CHRIS ARNO

Chris was born, grew up, and now lives in Dover Foxcroft in central Maine. After high school, Chris took after his father in the utility power line trade and now owns a power line construction company that he started with his father who has since retired. Chris has always had a vast interest in aviation, and during his youth had a large collection of RC airplanes. In 2019 at the age of 47, he received his private pilot license – his seaplane rating and tailwheel endorsement soon followed.


Chris has been flying a 1942 Aeronca Super Chief Seaplane and recently completed a three-plus year total overhaul of a Cessna L-19 Birddog along with his IA. “The project started with only the firewall in a jig, and the rest of the airplane built new around it,” he says. It has many performance upgrades and is rigged for wheels, skis and amphibious floats. “The lovable ‘one niner’ (L-19) turned into a bucket list item that I didn’t know I wanted,” Chis added. “I swear that I didn’t have the RAF in mind for the color scheme. My wife Diane picked out the colors for it.”


While still a student pilot owning a Piper Cherokee, Chris had hopes of building a hangar at Charles A. Chase Jr. Memorial Field, (44B) a 3,000-ft grass strip in his hometown. The airport was named for Charles A. Chase Jr. who was tragically killed in December of 1959 while flying his Cub dressed as Santa. The Chase family gifted the airfield to the people of Dover Foxcroft but neglected to stipulate that it remain an airfield in perpetuity.


When Chris learned that the town manager and board had plans to close the airport for a solar power generation farm, he joined the dedicated group of individuals who formed the Save the Charles A. Chase Jr. Memorial Facebook page. It attracted 1,000 followers along with much of the town, as well as Chase family members determined to save the airport.


“The town manager was one postage stamp away from sending the paperwork to the FAA to shut down the runway when this all started,” Chris says. He was introduced to the RAF.


Together with the support of RAF supporters Steve Mason, John Meade, Rene Robillard, and Andy Rowe. Wearing their signature orange, they attended public meetings along with townspeople and Chase family members. The town manager and board of selectmen decided not to close the airport. “The airport is now doing well with three new hangars that have been built since I built mine,” Chris said.


Chris is heavily involved with the charitable organization “Wings for Wishes” that benefits the Make A Wish Maine Foundation which raised over $60,000 in 2023. Wings for Wishes is held each August and brings people together from all over the country to a private airfield in Exeter, Maine. “We eat, laugh, fly, and enjoy each other’s company for a few days but most importantly, we raise money to put smiles on the faces of kids and families who might not have that opportunity without the help of Make A Wish,” he says.


“The RAF has been a big part of my aviation background already, and I have been lucky enough to meet so many great people in the organization. I look forward to seeing more good things we can do to help create, maintain and preserve backcountry aviation!

207-852-1881
carno@theraf.org

Recent Posts

RAF OUTFITTER HOLIDAY SALE

By Taylin Trafton • December 5, 2025
For the month of December, enjoy 10% off everything in the RAF Outfitter Store! Through December 31st, the RAF Outfitter is 10% off! It’s the perfect time to treat yourself or find gifts for your loved ones. We’ve added several new items, and many popular favorites—like our SlideDown Tie Downs—are now back in stock. Make sure to grab yours in time for the holidays! Start Shopping here ! Submitted December 5th, 2025

MATT HAAG

By lellington • December 4, 2025
Day job : Airline guy Favorite airstrip: Marble CO Next adventure: Fly the AlCan Highway to AK and back.

IF WE COULD . . .

