Guest Editorial

October 1st is the first day of the 2026 Photo Contest! It’s time to gather your favorites from the last year of flying.

An RAF grant was awarded to Wyoming Liaison Joe Feiler and VP of Appreciation Toni Wright for improvements at Thomas Memorial Airport (76V) in Glendo, WY. Wright assembled the grant application details and secured commitments from the mayor, city council members, and others. “Of all the airfields in Wyoming, Glendo holds the highest recreational value, and aligns best with the RAF mission,” Feiler said. The maintained turf airstrip is adjacent to Glendo State Park. Within walking distance, there is camping, hunting, fishing, and canoeing. The park has 45 miles of non-motorized hiking and biking trails and an archery range. It is a 30-minute walk to town or Glendo Reservoir. The grant will provide materials for a new vault toilet, a 10x20 prefab Pine Ridge cabin with a solar charging station, a picnic shelter, and an RAF fire ring. “Several folks offered whatever help would be necessary. It is all very exciting,” Wright said. She and Feiler are hopeful for community buy-in from the City, the Wheatland pilot group, and EAA Chapter 420. They have already received a few private donations. “I landed there before a city council meeting, and a pilot landed right after me. We chatted about the project, and he immediately donated cash from his wallet and said that an additional check would be on the way. I took this as an amazing sign that there is tremendous interest from pilots in providing more amenities at Glendo,” Wright said. Volunteers and the city will provide machinery and labor for excavation and dirt work. The mayor volunteered to do the framing. The city will provide gravel, and food and drinks for the work crew. Volunteers will do all staining, painting, and trim work. Wright said that she and Feiler will secure loaner bikes for visitors in conjunction with the Torrington police department. For over 20 years, Glendo has hosted an annual fly-in, which sees hundreds of attendees with airplane rides, parachuting, a free barbecue lunch provided by the city, and other family-friendly activities. This year, Feiler and Wright announced the grant to attendees, with Glendo’s mayor and town council members also present. RAF WY/UT Ambassador Karen Larson was also there for the announcement. The project could be completed by the end of fall 2026, weather permitting. “I personally am so excited I can barely sit still!” Wright added. 76V is in the RAF Airfield Guide .

“Gillette’s Lakewood Lodge isn’t just a place where work happens – it’s where magic happens,” says Holle Campbell, Gillette's caretaker. “There is truly something special about this place that compels pilots and non-pilots alike to come from faraway destinations, like Florida and California, to participate in RAF work weekends.”

Our many RAF supporters have such vast and varied experience, and we’re capturing some of their words of wisdom to share with you. This guest editorial is by Matt Axley, a pilot and RAF Tennessee Ambassador.