Archive for August 2023

A June 2023 RAF grant to improve privately-owned Henderson Field, 95IL near Golconda Illinois, included a new RAF windsock, an RAF fire ring, and treating and smoothing the turf runway with a vibrating roller. This was partially matched with in-kind donations and volunteer labor. “Thanks to terrific weather and help from visiting pilots David Butler and Chris Erkmann, everything…

“Pilots’ comments on Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument (GSENM) during last year’s Call-To-Action were successful,” RAF Utah Liaison Wendy Lessig reports. “Aviation is specifically mentioned in Chapter 3 of the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for each of the four management alternatives the BLM is considering. Thank you for your efforts to comment,” she added.…

On August 26, a celebration was held at Two Hearted (6Y5) in Michigan to acknowledge the airfield’s reopening, and to thank everyone involved for their help. Volunteers’ efforts were appreciated and Richard and Kathy Robinson of Rainbow Lodge were acknowledged for their kind hospitality. “If not for them, this could not have happened. We cannot…

It occurred to me that there is something more valuable to build and save than airstrips, and that is friendship. Friendship forms the backbone of any relationship, be it personal, professional, or organizational. Space does not allow for me to name all the people who have become the best of friends, thanks to the RAF.…

The RAF has successfully completed a lease agreement that re-opens two airfields in Maine for public use, Ragmuff in Piscataquis County, and Estcourt in Aroostook County. The lease and management agreement was signed with landowner Fresh Timber, LLC and preserves these airfields through December 2025 with the option for a five-year renewal. “This furthers our…

“This airfield is a diamond in the rough,” RAF Michigan Liaison General Grant said, referring to Hanley Field, 5Y7. It’s located three miles southeast of Munising, MI, which is on the shores of Lake Superior adjacent to the National Park Service Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. He and RAF Director Jeff Russell recognized this, and began imagining what…

RAF Connecticut Ambassador Brian Thomas reported that on August 19, eight volunteers including fellow Ambassadors Darryl Nicholson, Jr. and Greg Delp completed the much-anticipated setup of the composting outhouse at Waterbury, Connecticut, N41. “We were able to excavate the hole, set the collection drum as well as foundation blocks, and finally hoist the outhouse in…

The RAF-branded Kodiak 100 completed another mission for the US Forest Service, coordinated and assisted by the RAF and Montana Pilots Association. RAF supporter and MPA past president Pete Smith had constructed and powder-coated a 10-gauge steel Forest Service-style bear box for Schafer Meadows and it was trucked to Ryan Field for eventual delivery. When…