Recreational Aviation Foundation Calif. state Liaison Rick Lach was warmly welcomed by the Del Amo flying club at the Palos Verde golf club for its May dinner meeting. Mitch Taylor, Program Director for the group, flies a Grumman Tiger out of Torrance, and introduced Lach.

After the presentation on the RAF and its goals, there were comments about the Sierra mountain strips that had been closed – Wonderful-sounding places like Monache Meadows, Coyote Flats, Tunnel Meadows and Templeton Meadows; the last two were officially closed when the wilderness surrounding them was created. 

“Our club is growing, and it’s great to see younger, new members taking an interest,” Taylor said. “Some of our members definitely take an interest in the backcountry kind of flying.”

He thanked Lach for his presentation on the RAF and both look forward to potential collaboration. “We would welcome support from those who appreciate our mission,” Lach said, adding, “We appreciate learning of any potential locations that could become recreation flying destinations.”

“This show is to aviation what Cabela’s is to sporting goods,” one Alaska pilot said at the Recreational Aviation Foundation booth during the May 4-5 “Great Alaska Airmen’s Gathering” in Anchorage. Although it was the sixteenth annual trade show for the Alaska organization, it was the first appearance there for the RAF.

Recreational Aviation Foundation Arkansas State Liaison Dave Myrick reports that after sending a copy of the RAF newsletter and website links to another Arkansas pilot, he received some exciting news.

“The phone call made my day,” Myrick said. “It was RAF member David Ellison of Bradford. He knew of our success with the Arkansas Recreational Use Statutes (RUS) amendment and decided to call me.”

Ellison had flown as an ag pilot for 16 years when he decided to turn his passion for aviation in another direction. He told Myrick that he plans to purchase 75 acres to build a 3,000-foot turf airstrip with a slightly shorter crosswind runway.

“He said that his membership and belief in the RAF closed the deal on his decision,” Myrick said.

One of his primary goals is to provide camping and recreation opportunities. The property is centrally located in the state for fly-ins with two airports with services 25-30 miles nearby.

The two discussed RUS protections, logistical issues, and private property rights in Arkansas. Ellison is considering registering with the FAA to be included on charts for better exposure.

“I always believed that the RUS amendments are the first step in a much larger long term plan. Stories like this reinforce our belief that it is all worth the work and effort,” Myrick said.

Pictured on the right is David Ellison

When Drew Hatch and Gary Brooks were first denied permission to land and camp at a state owned airstrip in the Florida Panhandle, they had never heard of the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF).

And when Drew finally found the RAF, the foundation had never heard of the Blackwater Airfield (8FD3) located within the 210,000 acre Blackwater State Forest.

Fast forward two years to the weekend of March 30, 2013, when Drew and Gary finally got their wish as the RAF hosted a weekend gathering at 8FD3 - what they hope to be just the beginning of aviation access to the Blackwater Forest.

The RAF is a national organization whose mission is to preserve, maintain and create recreational airstrips nationwide.  Prior to the Blackwater project, most of the foundation’s work had been accomplished with federal land managers including US Forest Service, National Parks and Bureau of Land Management.  

"This is our first time working with a state forest," explained RAF director and Central Florida resident Tim Clifford, "and while it has taken some time, the Florida Forest Service has maintained a ‘let’s find a way’ attitude throughout the process.

The 4,000-foot grass strip was originally constructed with intended use for firefighting, forestry and law enforcement.  It coincidentally is located within 100 yards of the Krul Lake Recreational Area that includes a campground, swimming lake and shower / restroom facilities.  Surrounding the area are numerous recreational opportunities including fishing, hiking, canoeing and horseback riding.

"I think it is safe to say that no more than a handful of recreational airstrips in the country offer the amenities of the Blackwater," Clifford went on to say. "If you were to define the ideal recreational aviation destination this would be it.  Every kind of activity imaginable is either here or a short hop away, including some of the world’s most beautiful beaches and, of course, the National Naval Aviation Museum."

The RAF weekend saw a gathering of aircraft, ranging from a Champ to a Swift, some Cessnas, Stinsons, Maules and a Piper Cherokee, with more than 60 guests traveling in from around the state.  A well-organized volunteer work party performed some much-needed maintenance, including painting runway markers and wind indicators as well as filling runway potholes and knocking down ant hills.  Friday arrivals were treated to Drew's "not" world-famous chili for dinner and cook-your-own steaks were accompanied by a wide selection of "favorite dishes" brought by guests on Saturday evening.  At the end of each day, attendees gathered around a robust campfire to share the day’s events, tell a few tall tales of flying adventures and make plans for tomorrow.

Watching the activity Saturday afternoon, Gary Brooks observed, sounding just a bit like a proud parent: “We’re sure glad we found the RAF, this is going to be a great place for folks to visit for years to come!”

RAF member Pat Lee agreed and summed up the enthusiasm of the weekend in his thank you email: “I hope we (RAF) have blazed a trail for others.  I am proud to be a member.”

The RAF is in final discussions with the Florida Forest Service to arrange ongoing aviation access to the Blackwater and hopes to announce that the airfield is open within the next few months.

The airstrip at Grand Gulch, AZ, near the north rim of the Grand Canyon was the scene of a work party Mar. 16 headed up by Recreational Aviation Foundation southern Utah Liaison Wayne Loeber. Thanks to last year’s efforts by the RAF to commit to a maintenance agreement with the BLM and National Park Service, access to this historic airstrip has been assured for years to come. The first all-volunteer work party took place last May, involving volunteers from the RAF, Utah Backcountry Pilots and Arizona Pilots Assoc.

RAF Utah Liaison Steve Durtschi, RAF volunteers and Utah Backcountry Pilots cooperated on this year’s project. Weather was ideal and a half dozen folks flew into the dirt strip, located just under 50 miles southwest of St. George; others endured primitive canyon country roads to arrive there. The help came from around Utah and New Mexico; a Cessna 206 from near Hurricane, UT landed, bringing two pilot friends from Alaska.

Volunteers were greeted by Matthew Hintzman from Grand Canyon-Parashant Nat’l Monument.

Teams worked both runways, using hand tools to improve the approx. 2,500 ft N/S and mechanically dragging the E/W runway.

“The north-south is in reasonable shape and east-west is okay for backcountry aircraft and will improve as we get more rock thrown off,” said Gordon Rock, RAF volunteer who flies out of the Seattle area and St. George, UT.