State Liaison Archives - Page 4 of 6 - Recreational Aviation Foundation

RICHARD MAYES

Oregon State Liaison Richard grew up in Texas and earned his private pilot’s certificate at age 18. After completing a couple of engineering degrees in California, Richard decided – without much forethought– that his future lay in Alaska. Earning his commercial, instrument, MEL and SEL ratings, he flew to remote locations throughout the state for…

STEVE THOMPSON

Oklahoma State Liaison Steve Thompson was raised on a farm in southern Oklahoma. He was born in 1966 and since his earliest memories he knew what he wanted to do. Fly Airplanes. At age 14 his dad introduced him to a coworker that was in the Civil Air Patrol and soon he started taking flying…

FREEMAN SWANK

Ohio State Liaison RAF Ohio State Liaison Freeman Swank is as comfortable piloting a John Deere tractor or a motorcycle as he is flying his Piper Cherokee. An Ohio native, Freeman started flying in 1971. He was inspired by the Flying Farmers he met while he was in the Farm Science program at Ohio State. …

CHRISTINE MORTINE

Ohio State Liaison Following a career in classical music, Christine turned from conducting instruments to flying by them. She is an FAA appointed pilot examiner, maintains CFI-ing (especially tailwheel), a former AOPA safety seminar presenter, and when not flying in the back country, is thinking about it. Christine has a Cessna 185 and a Super…

BRIAN RAU

North Dakota State Liaison Brian is the first to admit that he’s a “flatlander”. “I do recognize that the world is round and not every place is as flat as North Dakota.” Actually, his portion of North Dakota – Prairie Coteau (French for “pot holes”) – is quite rugged with rolling hills. Brian and his…

RON KELLER

New Mexico State Liaison Toward the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, Ron Keller was stationed in Albuquerque and has lived in New Mexico ever since. His first ride in a GA aircraft was with an Air Force co-worker. His interest in aviation began from a maintenance perspective, until he married his wife, Mary…

JOHN MEADE

New Hampshire State Liaison John grew up in New York and had the Navy take him away; eventually depositing him in Massachusetts. John’s father-in-law flew, and in the late 80s, John got bitten by the flying bug as well. Eventually a SuperCub on floats became his pride and joy. It became a convertible with Bushwheels,…

DAN KELLER

Nebraska State Liaison During his freshman year in college, a “Learn to Fly Here” flyer caught Dan Keller’s eye. Four years later he graduated with an ag business degree. It was post-911 and “two thousand pilots had just been laid off. My flight instructors from four years prior were still instructing,” says Dan. So he decided on a…

SCOTT NEWPOWER

Montana State Liaison For 25 years, pilots flying into Montana’s Logan International Airport in Billings probably heard Scott Newpower in the tower. He decided on an ATC career in Hudson, WI, during college when he saw an ad in the local newspaper to become an FAA air traffic controller. After four years in the tower…

KEVIN BARRY

Georgia State Liaison “I pretty much grew up in the cockpit,” Kevin Barry says. “My father was a fighter pilot turned test pilot, and my favorite birthday present every year was to sit in the cockpit of whatever fighter aircraft Dad was flying at the time.” Kevin chose the United States Military Academy at West Point…