Archive for June 2020

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Division of Aeronautics named Astronaut Kent Rominger Airport (RCV) “2020 Colorado Airport of the Year.” This annual award recognizes Colorado public-use airports “that exhibit outstanding contributions to the Colorado Air & Space System.” The CDOT press release adds, “Airports distinguished with this recognition demonstrate values that fall in line…

Red’s Wallowa Horse Ranch is within Oregon’s Eagle Cap Wilderness, administered by the US Forest Service. There is no road to the 1,600-ft airstrip, so access is only by aircraft, foot, or horseback. “This location is attractive for remote camping and hiking, and fishing on the adjacent Minam River can be particularly rewarding,” said Oregon Liaison Richard Mayes. His…

Would you like to learn more about the Ryan Field Barn Raising project? To view a recently-produced video about this special spot and future plans, visit this link. Watch the RAF website for updates, as we make progress toward raising the barn! Barn image from Creative Commons.

RAF New Mexico Liaison Ron Keller reports that after years of cooperative effort with the New Mexico Airstrip Network, “we convinced the BLM that Cuba Airstrip could be a valuable asset for them as well as a recreational asset for aviation.” This BLM-owned airstrip had been used for sagebrush spraying, but had fallen into disrepair…

RAF Washington Liaison Dave Whitelaw was awarded an RAF grant for airfield maintenance and campsite construction at Avey Field (69S) in Laurier, WA. This 1,975-ft gravel runway is near a bend in the Kettle River, 35 nm NNE of Colville, WA. The airstrip is privately owned, but open for public use. Dave’s campsite project includes creating a…

I just might be the luckiest person I know. I have a beautiful, healthy family, and I live in a place where I can pursue the outdoor passions and adventures I crave. The choices are incredible: Backcountry flying tops the list of course. Fly fishing, mountain biking, skiing . . . Idaho offers some of the…

When RAF friends gather around the fire hub, there’s always a good story to be told. We have captured some of those stories in digital format, and hope you will enjoy The RAF and Backcountry Flying 30-minute podcasts. Find them on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, or on the RAF website.  Hosted by RAF President Bill McGlynn, his good-natured and easygoing…

Miles Field, (3KY9) 26 nm SE of Louisville, Kentucky was developed by Bob Miles in early 1980 for the Louisville Soaring Club. Bob admired the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright and retained Taliesin Architects to design his hangar, maintenance bay and pilot lounge. Mr. Miles passed, and an interim owner added features that disguised some…