Lynn Mareth

There is no idle season for RAF supporter and hard working volunteer Lynn Mareth, now of Bigfork, Montana. If her Super Cub has to wait out the “soggy turf” season at her home airfield of Ferndale, she can be found on the slopes of Whitefish Mountain or out riding one of her horses along the Flathead River, or she might be helping her husband RAF Director Mike Perkins refresh duck boxes in time for merganser and wood duck nesting season at their home along the Swan River. The couple moved to Montana from their mile-high airfield home in Berthoud, CO in 2019, but have spent most summers at a second home in Bigfork since 2013. After settling into her new location fulltime, she wanted to connect with other active women so she started a women’s adventure group on Facebook, and it now has over 300 members. It has succeeded in connecting active women who enjoy all things outdoors like hiking, kayaking, paddle boarding, skiing and horseback riding.

Lynn was born in New York and raised in Connecticut. She met Mike at Purdue University while they were earning degrees in computer technology and business. Lynn graduated in 1997, and worked for Kiwanis International as a systems analyst and designed their new in-house IT system. As soon as they could, Lynn says, “we high-tailed it out of Indiana for the mountains of Colorado.” The couple settled in Boulder and started a tech company, which they ran for 22 years before selling in 2019.

Mike’s grandfather had been instrumental in New Hampshire aviation. Mike had always wanted to fly but his duties in the Air Force did not include flying. Lynn bought flying lessons for him in 1999 and “he took to it quickly, and had his Private within two months,” and purchased their Cessna 180 soon after. But Lynn was one of those who prefers to jump out of airplanes – especially when the jump ship was intentionally flown low on gas, and skydivers were instructed to “get out now” each time the engine quit aloft, so she was pretty leery of flying very far in small airplanes.

She decided to learn to fly to be a reliable backup for Mike. Her flight instructor made her uncomfortable when he told her he’d had a troubling vision of a tragic event that involved her in the Skywagon. A few years later, Lynn and Mike were flying home from Idaho’s backcountry with their German Shepherd when a rocker arm boss broke and they experienced immediate engine failure. “Mike was on top of his game,” Lynn said, and got it into an abandoned airstrip at nearly 8,500 feet MSL, safely landing downwind, since there was no windsock. “We were ninety seconds to the ground,” she said. An FAA representative told them that that kind of failure usually kills people. “After that emergency, I figured that was the event. I was free of bad omens and was much more comfortable flying the 180,” she explains.

Lynn’s heart was set on a Super Cub, and she borrowed from her 401k, and sold her beloved BMW sports car in order to buy one. Mike flew all over the West, and eventually found one in Billings in 2006 with about 1,500 hours on the engine. Lynn trusted Blackstone Labs for an oil analysis on the older engine, and so far, has flown her Cub over 1,000 hours more.

Lynn and Mike were very involved with the Cessna 180-185 Club and with Mike becoming a new Director, they hosted the Cody, Wyoming Skywagon Convention in 2011. Mike invited John McKenna to speak to the group about the RAF and it really inspired the couple to become more involved in the organization. It seemed to be exactly what they love about flying, especially since they now owned both a Cessna 185 and a Super Cub, both capable backcountry airplanes. Visitors to Ryan Field often see Lynn arrive in her red and white Super Cub with the big tires, but she hasn’t dropped in just to relax. Lynn is always one of the first to put gloves on and work hard. “I’m very proud of the work that has been done at Ryan Field by so many volunteers and I’m so grateful that it’s located in our flying backyard,” she says.

“We envision piling in the Skywagon, doing a cross-country, visiting all the RAF airstrips someday,” she says, adding, “North Fox Island was definitely a treat, and it’s amazing how the RAF has grown. It’s really exciting to see how it all started, where we are now, and to envision where we are going in the future.”

Submitted on March 14, 2022.

    Recent Posts

FEATURED AIRSTRIP: DRIGGS-REED MEMORIAL, ID

By Carmine Mowbray • July 1, 2026
You’d have a hard time finding a more beautiful place to fly than Driggs-Reed Memorial Airport (KDIJ). The Grand Teton, Big Hole, and Snake River mountain ranges surround this eastern Idaho valley. Driggs has become a world-class destination for the pilot community. National Geographic magazine listed Driggs as “one of the ten best outdoor recreation destinations in the U.S.” Just a 45-minute drive over Teton Pass is Jackson, Wyoming, a famous Western destination. The airport, at an elevation of 6,257, accommodates aircraft on both its 7,300-ft paved runway and 3,000-ft turf landing area, marked with cones. Note: The SW 3,451 feet of the paved runway is closed until August for reconstruction. Check NOTAMS before landing. Fly-in visitors are welcome to camp underwing at its grassy tie-down area. It’s an ideal gateway to the Idaho backcountry. Enjoy views of the nearby Teton Range from the 12' x 16' cedar pilot shelter. There is potable water, a toilet, power, a gas barbecue, and a charging station nearby. Within walking distance of the campground is the Forage restaurant. A bike shed and loaner bikes, provided by the Idaho Aviation Association Borrow-A-Bike program, are available to ride into town. If you desire a more urban experience or wish to explore further, the airport has rental cars. “It’s a great destination for the pilot community, with access to hiking, biking, fishing, floating, golf and a small town with numerous shops and restaurants,” RAF Director and Driggs resident Tim Riley says. He and a local RAF supporter recently completed a spring cleanup to ready it for the season. The amenities were provided cooperatively through the RAF, the Idaho Aviation Association (IAA), the City of Driggs, and its Airport Board, with financial contributions from each. For more information on Driggs, see the Airfield Guide . Submitted July 1, 2026 By Carmine Mowbray

