Archive for June 2017

It’s hard to top RAF Illinois Liaison Mike Purpura’s imaginative fly-in themes, especially when they’re “out of this world”! This time, he invited astronomers and astrophysicists from the University of Illinois Astronomy Club to Havana Regional Airport (9I0) for a fly-in June 23-24. The local EAA Chapter 1420 organized a Friday dinner, camping and a pancake breakfast.…

RAF State Liaisons Brad Frederick of Michigan and Jeff Russell of Wisconsin were on site for RAF Trail #7 the weekend of June16-17 at North Fox Island (6Y3) for a combination of airstrip maintenance and island recreation.   A group of volunteers mowed the entire airstrip and cut brush and trees along both sides. Some walked the three…

We were very pleased with the turnout at this year’s Sinful Sundae event at Lee Bottom Flying Field along the Oho River in Hanover, IN (64I). Volunteers Bill McCormick and Mike Grecko helped me host a total of 120 folks and 65 aircraft June 9-11 and we signed up 14 new RAF members.   The weekend…

A dozen volunteers turned out as early as Friday morning June 16 to prepare Ryan Field (2MT1) for another summer of safe and scenic operations. RAF Director-Emeritus Chuck Jarecki organized tasks included installing a sink in the shelter, felling dead trees and bucking into firewood, trimming and hauling brush and mowing campsites and the runway. Evan Davis…

Despite unseasonably cold and stormy weather, several hearty pilots and their passengers attended the RAF Fly-In Saturday, June 10 at Madras, Oregon (S33) to inaugurate the new grass runway.  An early morning snow shower, followed by scattered thunderstorms throughout the weekend conspired to keep less adventuresome aviators away, but pilots came from as far away…

The RAF is pleased to report that once North Fox Island airstrip was re-opened, RAF Michigan Liaison Brad Frederick got to work on another beautiful recreational destination, this time along the Two-Hearted River in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  Work has begun on reclaiming the airstrip, but it is not yet open to the public. Brad staked out…

RAF Alaska Liaison Al Clayton organized a June 3 work party to trim and remove trees along 1,000-ft Jake’s Bar, which lies within Alaska’s Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. The group gathered Friday at Clayton’s rustic cabin at Fireweed airstrip, near the old mining town of McCarthy. The pilots enjoyed an incredibly scenic flight, while Al’s wife Beth…