By Kodi Myhre • December 1, 2025
At about this time, every year, we have this conversation at the RAF about what our year end letter (code for asking for your financial support) should say to you, and about the RAF and the accomplishments of the past year. We try to keep the message to the point, not loaded up with things that seem to just blow our horn. At the same time, we want you to know what we have been up to with the support you have given us thus far. To say the RAF has been busy with its nearly all-volunteer crew would be an understatement, but it is the kind of busy that we love here at this organization. The RAF knows one thing for sure. We are on the front lines of preserving, protecting and creating aviation access to special places. If we could listen to each of you around a campfire, across your kitchen table, on the ramp, or in the boardroom, we surely would. What you contribute in the way of monthly and annual dollars gives us the confidence to run the RAF day to day. What you then pitch in to fund special projects has allowed us to do some pretty big things; then there are people who are including us in their legacy, financial, and estate planning. Those legacy dollars give the RAF the confidence to look way over the horizon, something that we tend to believe is important. If you would care to discuss how you can support your favorite project, or strategies pertaining to your giving, please do reach out. So to fulfill our pledge to engage personally if we could, please reach out with your questions or comments. We believe having a direct line to us is more valuable than sending you those pie or bar charts that often appear in these kinds of letters. If you are new to the RAF, perhaps you are not familiar with how we operate. With no formal dues structure, we send this annual one time request for support. For those who know us a little better, you know we only ask once at year end. Finally, for those who are just watching, we truly would like to earn your support. If we could, we would talk to each of you and hopefully through that conversation encourage you to help out. So, support from you is vital to the work we do, and without it we would just have to do less. The less part is not something that we are very good at. We simply try to do work that matters for people who care. With this being the only time of year we ask for your support, we hope you know just how vital this is to the continued future of the RAF Mission. Sincerely, RAF Board of Directors: John McKenna Chairman Bill McGlynn, President Tim Riley, Vice President Mike Perkins, Treasurer Bill Brine Joe Brown Matt Foster Jeff Russell Steve Taylor

RAF GRANT TO IMPROVE MAINE WOODS AIRSTRIP

By Carmine Mowbray • November 26, 2025
Ragmuff Airport lies in the heart of the North Maine Woods on private forest land. It had been closed and disused for decades when RAF Maine Liaisons Andy Rowe and Steve Mason recognized its recreational value. They worked hard with the landowner to get it reopened and charted with the FAA identifier ME26 in 2023. RAF Maine Ambassador Larry Grenier was just awarded an RAF grant to pay for materials for a new picnic table and fire ring that volunteers will install in the spring. “The Bowman Flying Club from B10 – about 100 nm south – is planning a work day to go up with a brush hog and tools to Ragmuff for field maintenance, clearing overgrowth around the runway and camping area,” Grenier said. Rowe says, “The west branch of the Penobscot is just a mile and a half hike and offers good fishing for brook trout and landlocked salmon. Fall is the premier time to be there – colors turn, it becomes bug-free and partridge and fishing seasons overlap.” Ragmuff is listed in the Airfield Guide, with Andy Rowe as the main contact. For more information about the airfield, see the Airfield Guide . Submitted November 26, 2025 By Carmine Mowbray

FEATURED AIRSTRIP: PAYSON, ARIZONA

By Taylin Trafton • November 24, 2025
Payson, Arizona, is billed as “Arizona’s Cool Mountain Town,” and recreational aviators give it a big thumbs-up. The airport (KPAN) lies at 5,157 feet elevation beneath the Mogollon Rim and has become a favorite stop for pilots. It’s 50 miles from the hubbub of the busy Phoenix region, yet it offers all the amenities a recreational flyer could want – an uncontrolled, small-town airport – a natural stop for resupply for exploring Arizona’s other backcountry strips. It has 24-hr avgas and Jet A, and a courtesy car, available with 24-hour prior reservation, so you can explore the area and discover a wealth of outdoor recreation and historical sites, trails, and Native ruins. Camping among pinyon pines can start right at the Payson airport, where you’ll find a dozen campsites, each with a picnic table, grill, fire ring, and stocked firewood. Join new friends in the ramada, or around the group fire ring under the clear night sky. There are ADA restrooms with hot showers. The Crosswinds Restaurant is right on the airport and welcomes you for breakfast and lunch. Patrons highly recommend their pies. Payson has a very active Parks and Recreation department that organizes events throughout the year. Of special interest to aviators is their annual Aerofair in October. Admission is free, and the ramp is lined with all kinds of vendors and displays. You may see a Marine VTOL demo, a T-34 formation flyover, or strap in a Huey or a Cobra for a helicopter ride. You can choose from a mouth-watering variety of local foods. Experience community spirit during other warm weather events like free movies in the park, pro rodeo weekends, and golf tournaments. Fall brings public 5K run-walk events, flag football, and hay rides; and Christmas is lit up with the annual parade of lights. Payson gleams with community pride, and you can see the full story here . Find more about the Payson Airport in the Airfield Guide .