January 2023 - Recreational Aviation Foundation

FEBRUARY FEATURED AIRSTRIP: GRAPEVINE, ARIZONA

Each month we highlight an airstrip with hopes that you will get out and enjoy these special places. This month’s Featured Airstrip is Grapevine, Arizona. Years ago, the Arizona Pilots Association recognized the value of Grapevine, an abandoned asphalt airstrip on the Tonto National Forest within the Sonoran Desert near Roosevelt Lake. “Sadly, this incredible airstrip was…

VOLUNTEERS REOPEN SACATON AFTER DECADES OF CLOSURE

“After FAA approval and no objections from Forest Service Fire and Aviation, the District Ranger approved Sacaton Landing Strip for recreational access this morning,” RAF New Mexico Liaison Ron Keller reported on January 9, and his dream that Sacaton reopen by New Years was fully realized. This airstrip had lain unusable for three decades. “At least a…

FAA CLARIFIES CHARTING TERMS

A September 2022 announcement by the FAA stirred up social media chatter and piqued AOPA and RAF attention over the possible removal of a sector of private airfields from charts. On chart legends, the open magenta circle “R” was labeled Non-public use having emergency or landmark value. The FAA bulletin stated that “only private airports…

ALLIGATOR ARMS

Ever hang out with an alligator? I was at lunch the other day with my older sister. It is somewhat of a joke in our family that she always forgets her purse, or as we say “she has alligator arms.” You know the type. They are the person that allows the check to lay in…

HEATHER HAIR

Day Job: phone care physical therapist Favorite Airstrip: That’s a secret Next Adventure: Every day is a chance to make a crazy new adventure Submitted on February 16, 2023.

AOPA DETAILS PILOTS’ EFFORTS AGAINST HARTFORD-BRAINARD REDEVELOPMENT

AOPA and the RAF work with area advocates to limit redevelopment and promote pro-aviation and recreational use legislation. Read the story HERE. Submitted February 13, 2023.

WHERE WILL YOU CELEBRATE RAF’S 20TH BIRTHDAY?

By now you know the RAF is celebrating twenty years of success thanks to the efforts of our volunteers! This year, we encourage you to join the fun and get out to the backcountry – which to us is more than a place. It’s a style of flying we enjoy, whether arriving at your favorite…

Tim Kaseno

For a pilot who has flown all over the world, first as a Navy pilot in Sikorsky H3 helicopters, then flying logistic support in the Beechcraft C12, and the DC9, civilian regional in the Jetstream 4100, and freight for Atlas Air in the B747, Tim Kaseno’s roots run deep in Cornucopia, Wisconsin, a place that draws…

RAF BOARD MEETS IN MONTANA; REFLECTS ON 20 YEARS

The RAF’s all-volunteer board of directors gathered in Bozeman, MT for its annual face-to-face meeting in January to discuss areas of focus for 2023 and reflect on 20 years of success furthering the mission. “A top priority is to celebrate this special year with our volunteers and supporters,” RAF President Bill McGlynn said. Bridger Aerospace…

TWIN & TURBINE MAGAZINE SPOTLIGHTS THE RAF

The RAF was recently featured in two articles in TWIN & TURBINE Magazine, focusing on the RAF mission and the commemoration of the RAF’s 20 year anniversary. Read the articles HERE and HERE.