Archive for August 2012

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…

Northeastern Washington at Sullivan Lake was the setting for a work party/fly-in this past weekend.  Over 30 airplanes arrived, some by floats on the pristine lake and others landed on the turf 1765’ airstrip.  (Metaline Falls, 09S.)  The airstrip was already in great shape, but the recurring gopher holes needed filling in, and weeds needed whacking, and we left…

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 6th  in Baudette, Minnesota, which is the county seat…

Sixty-six years of separation evaporated when Ben Ryan climbed the ladder of the P-38, Glacier Girl, at Oshkosh 2012 — it was 1946 when Ben last flew a P-38 in the final days of World War II. In fact, on Columbus Day in 1945, Ben was overrun by his wingman, a fellow aviator in another P-38 in trail. The damage…