Archive for 2019
The Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) and Death Valley National Park officially signed a five-year cooperative maintenance agreement for the Chicken Strip in Saline Valley. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), dated October 18, also renews the established maintenance agreement at Furnace Creek Airport and Stovepipe Wells Airstrip. “The RAF has proven that this partnership works since…
RAF Georgia Ambassador Eric Davis reports another successful weekend fly-in at Creighton Island December 6-8. Attendees Eric and Sandy Peyrot flew their C182 in from Summerland, FL and said it was a “fantastic fly-in location,” adding, “getting to see the area by air and then get up close on an undeveloped island was a real treat.” While…
Thanks to a $30,000 grant from the RAF, a new pilot shelter is near completion at Astronaut Kent Rominger Airport (KRCV) in Del Norte, Colorado. RAF Colorado Liaison Tom Haefeli reports that other funding includes $5,500 in cash donations, $18,200 in donated labor, supplies, heavy equipment use and operation from the various contractors involved. Rio…
As reported, the Selectboard meeting and public hearing about the possible closure of Maine’s Charles A. Chase Memorial airfield (44B) in Dover-Foxcroft took place November 12. The town manager and at least one select person wanted to close the airfield and construct a solar farm on the site. “There was a very large turnout of local…
Your action can make a difference! Maine pilots learned that the town of Dover-Foxcroft is considering closing Charles A. Chase Jr. Memorial Airfield (44B) to install a four megawatt solar generating plant. RAF Maine Liaison Andy Rowe, Steve Mason and RAF New Hampshire Liaison John Meade are rallying pilots to protect the 2,926-ft scenic airfield.…
RAF Utah Liaison Wayne Loeber reports that the October 25-26 work party at Grand Gulch Mine airstrip in Arizona was productive. Four aircraft brought enough people to clear campsites and the north half of the runway. The airstrip is on land managed by the BLM, and on Saturday, Erica Jensen, a BLM intern arrived to install an…
Georgia RAF Ambassador Eric Davis reports on a very successful work week October 7-13 at Creighton Island. “I’d been exploring the idea of island Internet service for several years now,” Davis said. “Having personally flown to Creighton Island many times, I can attest to the diversity of weather relative to the nearest reporting stations,” he…
Volunteers associated with the Recreational Aviation Foundation achieved substantial improvements to Alaska’s Bold Airstrip (A13), located at the southeast end of Eklutna Lake, near Anchorage on Saturday, August 31. The group was joined by a volunteer from the local EAA Chapter. “With the cooperation and approval of Chugach State Park officials, a small but intrepid…
After ten years of communications and cooperation with the National Park Service (NPS), the RAF is pleased to announce that Saline Valley’s “Chicken Strip” in Death Valley National Park was officially authorized on August 19. The Federal Register states that “the Chicken Strip has been in continuous use for decades, pre-dating the management of the…
Washington Liaison Dave Whitelaw and his brother John report that the annual Sullivan Lake (09S) fly-in near Metaline Falls in northeast Washington State (August 2-4) was a success. “We had beautiful weather after being hampered by fires and thick smoke the last three years,” Dave said. Twenty-two aircraft flew in, including two by water that beached on the nice gravel. Around 30 folks enjoyed the weekend, some…
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JEFF LEISZ
A group of ten volunteers from the RAF and the Mandan, ND chapter of EAA showed up on May 20 to help RAF North Dakota Liaison Brian Rau develop under-wing camping at Garrison Dam Recreational Airpark (37N). Rau was awarded an RAF grant to convert an adjacent day-use park with flush toilets, a picnic area, horseshoe and basketball facilities into a camping area. Visitors will be able to tie down, pitch a tent, and enjoy the amenities.
RAF Ohio Liaison Christine Mortine and Noble County Airport Board members hosted a work party on May 31 at the Wolf Run Fly In Campground, Noble County Airport (I10). Volunteers cleared downed trees to generate plenty of firewood for four fire rings: one located at each of the three tent platforms, and the RAF-branded fire ring in the large gathering area by the new pilot shelter/storage shed. The two outhouses were cleaned, leaves were raked away from the tent platforms, and volunteers created a raised kindling area. “The Noble County Airport Board provided a full cookout lunch, complete with homemade potato salad and chocolate chip cookies,” Mortine said. “We sat at the picnic tables and shared ideas about new RAF projects sparking in Ohio and gave a heartfelt thank you to the board members, who have contributed a tremendous amount of support with materials and their skills to Wolf Run Fly-In campground.” To celebrate and enjoy this unique destination in Ohio, a fly-in has been scheduled Friday-Sunday, September 11-13, 2026. Mark your calendars for the opportunity to land on the 3,800-ft paved runway, and explore the large forested camping area along the lake nearby. RAF carts are available to haul your gear to the perfect camping spot. Watch the RAF Event Calendar for more details. Find more about Noble County Airport in the Airfield Guide . Submitted June 8, 2026
A source of community pride, New Hampshire’s Parlin Field Airport (2B3) is now more appealing than ever. An RAF volunteer crew of eight met on May 23 and set out picnic tables at each of the six campsites; cleared trees and brush from the south windsock and replaced it to make it highly visible. A volunteer also weeded around the flagpole and planted blooming flowers that RAF New Hampshire Liaison John Meade had purchased. “Airport manager Heath Marsden was extremely appreciative of the progress made and spring cleanup,” Meade said. Parlin was one of the RAF’s earliest grant beneficiaries, thanks to Meade’s goal to add improvements for visitors to access. Visitors landing on either the 1,981-ft turf, or 3,450-ft asphalt runway may access the “base ops” building for shelter and restrooms. Nearby the airfield camping area is the Sugar River, known for trout, and the local Sugar Hill Recreation Trails can be accessed across the historic covered bridge with use of airport loaner bicycles. Find more about Parlin Airfield in the Airfield Guide . Submitted June 8, 2026
In 2003, when the newly formed RAF Board of Directors decided to put the RAF logo on shirts, they turned to local Bozeman outdoors apparel and wader manufacturer Simms. Their fishing shirts were known for their proven outdoors-tested quality. The short list of colors came down to two: an earthy, moss green and an almost iridescent orange. They decided to try both colors, and the choice was made at Florida’s Sun ’n Fun that year when RAF attendees discovered that they could see each other quickly in the large crowd wearing the orange shirts. RAF then-Director Tim Clifford said, “Obviously, the orange is our color. We can own it.” The RAF adopted orange, and from that point forward, the orange brand color became woven into the RAF culture. RAF attendees turned heads when they showed up for local, state, and federal land use and planning meetings. The RAF became known and respected as “the guys in orange.” The RAF orange is also a sensible choice for outdoors activities we enjoy, especially flying. Consider a scenario where you want to spot, or be spotted. It’s definitely noticeable. To illustrate, we asked RAF supporter and videographer Charley Voorhis and RAF President Bill McGlynn to take to the air and help us prove that RAF orange really does stand out (photo below). Whether you are in a crowd at Sun ’n Fun, Oshkosh, or out flying the backcountry — if you want to be seen, wear RAF orange!
