Archive for April 2016

For a woman who works full time as a surgical nurse for the Veteran’s Administration hospital in Portland, OR it’s amazing to consider all the other things Sue Mann manages to accomplish. Each year for the past dozen, Sue and her husband Jeff have gone to Guatemala where she assists other volunteer medical providers bringing…

The beautiful Blackwater River State Forest airstrip was the setting for the annual gathering of RAF’ers and friends April 22-24. We host this event each April to celebrate the Florida Forest Service’s decision to offer user-permit access to the public, and to enjoy the trails, fishing, swimming and the forest’s sand bottom river.  Twenty airplanes…

Vision of excellence for recreational aviators – The Recreational Aviation Foundation offers recommendations to advance flight safety, airmanship, professionalism, consideration and courtesy toward the people and wildlife who share the recreational environment. Each of us is an ambassador to the non-flying public, and to the landowners or managers responsible for the airstrips we enjoy. We…

In its mission to preserve and create airstrips for recreational access, the RAF seeks to provide credible information during public lands management planning. In 2014, the RAF was awarded an AOPA Foundation grant toward the cost of a two-year study to determine if there are noise effects around backcountry airstrips, and if so, how these…

Bob Burley, Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) Vermont Liaison, attended a Facility Tour and Safety Briefing hosted by Vermont Air National Guard 158th Fighting Wing in April at Burlington International Airport (KBTV). “Backcountry operations are a primary focus of the RAF,” Burley said, “and pilots can encounter Military Operations Areas (MOAs) and Military Training Routes (MTRs). Both GA…

Exactly one year ago the RAF hosted the first public aviation event in decades at Blackwater Airfield 8FD3.  In fact, the event was chronicled on this webpage (see the April 4 2013 entry):  a long, forgiving turf airstrip, all the campground amenities a brief walk away in the beautiful Blackwater River Forest, and kids, families…