RAF GRANT FUNDS BLACKWATER, FLORIDA MAINTENANCE

RAF Florida Liaison Bobby Capozzi has been awarded an RAF grant for continued maintenance at Blackwater airfield (8FD3) near Munson, Florida, 33 nm northeast of Pensacola. “This grant will benefit the aviation community and continue our current relationship that the RAF enjoys with the Florida State Forestry who owns the airfield,” Capozzi says. This grant will…

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CAMPAIGN TO SAVE TONGASS CABINS CONTINUES

RAF Southeast Alaska Liaison Jeff DeFreest has motivated volunteers to help preserve some of the 140 US Forest Service cabins in the vast Tongass National Forest. Some are in jeopardy of closure due to perceived lack of use. “RAF volunteers delivered our USFS approved RAF informational letters throughout August, September and October to seventeen of these…

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DISTRICT RANGER AND OVERSEER OF NEW AIRSTRIP ON USFS LAND RETIRES

Forest Service District Ranger Ron Wiseman served the Judith-Musselshell Ranger District of the Lewis and Clark National Forest throughout the permitting and creation of Montana’s Russian Flat airstrip. He has announced his retirement from the Forest Service. From the very inception, the RAF and the Montana Pilots Association joined efforts to gain approval on the…

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VIDEO TAKES YOU INSIDE THE TRIGGER GAP PAVILION

The RAF is very proud of the work its volunteers accomplished to create a pavilion at Trigger Gap (17A) in the beautiful Ozark region of Arkansas. We are excited to share this Voortex Productions’ inviting six and a half minute video that brings you right into the action! Learn how the RAF partnered with The Nature Conservancy and Fly OZ…

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FEATURED AIRSTRIP: CREIGHTON ISLAND

Each month we highlight an airstrip where the RAF has had involvement. We hope that you will get out and enjoy these airstrips. This month’s Featured Airstrip is Creighton Island in Georgia, a very special recreational airfield the RAF has helped preserve. Most of the island is undeveloped and remains much as it was in…

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RAF’S BILL MCGLYNN IS PANELIST ON AOPA SAFETY WEBINAR

RAF President Bill McGlynn will be a panel member on the AOPA Air Safety Institute’s “Back to the Back Country: 2021 in review” live webinar Thursday, November 18 from 8-9 pm EST, 5-6 pm PST. This free webinar is a segment of the Air Safety Institute’s Backcountry Safety Initiative that the RAF participated in last May.  …

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Chet Leach

From his gyrocopter, a Quicksilver, Rans S-12, a Maule, and now a Bearhawk for the backcountry, and a Piper Dakota 235 for cross country flights, Chet Leach has found a good balance after 46 years of flying as a private pilot. He began flying in 1975 in Lexington, Kentucky, and for the last 16 years…

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FAA RENEWS EFFORT TO UPDATE PRIVATE AIRPORT STATUS

The FAA is continuing their effort to update its database of Private Use airports, according to RAF Director Jeff Russell. “We want to make RAF membership aware of the FAA’s January 20 deadline and encourage owners to update their airport data in time,” Russell emphasized. The FAA initiated this project in 2020. Thousands of Private Use…

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RAF PRESERVES CALIFORNIA OCEANSIDE AIRSTRIP

The RAF is pleased to announce the preservation of Las Trancas airstrip, (17CL) located on the Pacific Ocean north of Monterey Bay. This beautiful airstrip provides pilots an opportunity to enjoy spectacular coastal scenery and easy beach access for recreational opportunities. The RAF signed a lease with the airstrip owners, Big Creek Timber Co., to…

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