Posts by Lisa Ellington

Sixty-six years of separation evaporated when Ben Ryan climbed the ladder of the P-38, Glacier Girl, at Oshkosh 2012 — it was 1946 when Ben last flew a P-38 in the final days of World War II. In fact, on Columbus Day in 1945, Ben was overrun by his wingman, a fellow aviator in another P-38 in trail. The damage…

Located roughly forty miles west of the Tuweep airstrip in northern Arizona is the historical Grand Gulch Mine.  History has this as the first copper mine in Arizona, and you can admire the last remaining earthen smelter in the country amongst the ruins of this wonderful site. Taking the cue from aviation historian, and APA member,…

The Minam River Lodge (Minam Lodge sits deep inside the Eagle Cap Wilderness Area.  Use at your discretion), airlift was an outstanding success, with 25-plus volunteers in 20-plus planes flying multiple sorties between Joseph, Oregon, and the lodge, on April 14th and 15th. The volunteer crews ferried new supplies in and roughly 50 years of accumulated debris out. The effort was a mutual…

Both Utah and South Dakota have passed amendments to their state recreational use statutes to include aviation as a recreational activity.  Bills have passed both the house and the senate in each state and are being sent to the respective governors for signatures. Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) Member Dave Tunge led the effort in South Dakota and contacted Representative…

Bozeman, Mont. — The Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) and BackcountryPilot.org (BCP), under guidance of the National Park Service (NPS), have combined efforts to successfully reopen the legendary “Chicken Strip.”  Thanks to a group of hard-working volunteers, the Chicken Strip, closed by the NPS in August, due to safety concerns, reopened on October 15. Following weeks…

RAF and NPS Reach Agreement on September 27, 2011 to Reopen the Chicken Strip The Recreational Aviation Foundation and the National Park Service in cooperation with Chief Ranger,  Brent Pennington reached an agreement under the existing Memorandum of Understanding  to reopening  the Chicken Strip.  The Chicken Strip airstrip is located in Saline Valley, and is…

Fort Kent Airfield Re-Opens September 19, 2011 The RAF has been informed by the Fish River Flying Club that Fort Kent Airport is now available for aircraft operations.  The 2200 foot grass airstrip in the very northern portion of Maine is restricted use rather than public use, so a call to Mr. Tom Voisine at 207-834-5685…

What could be better than the option to land “wet” or “dry”?  The weekend of August 19th, at Sullivan Lake, WA (09S), just south of the Canadian border, gave pilots that option.  Some came on floats, some on wheels.  Few sites offer the opportunity to land on either – Sullivan Lake is one of those…

GREAT FALLS, MT – August 9, 2011– Last week, a Federal Judge ruled in favor of both the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) in response to a 2009 lawsuit brought against the agency by the Montana Wilderness Society and Western Watersheds Project. The RAF, with support from the Montana Pilots…

A blue sky, perfect temperature, fun group of people, and one of the prettiest places in the West…That was Russian Flat last weekend. RAF volunteers from Montana, New Mexico, Idaho, and Washington spent much of the day clearing brush and rocks from the campground area, felling some dead trees, and bucking them up into firewood.  As the shadows…