News
MAINTENANCE AT OWYHEE RESERVOIR AIRSTRIP
Owyhee, 28U is an 1,840-ft dirt airstrip along the west side of the Owyhee Reservoir in Eastern Oregon, where the crappie and bass fishing is said to be “pretty darn good” according to RAF Oregon Liaison Bill Ables. (You’ll need an Oregon angling license.) “The airstrip boasts the Owyhee Hilton cabin for folks to overnight…
Read MoreWORTH THE READ: JIM HANSON 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 month’s guest editorial is from Jim Hanson, a career aviator and longtime RAF Supporter. The RAF Turns 20: There is so much to be proud of on this 20th anniversary of the…
Read MoreNEW MEXICO VOLUNTEERS IMPROVE NEWLY-OPENED SACATON
Once the USFS District Ranger deemed Sacaton “re-opened” last January after it had lain dormant and overgrown for decades, RAF New Mexico Ron Keller lost no time organizing help to improve it and make it safer and more appealing for recreation. On the weekend of April 13-16 Keller gathered three volunteers to work on the…
Read MoreAVEY FIELD IMPROVEMENTS PRESERVE SAFETY
RAF Washington Liaison Dave Whitelaw has been awarded an RAF grant to preserve amenities and increase safety at Avey Field, (69S) near Laurier, WA. The field is owned by Bob Davis of Orient, WA, and is adjacent to a Washington-British Columbia Port-Of-Entry. Customs agents are nearby making this strip convenient for travelers to and from Canada. …
Read MoreWORTH THE READ: JOE BROWN 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 month’s guest editorial is from Joe Brown, the Chairman of Hartzell Propeller. An RAF Flatlander Reflects on Good Fortune: Eight years ago I was standing in a stranger’s crowded living room in…
Read MoreHOW MONTANA PILOTS AND RAF RESTORED SIX BREAKS AIRSTRIPS
Thanks to a group of Montana pilots and RAF volunteers, you can fly into about half a million acres that is much as it was when Lewis and Clark first described it on their trip through Montana in 1805. From Ft. Benton, MT, to St. Louis, MO, the “Missouri Breaks” are the last significant chunk of ground whose face hasn’t…
Read MoreRAF AND FOREST SERVICE PLAN ONGOING PROJECTS
On April 4, the RAF met virtually with U.S. Forest Service staff representing seven of the USFS’s nine Regions, and Washington, D.C. The meeting was facilitated by Scott Haas, Acting Dispersed Recreation Program Manager, and regularly District Ranger at Clear Creek, Colorado. The USFS representatives outlined the airstrip projects and challenges in their regions. A…
Read MoreCREIGHTON ISLAND CREW TACKLES TREES
Creighton Island owner Frank Williams welcomed RAF volunteers the weekend of February 17-19 to cut what RAF Florida Liaison Bobby Capozzi called “an untold number of trees” encroaching along the runway. In addition to initial efforts to widen the runway, the plan is to run millable timber through the vintage sawmill that has been reassembled…
Read MoreWORTH THE READ: ERIC HINSON 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 month’s guest editorial is from Eric Hinson, the President and CEO of SimCom International. For me, the Recreational Aviation Foundation exemplifies the power of collective action. Over the course of 20 years,…
Read MoreVOLUNTEERS REOPEN SACATON AFTER DECADES OF CLOSURE
“After FAA approval and no objections from Forest Service Fire and Aviation, the District Ranger approved Sacaton Landing Strip for recreational access this morning,” RAF New Mexico Liaison Ron Keller reported on January 9, and his dream that Sacaton reopen by New Years was fully realized. This airstrip had lain unusable for three decades. “At least a…
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