Posts by Lisa Ellington

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…

If you haven’t read the latest edition of Flying Magazineyou can hardly imagine the surprise when we got to the Editors’ Choice Awards article and learned that your RAF was not only selected as one of the five editors’ “choices,” but according to the piece… Generally the Editors’ Choice Awards go to companies that have brought innovative products to the…

Sleeping outdoors in an aircraft fuselage and a manmade survival hut for two nights in Marion, Mont., during the Surratt Winter Survival Clinic wasn’t enough for AOPA’s Alyssa Miller. The temperature was in the teens, and the snow was light.  She needed colder temps and more snow, so she turned to the Recreational Aviation Foundation.  RAF President…

The Recreational Aviation Foundation has learned that Kansas House Bill 2184 is now law.  The Bill adds noncommercial aviation activities to the Kansas Recreational Use Statute.  The bill passed the House 118 – 3 and passed the Senate 39 -0 and was signed by the governor on April 8th and becoming effective July 1, 2011.   This was…

The US Forest Service (USFS) is in the process of updating its forest and grassland Planning Rule –  the official guide for managing the use of its 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands for multiple use such as timber harvesting, grazing and recreation.                         …

Tuck Barrett, an aviation legend in MT and, strong supporter of your Recreational Aviation Foundation took off westbound recently leaving behind a rich aviation legacy.  Professional pilot, rancher, past president of the Flying Farmers as well as the Montana Pilots Association, he was as well known for his sense of humor as his backcountry airman…

This will be the first of a series of regular communications from me to you designed to keep you in the loop with what your Recreational Aviation Foundation is involved with across our Nation. While it would be my desire to keep these communications frequent and short, there are so many great things happening thanks…

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…

Following a nationwide search, the Board of Directors of the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) have announced Carl Hicks, 58 of Gig Harbor Washington, as their first Executive Director.  Truly a recreational pilot, Hicks received his private pilot license in August, 1975, and has several thousand hours of flight experience, remaining current ever since.  After retiring…

Bureau of Land Management & United States Forest Service Leaders Meet RAF on Same Day On Tuesday, September 20, 2011 Dan Prill, RAF Vice President, Pete Smith, RAF BLM liaison, and John Hudson, Montana Pilots Association President, met with the Director of the BLM, Bob Abbey in Great Falls, Montana.   As quoted from the Great…