Posts by Lisa Ellington

Ten volunteers responded to my last-minute call for support at Keystone Heights (42J) airport, 15 nm northeast of Gainesville. Its maintenance shed/pilot shelter — affectionately called the “Hooch Hut” — is being re-purposed for aviation-only use.  This facility will support meetings, fly-ins and camping. Once completed, aviation organizations will be able to block out their event…

The RAF is pleased to report that efforts by its membership contributed to a 17% share of comments received by the Helena/Lewis and Clark National Forest during their public scoping period. These comments will steer the future travel plan on the Helena/Lewis and Clark National Forest, 2,846,606 acres of public land located in the Rocky…

The RAF and the National Park Service (NPS) officially renewed their cooperative maintenance agreement on the three airstrips within the boundaries of Death Valley National Park September 1. The original renewable five-year agreement was inked in 2008 and approved RAF volunteers performing maintenance on the Park’s airstrips. This Volunteer In the Parks, or “VIP” agreement…

The first-ever Fly-in weekend at Carver’s Cut airstrip Aug 25-27 brought 15 planes and 30 folks to the newest recreational airstrip in California’s southern Sierra Nevadas. Guests enjoyed camping, potluck meals, trout fishing, hiking, and fellowship under the festive lights of the new pilot shelter. Anthony Longobardo, the RAF’s newest California Liaison, opened his new…

Sunrise Valley Ranch is an 11,000 acre working cattle ranch located approximately 40 miles by air, or 85 miles by road, due east of Bend, Oregon.  Nestled in a small valley surrounded by the Ochoco Mountains, the ranch is owned by Larry and Susan Fildes. Three generations of their extended family live on the ranch…

Ben William Ryan passed away peacefully July 26 at the Montana Veteran’s Home in Columbia Falls with his loving wife Agnes, “Butchie” and friends at his side. Ben began life March 21, 1923 in Belleflower, CA, the son of Ben and Mary Ryan. Ben had an older sister, T. Antoinette.  His family moved to Three…

Despite unseasonably cold and stormy weather, several hearty pilots and their passengers attended the RAF Fly-In Saturday, June 10 at Madras, Oregon (S33) to inaugurate the new grass runway.  An early morning snow shower, followed by scattered thunderstorms throughout the weekend conspired to keep less adventuresome aviators away, but pilots came from as far away…

The RAF is pleased to report that once North Fox Island airstrip was re-opened, RAF Michigan Liaison Brad Frederick got to work on another beautiful recreational destination, this time along the Two-Hearted River in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  Work has begun on reclaiming the airstrip, but it is not yet open to the public. Brad staked out…

RAF Alaska Liaison Al Clayton organized a June 3 work party to trim and remove trees along 1,000-ft Jake’s Bar, which lies within Alaska’s Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. The group gathered Friday at Clayton’s rustic cabin at Fireweed airstrip, near the old mining town of McCarthy. The pilots enjoyed an incredibly scenic flight, while Al’s wife Beth…

Another success in keeping with the RAF mission happened as the new Phoenix FAA sectional shows no X through the Grapevine Airstrip symbol. It’s taken nearly five years of collaboration between the RAF, Arizona Pilots’ Association (APA) and the US Forest Service – including the signing of the national MOU between the RAF and the USFS – to remove…