Posts by Lisa Ellington
RAF HELPS ALTON BAY REMAIN OPEN
Our RAF mission is to preserve airstrips, and in New Hampshire we found an unusual one – the only FAA-approved ice runway in the lower 48. When winter comes to New England, the seaplane base at Alton Bay, (B18) on Lake Winnepausakee starts to freeze. Local volunteers watch it closely for an ice thickness of 12 inches –…
Read MoreFEATURED AIRSTRIP: BLACKWATER, FL
Each month we will be highlighting an airstrip that the RAF has had an impact on. We hope that you will get out and enjoy these airstrips. This month’s Featured Airstrip is Blackwater Airstrip. Blackwater Airfield 8FD3 is a Florida Forest Service(FFS) airfield to which the FFS is willing to permit public access on a ‘request’ basis, should its condition…
Read MoreRAF MEET AND GREET FLY-IN AT MELROSE
Florida’s 2017 Fly-In season has officially started with the RAF Meet and Greet at Melrose, (FD22). Again, the RAF partnered with Florida Sport Aviation Antique & Classic Association (FSAACA). Even with ominous weather forecast, folks started showing up on Wednesday and continued through Saturday. The grounds filled up with motorhomes, under-wing tent campers and numerous transient day-trippers. Over the…
Read MoreFLY IN AND CAMP ON A GEORGIA COASTAL ISLAND!
The RAF announces the re-opening of Creighton Island airstrip on the Georgia coastline. Creighton Island is a privately owned, undeveloped, inner barrier island in McIntosh County and is home to cattle, donkeys, wild pigs, the occasional coyote and armadillos. The approximately 2,700-ft airstrip is located on the southern tip of the island but had been unusable until recently. Following contact by Georgia…
Read MoreNEW NORTH CAROLINA STATE LIAISON – TIM FARRIS
Tim comes from a long family history in aviation, dating back to the 1920s. His great-grandfather was the VP of engineering for Curtiss-Wright and Lycoming. His grandfather flew TBM Avengers in WWII, and his grandmother flew Piper Cubs in the late 1940s. Starting at age five, Tim spent weekends at the model airplane field…
Read MoreFEATURED AIRSTRIP: CREIGHTON ISLAND, GA
Each month we will be highlighting an airstrip that the RAF has had an impact on. We hope that you will get out and enjoy these airstrips. This month’s Featured Airstrip is Creighton Island Airstrip, Georgia. RAF leaders and members have established a collaborative agreement with the Islands airstrip owner to provide airstrip maintenance and upkeep in…
Read MoreBACKCOUNTRY AIRSTRIPS SUPPORTED IN U.S. BUDGET REPORT
The annual Appropriations process is underway in Congress, and the RAF is pleased to point out language that supports backcountry airstrips is included in the Senate Transportation Appropriations Committee report at the request of Montana’s U.S. Senator Steve Daines. “Increasing accessibility to public lands and providing another recourse in case of emergencies is great news…
Read MoreNEW MEXICO GAINS AN ADDITIONAL STATE LIAISON – RON KELLER
The RAF is pleased to announce a new State Liaison in New Mexico, Ron Keller, teaming up with Larry Filener, current New Mexico State Liaison. Toward the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, Ron Keller was stationed in Albuquerque and has lived in New Mexico ever since. His first ride in a GA aircraft was…
Read MoreSTOL SKILLS – MORE THAN HAIR-RAISING SPECTATOR SPORT
Around thirty pilots and instructors assembled in Burnet, Texas in early December for a STOL Tips Seminar put on by RAF Colorado Liaison Patrick Romano’s Back Country Aviation. See: learntolandshort.com. I was privileged to have the opportunity to be one of the instructors at this event which helps pilots improve their takeoff and landing performance – in nearly…
Read MoreTIM CLIFFORD RETIRES FROM RAF BOARD OF DIRECTORS
“If you just work on stuff that you like and you’re passionate about, you don’t have to have a master plan with how things will play out.” – Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook. I think Tim Clifford must have chatted with Mark Zuckerberg when Mark was a kid, since that is how Tim has lived…
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