Posts by Lisa Ellington

On Saturday March 19th with temperatures lingering in the single digits, Pete Smith, Donald Hartrich, Ralph Rogers  and RAF Director, Alan Metzler, all Montana Pilot’s Association (MPA) members as well as members of the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) ventured out to the Cow Creek airstrip north of the Missouri River along the Cow Creek drainage…

Great Florida weather and two great aviation organizations came together for a delightful three-day weekend at Melrose Landing (FD22) at the end of January.  Florida Sport Aviation, Antique, and Classic Association (FSAACA) and the RAF co-hosted. No ice, no snow, no grey skies, just lots of camaraderie among the families from 40-plus aircraft and ten RVs. …

December isn’t typically the ideal time for a work party in Montana, but RAF’s BLM Liaison Pete Smith and some intrepid volunteers decided it was for this project. Motor vehicles had left deep ruts on Cow Creek airstrip within scenic Missouri River Breaks country. A fence was needed to restrict abuse. Working between rainstorms to land and bring in…

Volunteers from the RAF and Arizona Pilots Assoc. rolled up their sleeves this fall and worked into the nights to reclaim beautiful Grapevine Airstrip, located on the Tonto National Forest, just 1,400 feet from the shores of Roosevelt Lake.  Thanks to their hard work and financial support; and special contributions from Crafco, Inc, and Otto Trucking,…

The Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) has been working for several years to re-open North Fox Island airstrip, located on a state-owned 820-acre island in Lake Michigan. Many volunteer man hours have gone into preparation and negotiations in order to reclaim and return the airstrip to a safe condition. North Fox Island is approximately 27 miles northwest of…

What do you do when flying to great recreational destinations is just not enough?  For some the answer is to pick up a camera and capture those moments and views to share with others.  Yesterday, we lost a grand master of aviation photography Jim Wark.For over 20 years Jim provided a view of our country from…

Thanks to an abundance of willing labor, the old Double Circle Lodge in the US Forest Service Apache Sitgreaves​ Clifton District got a new porch roof May 8-10. The USFS and local support has made the Recreational Aviation Foundation’s efforts possible at the old Double Circle, and RAF’s work on the national scene helped grease…

The RAF joined forces with the Green River Chapter of the Washington Pilots Association and WSDOT Aviation to hold a Work Party and Chili Feed on May 9th to clean up and open Ranger Creek State Airport (21W).  This is an annual event the chapter holds at its adopted airport to prepare it for the summer flying season.  …

Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) President John McKenna and Public Lands Liaison Mark Spencer of Arizona testified on March 18 before the U.S. House Department of Interior Appropriations Committee. Their goal was to request funding for the ongoing maintenance of airstrips on public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS). Their prepared documents and…

It’s become pretty obvious that, if you own a tent and a plane, one of the best weekends to be had is Arcadia’s Rodeo Weekend.  Arcadia Municipal X06 is this typically small rural airport next to this ‘time stood still’ small Florida town, so what’s the big deal?  Well….the ‘big deal’ comes in two packages.  It coincides with Florida’s oldest…