Archive for March 2020

The turf airport at Isle, Minnesota has been described as “a gem” but it is in jeopardy. There is pressure on the City Council to close it for other forms of development. The fate of the airport will be decided at an Isle City Council meeting on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. Individual letters of support…

A number of you have checked in with us to see how we are doing. We appreciate that, and the short answer is we are fine. At this moment we are all healthy here at RAF HQ, and we know of no one within the RAF core group of volunteers that is dealing personally with…

RAF Oregon Liaison Richard Mayes has taken on another project. He would like to see the primitive airstrip at the Rager Creek Ranger Station in the Ochoco National Forest included in the Airfield Guide. But first, a number of safety improvements need to be completed. “The airstrip is very remote, located in the Central Oregon high-desert,…

Carol “Pinky” Strong began writing RAF thank you notes to donors and volunteers a decade ago, and became the very first “Vice President of Appreciation.”  She is stepping away from that duty, after thousands of handwritten notes, to enjoy more retirement time with her husband Tom and their family, using their RV-9A and their new travel trailer. “Pinky set the standard…

Isle Airport, (MY72) is a 2,460-ft turf airfield on the southeast shore of Mille Lacs Lake, two miles from the resort town of Isle. Currently it is owned by the City, but is charted “Private” because membership in the Isle Airport Association (IAA), which operates the field, or prior permission from an IAA member, is…

The volunteer RAF board of directors met in January for strategic planning, and laid out these goals for 2020 to advance the RAF mission to preserve, maintain, and create airstrips for recreational access.  RAF President Bill McGlynn expressed appreciation for the time RAF Directors commit to the RAF, especially the two-and-a-half days every January where…

The RAF has added new volunteer Ambassadors, five just since the New Year. The RAF’s enthusiastic Ambassadors wear orange at work parties and aviation events, and are of valuable help to State Liaisons in sharing the RAF mission. Ranging in territory from Washington State to Illinois, the recent additions are Ray Ballantyne of Sequim and Jered Paine of…