Archive for May 2019
RON NORMANDEAU
Montana State Liaison It’s not often a volunteer shows up for an RAF project with a passion for flying the backcountry and a career of cartography behind him. Ronald Normandeau was raised in Polson, Montana, attended the University of Montana, spent 22 years with the U.S. Geological Survey and retired from the U.S. Forest Service…
Read MoreKEVIN BARRY
Georgia State Liaison “I pretty much grew up in the cockpit,” Kevin Barry says. “My father was a fighter pilot turned test pilot, and my favorite birthday present every year was to sit in the cockpit of whatever fighter aircraft Dad was flying at the time.” Kevin chose the United States Military Academy at West Point…
Read MoreKIRK HINER
Minnesota State Liaison Kirk Hiner, who lives in Kenyon, MN, grew up in an aviation family thanks to his dad who flew B24s out of England during World War II and then continued to fly after the war. Kirk received his private pilot license in 1976, and his commercial, instrument and CFI ratings in the…
Read MoreBRAD FREDERICK
Michigan Ambassador Brad Frederick’s son taught him to fly. You read that right. The Michigan native says, “At age 55, learning to fly from my son Ed remains one of the absolute highlights of my life.” Brad loves aviation so much he bought a closed airstrip in Sidnaw, MI, a remote area in the western Upper…
Read MoreANDY ROWE
Maine State Liaison I may be the slowest learner in aviation history as I first soloed in 1963, but did not get my private license until last summer….2010! I followed up with a seaplane rating a month or so later and am presently working on an instrument rating. I’ve owned 2 aircraft, a Champ (in…
Read MoreJEFF SMITH
Kentucky State Liaison Jeffrey grew up in rural New Jersey near the Delaware Water Gap. His father exposed him to flying at 15 with an introduction to Ernie ‘Pete’ Billows at Trinca Airport in Northern New Jersey. Jeffrey soloed on his 16th birthday in a J-3 Cub on skis, landing in a cornfield. “After a…
Read MoreMIKE PURPURA
Illinois State Liaison After his enlistment in the Navy, Mike earned a degree in Environmental Science and went on to start a brokerage in Eastern Oregon specializing in agricultural land and ranches. Hiring local pilots to ferry him and his clients around large ranch properties, proved to be expensive and complicated. He decided to buy…
Read MoreCAL SCHOLTEN
Tennessee Ambassador
Read MoreFormer Senator Carmine Mowbray
RAF Featured Supporter Carmine Mowbray If there was ever an individual who epitomizes volunteerism for the RAF, it’s Carmine Mowbray, from Polson, Montana and St. George, Utah. She volunteered to publish RAF Newsletters, worked on the pilot shelter at Ryan Field, swung a Pulaski cutting sagebrush at a Missouri Breaks airstrip, and staffed the RAF…
Read MoreJo Schumacher
The RAF can’t say enough about Jo Schumacher and all she does for the organization. “Jo works her fanny off at Sullivan Lake, Sun ‘n Fun and other events, helping “man” the booths, cooking for RAF crews, cleaning, and organizing,” says RAF’s Tricia McKenna. “She is just a great cheerleader, supporter, and hard worker. And…
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