WORTH THE READ: SARAH BROWN 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 Sarah Brown, pilot and RAF Oregon Ambassador.

“Ain’t nobody got time for that!” and “I am not nearly qualified enough…” were the first things I thought when I was invited to apply for an Oregon RAF Ambassador position. As is clear to everyone familiar with the RAF, the RAF does incredible work. The RAF has movers and shakers with Energizer Bunny reservoirs of get ‘er done. The RAF is widely successful, and all I could think was “I’m not sure I have what it takes to be a title-holding part of this organization.”

It’s not that I haven’t been able to do hard things, or time-consuming things. I raced bicycles for 5 years. I went from student pilot to CFII/MEI in a little over a year at a school that wasn’t an accelerated program. I remodeled a house with my boyfriend, then taught him to fly, and we still ended up getting married! But unknown challenges in unfamiliar areas feel like a fresh and insurmountable wall to those of us who are afflicted by perfectionism.

It turns out, a reason I love being a RAF Ambassador is that the volunteer description overlaps what I was doing anyway – telling friends, coworkers, and acquaintances about flying my Cessna to one recreational activity or another.

One summer a girlfriend and I went island hopping with our road bikes in the Washington San Juans, pedaling the islands and camping each night between flights. Most summer weekends, my husband and I fly out to airplane camp with our elderly dog, or without the pup, the plane is packed full of backpacking and fly-fishing gear. It’s just what we do! Each destination airport is a place we appreciate and cherish, and finding large or small ways to help take care of it is second nature. Telling folks I meet about the RAF mission is a natural extension of talking about my everyday life. Volunteering doesn’t have to be hard. And it doesn’t have to be a full-time job.

I have a full-time job. I am a Boeing 737 captain at a major airline, but I hold only minor seniority in that seat. This equates to schedules I have little control over, and a scarcity of time at home.

In past experiences, such as trying to build an airplane, I’ve felt it’s an endeavor so huge it’s hopeless until retirement. Sometimes volunteering feels similar. What good am I with so little time to give? Maybe I should just wait until I retire.

It’s natural to compare myself to my Oregon co-Ambassador, Kevin Johnson, who is a prime-time, rockstar RAF volunteer. That man gets stuff DONE! He has skills, makes time, and turns himself inside out to serve the pilot community through the RAF. Dang, are we lucky to have him. And boy howdy, has it taken a minute to come to peace with not having the same resume to offer this organization. Yet a significant learning moment for me has been accepting and appreciating that. Even when you feel you’re only contributing a little, it still matters.

At work, I fly alongside a wonderful cadre of passionate aviators. The handful who participate in General Aviation often express interest in using an airplane to recreate. Some are already RAF supporters, but most times it’s my honor to introduce them to the RAF. Have I failed to carry those iconic orange RAF stickers on all my work trips? Of course! Can I drop an RAF sticker and an invite to a work party in a coworker’s file a week after flying with that person? Sure can. I have realized over the past 22 months of volunteering as an RAF Ambassador that reaching out to a diverse group of pilots is important to the future success of the RAF.

I’ve even discovered that through the commitment of my employer to community service, I can log the time I volunteer for the RAF, submit it to our work Giving account, and my employer makes a donation back to the RAF. How awesome and efficient is that?

For those of you who are still working full time and wondering if volunteering is right for you, I’d like to be your cheerleader. Volunteering is not just for retirees. Those of us with full-time jobs associate with a vast demographic of people who are valuable to our volunteer organization, and we are the conduit between those groups. When you find a volunteer position that easily coexists with your hobbies and pastimes, it’s not only fun, it’s easy! As I well know, though your time might feel scarce, contributing even a little is still helpful. And finally, if you’re going to volunteer for a group as cool as the RAF, always carry stickers!

Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Sarah began flight training at age seventeen and moved into flying corporate jets at age twenty. Eleven years later she joined the airline pilot ranks, and was reintroduced to general aviation through her coworkers. An avid outdoorsperson since her 20’s, combining flying and outdoor recreation was an exciting prospect, and she has enjoyed recreating with her husband and their airplanes ever since.

Submitted September 26, 2025

Posted in Guest Editorial, News

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VOLUNTEERS IMPROVE CAMPING AT NEW HAMPSHIRE AIRPARK

June 23, 2026
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

WORTH THE READ: NEIL MORTINE GUEST EDITORIAL

June 18, 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.

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