel together, it’s often assumed I’m the pilot. Based on the lopsided gender percentage difference, I understand the perception. When I explain that Christine is the pilot and I have a career in marketing and communications, interest in me quickly fades and they look desperately for her.


I’m very quiet — almost mute — when flying with Christine. I don’t want to distract her. I limit my witty banter and forego sudden movements. She has warned me not to touch anything. But I’m 6’2” and my arms, feet and legs are touching everything. She once referred to me as “dead weight.” And it didn’t sound positive.


We made a backcountry flight from Boise, ID to Sisters, OR several years ago over beautiful remote and roadless terrain. Ten minutes into the flight, I felt an urge to urinate. This was after no water or coffee consumption for hours to avoid such a situation. I asked how much longer before we landed, and Christine gave me the estimated arrival time and said, “hold it.” The urge accelerated. I asked if she could land the plane for a few minutes, but she pointed to the landscape below and suggested using a clear zip lock bag, “and make it quick.” She added that she would “kill me” if I got “one drop” in her plane. Despite being more nervous than ever, I successfully handled the problem. We landed in Sisters with a strong crosswind, and I had to do the walk of shame across the ramp holding the bag in clear sight of all observers.


In conclusion, I’m doing my best to overcome my flying anxiety, but it’s a work in progress. I’ve received great counsel from RAF members. But some advice is better than others. To overcome my fear of snakes, I was invited on a snake hunt. I had no choice but to report this person to social services. Similarly, I won’t overcome my fear of flying by doing aerobatics. Christine has one of those planes as well.


In the meantime, I’m enjoying being a co-owner of two planes I don’t fly and attending RAF gatherings as a land-loving spouse - and more fully understanding the love my wife has for this incredible community of pilots and supporters.

Neil Mortine is the vice chairman of one of the largest independent marketing and communications agencies in the country. He is a PRWeek Global Public Relations 500 leader and has been honored for his professional and civic leadership by Columbus Business First as one of the “Most Admired CEOs” in Central Ohio. Neil and his wife Christine live in Worthington, Ohio, with their two cats. They are the proud parents of four adult children, and enjoy hiking, biking, traveling and spending as much time as possible with their six grandchildren.

Submitted June 18, 2026

Posted in Guest Editorial, News

    Recent Posts

UBCP HELPS RAF REOPEN TAYLOR FLAT AND "EXPAND THE MAP"

June 17, 2026
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. “

WE'RE ALL PART OF SEE'ING

June 16, 2026
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

TWO STRIKES AND WALK AWAY

June 15, 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

RAF FEATURED PARTNER: REDBIRD SIMULATORS

By Carmine Mowbray • June 15, 2026
This month, the RAF is featuring our friend Charlie Gregoire, co-founder of innovative Redbird Simulators. Redbird's story is of a few guys who acted on their great idea to make it easier and more affordable for anyone to become a pilot. In 2006, they imagined a flight simulator that made a pilot feel like they were flying a real airplane. “We thought a decaying Cessna Cardinal RG was the perfect prototype,” Charlie said, and “Redbird” was born. “After a few more not-quite-right prototypes, we arrived at our first product, the Redbird FMX.” And driven by the idea to make initial flight training affordable, Redbird FMX is a great primary loggable training platform. Since then, Redbird has delivered over 7,000 aviation training devices to more than 60 countries. From desktop models to full-motion units, “We’re proud of the revolutionary changes our employees and customers are bringing to this industry we are all so passionate about,” Charlie says. Charlie also serves as a member of the special RAF group of volunteers we call the Vy Group. Pilots know that Vy is the “best rate of climb” speed, and these folks help steer the RAF in ways to “gain altitude” efficiently. Redbird and the RAF have partnered on the idea to prepare pilots for the unconventional demands of backcountry flying. Redbird has incorporated backcountry training scenarios, and graciously shares their wide selection of “off pavement” experiences by inviting pilots to try their hand in simulators at aviation events, like AirVenture and Sun ’n Fun. This year we invite you to Redbird’s interactive display at AirVenture, booth 301. While there, enjoy coffee and donuts with the Redbird team and us from 8:30 am to 10:30 am on Tuesday, July 21. Charlie and his team recognize the value of partnerships like ours. He says partnerships are an important part of Redbird’s past and future success. We share a common goal to make GA as safe as possible – wherever, and whatever you choose to fly – and keep it strong with passion, dedication, and commitment. See Redbird’s complete story here . Submitted June 15, 2026 By Carmine Mowbray

GOING TO OSHKOSH? CELEBRATE OUR BIG NEWS WITH US!

June 15, 2026
We have a BIG announcement planned for AirVenture this year, and you're invited to join us to celebrate the news. Put these special events on your AirVenture schedule for Tuesday, July 21: 8:30 - 10:30 am: Donuts & Coffee at the Redbird Booth, #301 11:30 am - 1:00 pm: RAF Forum - Beyond The Pavement by Mike Goulian, Forum Stage #10 We can't wait to share what our volunteers have been working on. Submitted June 15, 2026