News
WORTH THE READ: MATHIEU LABS GUEST EDITORIAL
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 Mathieu Labs, a pilot, and RAF Vice President of Appreciation. A Life in Flight – From My First Ride to Giving Back: My aviation story really started before…
Read MoreRAF LEANS IN ON USFS PROJECTS IN IDAHO
RAF President Bill McGlynn has worked for years with the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest, advocating for a way to ensure the ongoing preservation and maintenance of seven airstrips on the Forest. Moose Creek, within the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness; Shearer along the Selway River; Dixie USFS with access to the Gospel Hump Wilderness; Orogrande along Crooked Creek; Wilson…
Read MoreTRIGGER GAP VOLUNTEERS ENJOY HARD WORK AND FRIENDSHIPS
“Perfect October Ozark weather welcomed about twenty volunteers who descended, literally, on Trigger Gap Airfield for a weekend work party,” RAF Arkansas Liaison Harper Goodwin reports. Some drove in, and about 15 airplanes arrived with volunteers, their gloves, tools, chainsaws, and tents on Saturday, October 11. The crew hung two new RAF windsocks, stained the…
Read MoreRYAN FIELD, 2MT1 CLOSED TEMPORARILY
Ryan Field, 2MT1, is CLOSED Temporarily. See the gravel and bare areas on the Ryan Field runway in this October photo? We are closing the runway now to begin our plan to recover the bare areas with soil and new grass. “We are going to give it our best shot starting the week of October…
Read MoreNEW KANSAS LIAISON LUKE REBER
The RAF warmly welcomes Luke Reber to the State Liaison team. Luke was born and raised in McPherson, Kansas, where his passion for aviation began at an early age. Inspired by his father, Luke earned his Private Pilots License at 17, and has since added an instrument rating, seaplane rating, and a tailwheel endorsement. Over the past…
Read MoreRAF PHOTO CONTEST STARTS OCT 1; RUNS THROUGH END OF MONTH
October 1st is the first day of the 2025 Photo Contest! It’s time to gather your favorites from the last year of flying. From October 1-31, send us your best photos of scenic, recreational airstrips. Again this year, we are including the “RAF Mission” category, for photos we feel best illustrate people enjoying recreational aviation,…
Read MoreNEW RAF PODCAST ADDED: STEVE TAYLOR
When RAF friends gather around the fire hub at an airfield, there’s always a good story to be told. We have brought that love of storytelling into a digital format, and hope you will enjoy the following new installment of our new RAF Podcast. RAF Director Steve Taylor’s father was a Boeing test pilot, and…
Read MoreFEATURED SUPPORTERS: JULIE BOATMAN AND STEPHEN YEATES
Anyone whose pulse quickens at the sound of a pair of Pratt & Whitney radials can identify with the passion that lifts Julie Boatman into the sky for her profession and her pleasure. Like the perfect pairing of wine and entrée, her husband Stephen Yeates complements her skills and drive with his own passion to…
Read MoreUTAH’S TAYLOR FLAT AIRSTRIP GETS GREEN LIGHT TO REOPEN
“Daggett County Commission just recently approved both the Taylor Flat Airstrip [Right Of Way] lease agreement with the BLM, and the application for an FAA identifier for Utah’s Taylor Flat Airstrip,” RAF Utah Liaison Wendy Lessig announced. Taylor Flat, in the northeast corner of Utah is managed by the BLM’s Vernal Field Office, and Lessig…
Read MorePILOTS AND FRIENDS CELEBRATE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF NORTH FOX ISLAND’S REOPENING
Abandoned, overgrown North Fox Island airstrip lay for decades on an uninhabited 820-acre island owned by the State of Michigan, just 24 nm northwest of Charlevoix. In 2012, former RAF Michigan Liaison Brad Frederick recognized that it could become “A spectacular recreational aviation destination.” He envisioned airplanes and tents lining the mixed hardwood forest edge,…
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