News

The RAF has been made aware of an effort by the FAA to get updated information from owners of private use airports by the end of 2020.  RAF Liaisons and Ambassadors are reaching out to roughly 2,700 private use airport owners/managers within their respective states to make them aware that if airport data is older than three…

The Ryan Barn is now a reality!  Once again, a dedicated group of RAF volunteers is making it happen. Much progress was made to raise the barn in just six short days. Each day began with breakfast cooked on our wood stove and a safety briefing. The kitchen crew was up at 5:30 A.M. each…

Please welcome new Western / Central New York Liaison, Doug Turnbull. Doug is a native of Bloomfield, NY, in the beautiful Finger Lakes. His father owned a Cessna 185 amphibian, and they would travel to Quebec, Canada on camping and fishing trips during the summer. Doug spent much of this time flying from the right…

RAF grants are used typically to purchase building materials, with much of the labor provided by RAF volunteers. Occasionally professionals must be engaged to complete specialized tasks. When Montana’s Schafer Forest Service airstrip (8U2) needed serious grounds work this summer, RAF Montana Liaison Scott Newpower outlined the need, and an RAF grant was awarded for the…

A West Virginia RAF member who owns the mountaintop grass airfield Rainelle, (WV30) has worked with RAF West Virginia Liaison Evan Davis to open it to RAF membership for fly-in camping. “There is no place in West Virginia that provides a facility like this that I am aware of,” Evan said. In order to make it…

Maine RAF Liaison Andy Rowe reports that the tree removal project has begun on Cowboy’s Air Ranch (84ME), closing it for the time being. An RAF grant is being used to extend the 2,100-foot long turf airfield an additional 1,300-1,500 feet and equipment is now on site. This airfield is privately owned, and permission is required…

An astute reader wrote to clarify our story on Maine’s Cowboy’s Air Ranch Airport. An Alaskan, James A. Canitz pointed out that the 0 degree longitude line runs through Alaska’s Aleutian Chain, actually the most eastern part of the US, which would receive the first sunlight to hit our nation. Although our original text was…

Silver Lake airfield (45S) is located in the Fremont-Winema National Forest in central Oregon. For the past several years, maintenance at the 3,000 x 55-ft runway had been neglected. “Earlier this year the Forest Service discussed closing and de-listing the airfield because it was considered unsafe and a liability risk,” RAF Oregon Liaison Richard Mayes said. He…

We’ve made significant progress raising the Ryan Barn. Thanks to your generosity, we expect to fulfill our goal of completion by fall! The concrete floor was poured, and while more on-site construction continued, our Amish contractors were busy building the sturdy trusses.  As you may know, seasonal dry conditions have forced us to close the airfield,…