Archive for August 2025

Charitable giving gets some new opportunity under the new “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” The current standard deduction, $15,750 for single filers and $31,500 for joint filers, makes it difficult to itemize over those amounts and get tax benefit for your charitable donations. But effective starting in 2026, “non-itemizers” will be able to deduct charitable…

Originally from India, Tanmoy Ganguly acted on his dream to become a pilot at multiple flight schools there. But he discovered India’s lack of GA opportunity meant that only career pilots could receive training. He then had an opportunity to move to the US for his IT career, settled in Michigan, and pursued his flight…

The RAF has added Safety and Education to its Backcountry Etiquette Team (BET), launching the combined RAF Safety, Education, and Etiquette Committee, (SEE). “Etiquette, education, and safety are deeply interconnected,” RAF Director Matt Foster said, adding, “Behaviors promoted by the Etiquette Team overlap with educational efforts and directly impact safety.” To promote safe, responsible, ethical…

Idaho’s Big Creek state airport, U60 in the Payette National Forest attracts a large number of recreational pilots. Some camp in the adjacent campground, and some enjoy an overnight stay and breakfast at Idaho Aviation Foundation’s welcoming Big Creek Lodge. The condition of the Big Creek tie-down area needed improvements and Idaho’s Aeronautics Division was…

The Airfield Guide is a highly valuable resource for pilots, as it contains a wealth of information about airfields with recreational opportunities. It offers a variety of features and capabilities that make trip planning especially easy and effective. One highlight is the “Filter” feature on the Airfield Guide Map, which allows pilots to customize airfield…

On August 23, RAF Pennsylvania/West Virginia Liaison Chip Vignolini and Pennsylvania Liaison Andy Turner organized a successful work party at Clarion County Airport, KAXQ in Pennsylvania. Eight volunteers, including New York Liaison Doug Turnbull and Turner’s two sons accomplished multiple tasks. They built a firewood shelter and filled it with split campfire wood, cleaned the…

October 1st is the first day of the 2025 Photo Contest! It’s time to gather your favorites from the last year of flying. From October 1-31, send us your best photos of scenic, recreational airstrips. Again this year, we are including the “RAF Mission” category, for photos we feel best illustrate people enjoying recreational aviation,…

The RAF Outfitter is proud to offer eqpd tote bags, manufactured in Twisp, Washington, in remote Okanogan county. With roots in New England, eqpd founder Jonathan Baker used his degree from Rhode Island School of Design, his internship at Patagonia, and brought his passion and knowledge out West. “I wanted to create a manufacturing environment…

Do you know someone who enjoys handwriting and putting together personal notes or letters? We are always interested in chatting with potential volunteers to join our fabulous Vice Presidents of Appreciation team! RAF VPs send handwritten thank you notes to every RAF donor. They often receive “thank yous” from donors in response to their thank you…