Posts by Lisa Ellington

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…

The Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) brought two major initiatives to fruition on a mid-March trip to Washington, D.C.. RAF President John McKenna and Public Lands Director Mark Spencer completed national Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) documents with the US Forest Service (USFS)  and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The stated purpose of the USFS MOU is to: “develop a framework for cooperation…

The Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF), through participation in US Forest Service (USFS) public comment sessions and attending meetings of the Federal Advisory Committee as observers, has secured the documenting of aviation within the Final Planning Directive (FSH 1909.12). The document acknowledges recreational aviation in multiple places. These aviation references clarify and solidify aviation as a legitimate mode…

RAF Georgia Liaison Eric Davis responded to a recent plea to help airlift close to 1,000 endangered turtles from New England beaches to facilities in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. What better way to help these slow-moving creatures get to rehab centers quickly than by Bonanza?  Some GA pilots donate their services transporting dogs from overcrowded shelters to…

Well, maybe not exactly international, but with 25 aircraft, including a brand spanking new Cessna Caravan and 50 plus people, anyone would have wondered what was going on at the USFS Pleasant Valley (24AZ) airstrip this weekend.  When the USFS reached out to the aviation community to ask for volunteers we thought eight to ten volunteers showing up…

The Mexican Mountain back country air strip over the years has grown in with weeds and debris. The Back Country Pilots Association with the help and support of the Recreational Aviation Foundation started a project to make repairs to the strip. Steve Durtschi, President of the Back County Pilots Association and RAF Utah state liaison…

We accomplished everything we’d planned and more this weekend at the old Double Circle Ranch and airstrip. (Eagle Creek.) Nine aircraft and about twenty-two folks including personnel from the US Forest Service came to support the work. Local ranchers Jean and Erik Schwennesen, Jacob Cannon, ranch hand from the old 4-Drag Ranch and Dave Krejci, showed…

Beautiful Sullivan Lake in the northeast corner of Washington State (09S) was the site of another perfect weekend fly-in Aug. 15-16. Affectionately dubbed the “Gopher Gaggle” in years past by the late Bob Kay, it’s the annual work weekend, coordinated by the RAF and Washington State Dep’t of Transportation WSDOT. Folks flew in to help…