Need another good reason to fly to San Marcos, TX? The beautiful old city located between Austin and San Antonio is known for bountiful crystal clear water, and aviation innovator Redbird Skyport, right on the field (KHYI).  And thanks to Redbird’s generous corporate sponsorship, you can now enjoy one of the RAF’s attractive Fire Hubs on the lawn near their full-service FBO. 

Dedicated on October 22, the San Marcos Fire Hub follows the inaugural RAF Fire Hub at Sun n’ Fun, (Lakeland, FL), and both are ready for use.  Fire Hubs are opportunities for individuals to buy commemorative bricks with their personalized message. The bricks are permanently placed around the artistically etched hub. “A campfire naturally attracts folks, and what better way to come together and share our passion for recreational flying?” asks Dan Prill, RAF vice president.

 “Our Fire Hub projects are well-received as fundraisers, and every dollar of profit furthers the RAF mission of preserving our freedom to enjoy recreational destinations,” RAF Fire Hub Project Manager Jim Lynch said.

The cornerstone contribution of $12,500  is provided by a corporate sponsor, and each Fire Hub is installed by RAF volunteers, under supervision of Lynch. Donors may use the RAF website to purchase any number of bricks for $100 each. The RAF would like to build 50 fire hubs across the country.

Photo provided by Jeff Van West, Redbird Simulations

The RAF is headed to Palm Springs, CA to attend the AOPA Summit, Oct. 11-13^th.  Be sure and stop by booth #900, sit around our campfire and talk about recreational and backcountry airstrips.  Everyone will be there and anxious to visit with you.  We are also going to pitch our tent on the east lawn under the wing of a new Cub Crafters, Carbon Cub.  We’re easy to spot, remember we are the “fun guys” in the orange shirts!

We’ll be looking for you!  

New Hampshire Backcountry in Full Bloom – June 2012

Spring comes late to the high mountain pastures and when it does the blooms are spectacular.  Each year, the mountainside blooming of the rare alpine reprobates, propeller heads, nasenbohren and hineydraggers occurs with great anticipation and subsequent memories.

Thirty-four people came together the weekend of Aug. 17- 19 to share the excitement of backcountry flying and the outdoors with kids at Ryan’s Field in West Glacier, Montana.  Seven airplanes flew in with 10 kids while another five arrived with parties who drove in for the fun-filled weekend.

Parties came from all reaches of Montana and one from Idaho to experience the beauty of Northwest Montana at Ryan’s Field and to share it with their kids or grandkids.  It truly is a beautiful gateway to Glacier National Park and the surrounding area with an amazing facility constructed by the Recreational Aviation Foundation, which includes a pilot shelter and courtesy car available for pilot use.

The weekend was centered on introducing youth to the joys of flying and the great outdoors and no better place to do it then at Ryan’s Field.  The kids had the opportunity to enjoy several individual activities ranging from horse shoes, ladder ball, and soccer to group activities of whitewater rafting and geo caching.  Ben and Butchie Ryan came up and opened up the shop so the kids could tour the airplanes Ben had built over the years.  There were several other activities planned but the kids had so much fun throughout the day we didn’t even have the opportunity to pull anything else out of the box.

The games began after a hearty breakfast prepared by John Stene with a fun-filled event called geocaching.  Eighteen sites were setup all around the area surrounding Ryan Field and groups of kids with GPSs and navigational skills in hand marched out in search of the prized “booty”.  Overall the winning team completed the geocache course in five hours and one minute with all sorts of new items in their pockets.

Another group donned their swimsuits and hit a guided whitewater-rafting trip down the Middle Fork with Glacier Raft Company.  They had a great time enjoying the scenic byways of the river on a hot day with VERY cold water.

We wrapped up a long day with the kids enjoying some down time before dinner and receiving a tour of Ben’s airplanes and shop.  Dinner, sponsored by Montana Pilots Assoc, and included smoked chicken and brisket, fresh salsa dip, cucumber salad, beans, and buns.  No one left hungry. 

After dinner, it was time for a campfire and some fun with a carbide cannon.  The kids thought the cannon was “EPIC” as they would say.   We wasted the night away roasting S ’Mores, caramels and Ritz (excellent), consuming homemade ice cream, and Pete Smith showing us how to roast cinnamon rolls on a stick.  The kids had a blast enjoying the campfire, treats, and amazingly bright stars and watching the satellites zoom through the sky.

We closed out the weekend activities on Sunday with a great community breakfast followed by tearing down camp and the roar of airplanes departing for home.  It was great to see the excitement in all of the kids’ faces throughout the weekend enjoying the outdoors and experiencing flying to a remote area.  They certainly had fun with all of the activities and meeting and playing with new friends.

Sharing aviation and the outdoors with our kids is a passion for both my wife and me — and that sole reason spawned the effort on putting together such an activity. We are grateful for all of those who attended and look forward to hosting a similar event next year, so be prepared to mark your calendars.  

RAF President John McKenna attended a planning meeting regarding a potentially new airstrip in an area of Minnesota known as the North West Angle, or as the locals refer to it as “The Angle.” The meeting, organized by James Hanson of Albert, Lea, Minnesota, was held Monday August 6^th  in Baudette, Minnesota, which is the county seat to the area that includes The Angle. Hanson has been tireless in his effort to establish an operating airstrip in the area, as well as a long-time fan of the area.  Also in attendance on behalf of the RAF was Kirk Hiner of Kenyon, Minnesota.

The Recreational Aviation Foundation is interested in this due to the extensive recreational opportunities that exist in this part of the country. The North West Angle area is the walleye capital of the world and this particular location is not only unique due to its beauty, but is also remote in the sense that it is the farthest point north in the United States. To get to this remote part of the world, one can either travel by boat for nearly 2 hours, drive a gravel road for 3 hours, or fly for about 25-30 minutes. Thus, the attraction to having an available airport in the area is obvious.

Due to the recent passage of the amended Recreational Use Statutes (RUS) in Minnesota during the last session, there is renewed interest in the possibility of opening a facility in this area. The Aug. 6 meeting that included the county commission, the state of Minnesota aeronautics department (MNDOT), and other interested parties, including the Lake of the Woods tourism council, lodge owners and others was a positive sign that aviation is alive and well in the state.

McKenna said, “I was encouraged by the MNDOT effort and their complete willingness to assist in any way that they could.” In addition it was discussed that the area offered a great place for float plane activity and the ability to re-establish that activity in this area would be a good thing.

There are now formalities that will need to be addressed such as feasibility studies, zoning, cost and who will be involved. However, for the time being it is positive that this project is moving forward.