Posts by Carmine Mowbray

Ambassador Ray Ballantyne has moved to a State Liaison volunteer role in Washington, joining current Liaison Dave Whitelaw. Ray was born into an aviator family as his father was a WWII CG-4A Combat Glider pilot who met his mother at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, TX while she was training to be a WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilot).…

Volunteers continue making improvements at the USFS airstrip at Sacaton, New Mexico, NM16 as part of the Challenge Cost Share agreement with the US Forest Service. Organized by RAF New Mexico Liaison Ron Keller, RAF and New Mexico Pilots Association volunteers poured the concrete pad for the vault toilet recently, in spite of weather that…

Throughout a week in late April, we took “snapshots” across this country of folks working hard and willingly demonstrating the RAF Way, and we’re proud to share them with you.  Our first glimpse is in Southeast Alaska, where Alaska Liaison Jeff DeFreest and his wife Kari gathered volunteers to rehabilitate a couple of public-use lakeside…

After a year of planning the project and logistics with Seth Roseberry, Recreation Management Specialist with the US Forest Service in Ketchikan, RAF Alaska Liaison Jeff DeFreest organized a seven-day volunteer work party for maintenance at the SE Heckman Lake public use cabin. With the help of an RAF grant, the USFS had approved DeFreest’s plan, and the project…

Cavanaugh Bay homeowner, Idaho Aviation Association member, and RAF supporter Steve Pryor reports that thanks to well organized teamwork, an irrigation installation was completed at Cavanaugh Bay, 66S the weekend of May 4-5. Improvements at the parklike airport have been provided by Idaho Aeronautics, Idaho Aviation Association and the RAF. A substantial amount of volunteer work has…

Seventeen volunteers tackled annual spring cleanup and readiness at Ryan Field near West Glacier the first weekend of May. Working throughout typical Montana spring weather, they added eight tie-downs, set out chairs and picnic tables, cleaned bear boxes, removed brush, cut trees, bucked and stacked firewood, and seeded, fertilized and dragged runway areas. The barn…

The Tongass National Forest maintains 144 public use cabins acrosssoutheast Alaska for visitors to enjoy, offering access to a variety of recreationalopportunities. Yet many visitors are unaware there are cabins that can be rented andflown or boated to in the wilderness. Cabin use with road access has increased, but atpresent the majority of cabins require airplane access, and their preservation is comingunder the scrutiny of…

The RAF is immensely proud of the great relationships our volunteers have created that have simply deepened over the past two decades. Sometimes called partners, donors, collaborators, or supporters, each has enriched the RAF mission with their confidence, advocacy, encouragement, and best of all, their valued trust and friendship.  You’ll find them under the “Advocacy” tab on…