VOLUNTEERS COMPLETE SEASONAL TASKS AT RYAN FIELD

June 30, 2026
It’s bear grass season around West Glacier, Montana, and nearly a score of volunteers from three different states drove in to Ryan Field June 12-13 to complete seasonal maintenance, and enjoyed spotting the showy blooms throughout the woods. Bear scat was also seen in several places – a reminder that a clean camp protects both campers and wildlife. The airfield remains closed until the new runway grass has stabilized for landing, so watch the Airfield Guide for an announcement that the field has re-opened. As a result, there was no annual Ryan Fly-in this year. Volunteers removed downed trees, cleared and marked hiking trails, mowed around the buildings and part of the runway, cleaned bear boxes, the pilot shelter, cabins, and barn. “We welcomed new volunteers and continue to work hard maintaining the field. We are as eager as everyone for the grass to take good hold so the runway can open again,” Administrative Director Tricia McKenna said. Submitted June 30, 2026

MAGEE, ID FLOOD MITIGATION ASSESSMENT BEGINS

June 26, 2026
RAF President Bill McGlynn met in mid-June with the US Forest Service, Idaho Dept of Aeronautics, and Idaho Aviation Association to evaluate steps to improve Magee (S77) airstrip, 23 nm east of Coeur d’Alene. On the way, Bill picked up Joe Sober, one of two airport engineers from Oklahoma City who have volunteered their professional services and have been instrumental in creating maintenance and remediation plans on Idaho backcountry airstrips. “The Forest Service engineering teams have too much on their plate just addressing roads, so having this resource to make airstrip engineering assessments and plans is instrumental to resolving challenges on USFS airstrips like Magee,” McGlynn said. The improvement project at Magee has been organized through a Cost Share Agreement that the RAF has with the USFS. McGlynn, Sober, Willy Acton of the Idaho Airstrip Network, along with USFS District Ranger Holly Hampton, Don Macintosh of IAA, Dan Conner of Idaho Aeronautics, and RAF Idaho Ambassador George Weaver investigated the sources of flooding that plague Magee airstrip every spring and analyzed means of redirecting the problematic water. Magee airstrip was created in the 1940s by the Corps of Engineers as a hidden fighter base in case of a Japanese attack on the western US coast. A dike that was built to channel water away from the runway has eroded over the past eighty years. Sober took numerous measurements and will develop a plan to submit to the USFS for approval. Work could begin over the next year or two to recover about 700 feet of runway. “We truly could not do this work without our volunteer engineers and are very fortunate to have their expertise,” McGlynn said. Weaver said, “The airstrip is a real gem, and the restoration work will make it a great backcountry destination.” Submitted June 28, 2026

TEAMWORK GETS THINGS DONE AT HISTORIC MEDICINE BOW, WYOMING

June 26, 2026
“It was really nice to spend some time with Wyoming folks cleaning up a little piece of history,” RAF WY/UT Ambassador Karen Larson said of the May 30 work party at Medicine Bow airport, on the historic US airmail route. RAF Wyoming Liaison Joe Feiler organized the work and reports that about 15 people with a wide range of backgrounds arrived at 9 am to help. Attendees included RAF supporters, EAA Chapter 420 members, local residents, as well as Lee Cook, Medicine Bow airport board member and town council member.

STEVE JONES

June 25, 2026
Steve Jones was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio just an hour from the birthplace of aviation. He fell in love with airplanes at an early age and has been flying ever since. That passion grew exponentially when he landed off-airport in a tailwheel airplane for the first time and discovered the world of backcountry aviation. He first encountered the RAF while attending a “Peaks to Pavement” seminar in 2019, where he met Ohio State Liaison Christine Mortine. Since that time he has enjoyed supporting the RAF including getting his hands dirty helping with campsite improvements at Noble County Airport. He has also supported technology projects for the HQ team and RAF volunteers. As a State Liaison for Ohio he will be focused on initiating new grant projects, adding more recreational airports in Ohio to the RAF Airfield Guide, and increasing RAF engagement and collaboration. Steve is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a BA in Aviation Management and is a loyal Ohio State Buckeyes football fan. He works in Flight Operations for a large private aviation company where he has worked for the past twenty years. He resides in Pickerington, Ohio with his wife Kasey who is also an aviation enthusiast. Steve can be reached at sjones@theraf.org (614) 353-8895