Bob & Judy Gillette

When you meet Bob and Judy Gillette, it’s easy to imagine them sailing their traditional two masted teak ketch off the California coast, or tooling around the Midwest countryside in one of their vintage wire-wheeled Jaguars. Visitors have enjoyed Gillette’s warm hospitality after landing on their 2,400-ft turf airfield at Lakewood Lodge in northern Wisconsin,…

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John Sowles

John Sowles of North Yarmouth, Maine has been fascinated with both powered and non-powered aviation since youth. His dad was a Naval aviator in WWII, and the interest rubbed off on John. He joined the Pittsburgh Soaring Club during college and solo’d. He earned his private pilot license, and to fulfill his penchant for old…

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Becki “Pete” and Dan Normandeau

These two Montanans were raised in the little timbered town of Trout Creek, along the Clark’s Fork of the Columbia River as it heads northwest to Lake Pend Oreille in north Idaho. Their families were in the logging business, where Becki “Pete” and Dan picked up their work ethic and resourcefulness. Dan absorbed an acute…

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Margie Prill

To say Margie Prill is husband (and RAF co-founder) Dan’s “backup” is true, but it only tells part of the story. “We hosted a burger barbecue in our hangar in Sand Coulee way back in about 2002. More than a dozen folks came, and the topic was backcountry recreational flying, and building interest in preserving…

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Joyce Woods

Joyce Woods simply and wholeheartedly “gets it” when it comes to the RAF mission. Not only does she get it, she loves to work with people to make a difference in aviation. “I’m a facilitator. I work behind-the-scenes, pressing for clear action plans and follow through.”   Maybe her career in chemical manufacturing prepared her.…

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Bill McGlynn

Bill McGlynn was raised in Butte, Montana, and was so intent to learn to fly that he joined the Civil Air Patrol at Bert Mooney Field. But CAP activities were all about marching, not flying, so he jumped at the chance when a local pilot offered a ride. He loaded three kids in a Cessna…

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Jerry Cain

“When I raised my hand at a Montana Pilots Association’s Directors retreat in Bozeman in September of 2003, I had no idea what I was getting myself into,” Jerome “Jerry” Cain says of his role in the eventual formation of the RAF. Jerry, as one of the original six Founders, tapped his Defense Department Federal…

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Dan Prill

Dan Prill of Sand Coulee, Montana, has interests as varied as the snacks aisle at your supermarket. From flying his Cessna 185 off his own airfield, to the slower pace of trolling for fish in his kayak. For many summers, Dan and his wife Margie flew their SuperCub on floats to his family’s rustic fly-in…

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Chuck Jarecki

To simply call Chuck Jarecki of Polson, Montana, an “RAF Supporter” falls way short of the contributions this pilot and retired rancher has made to the RAF and to general aviation. He was one of those six fellows around the campfire who recognized the need to protect aviation access to the backcountry, and asked, “If…

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Ron Normandeau

It’s hard to believe that Ron Normandeau’s aircraft started out as a box of airplane parts. Ron, of Polson, Montana built a beautiful 1947 Aeronca Chief and now enjoys flying his own plane. He began flying in 1962 between junior and senior high school years, and earned his license. Ron’s wife Kathi earned her private…

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