Posts by Lisa Ellington

Galen Hanselman has finished his new FLY UTAH guide. The RAF has endorsed this project from its inception and a few RAF Directors were involved in some of the field work on this project. For more information – Click Here Submitted on May 1, 2007.

Low flying jeopardizes rights Montana’s Sieben Ranch has informed the aviation community of problems they are experiencing with people accessing their property to gather shed antlers in the spring. Traditionally the Baucus family, which owns the ranch, has generously shared their land with many users. However, they decided to postpone access, because some types of…

Download a copy of the Backcountry Landing Strip Bill introduced by Idaho Senator Crapo in December of 2005 as a .pdf file – Click Here. Submitted on December 31, 2006.

Galen and Judy Hanselman have completed a geographic layout of the RAF / Ryan airstrip in northwest Montana. This report includes airport remarks specific to the Ryan airstrip, two good photos and an elevation vs. length profile chart. Be sure to contact an RAF Director prior to flying in. To see this new layout and…

The RAF had a booth at the August 9th dedication of the new Lincoln Montana airport. Submitted on August 15, 2006.

The RAF lost a good friend and supporter Father’s Day weekend in an unfortunate accident in Arizona. Mark Hawkins who gave much to this effort lost his life along with three others in the crash of his Cessna 180 near Red Creek, AZ. Mark was more than a pilot and supporter of the work that…

The RAF recently received a generous grant from the Wolf Aviation Fund supported by Alfred L. and Constance C. Wolf. The grant dollars have been used to fund the legal research on Recreational Use Statutes in all 50 states with the goal of creating a database and identifying their strengths and weaknesses so that the…

Ben Ryan’s P-38 was out of control. The Lightning following him had just taken evasive action to avoid a collision and, in doing so, the other aircraft peeled the right-vertical stabilizer from Ben’s twin fighter. Ben was helpless; rudder and elevator, gone. His aircraft tucked into a steep dive and the roiling waters of the…

Chukar Flats Update A ‘Closed’ sign went in at the airstrip in Eastern Oregon along the John Day River named Chukar Flats, alerting the local pilots to a policy shift by the BLM. The RAF contacted the BLM’s Prineville Field Office and found a mixed reception for the idea of airplane access, however it was…

Tuweep The Grand Canyon Secret Few things are more disappointing to pilots than an enormous white “X” marking the threshold of their favorite recreational airstrip. Such is now the case at Tuweep (L50) airstrip on the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Update: The RAF has been participating in the potential lease and reopening process of…