RAF FEATURED SUPPORTER: PETE SMITH

Pete cut his teeth on light metal fabrication in the business his father started in northern Virginia 50 years ago. They moved it to the central Montana town of Lewistown 32 years ago, and are now a substantial employer, with over 40 employees in the town of 6,000 folks. Called “HCR” (for Horizontal Curvilinear Re-circulator), their innovations have resulted in sales of fog, frost and ice free Air Doors for customers all over the world. “If you’ve been to the Dairy or Produce section of a Costco or a Sam’s Club you’ve probably seen our product,” Pete says. On one business trip to China, he took his daughter Rosie who was studying Business in college at the time. “We were treated to a 14-course meal, including soup with the the rooster’s head floating in it, complete with [comb and wattle].” 


Pete began flying in 1975, just out of high school, in Frederick, Maryland (home of AOPA), then got his A&P through an Associate of Science program at Frederick Community College. While working, he earned his SEL and MEL certificates, and earned his Inspection Authorization (IA) certificate. He then attended the University of Maryland for his degree in Aerospace Engineering. For three years, he worked as a civilian engineer at Pax River, home of the Naval Air Test Center, working in rotary wing flight testing for U.S. Marines. 


“Since then, I’ve always, flown, owned, and worked on airplanes,” he says, “enjoying it now as a hobby.” While in AP school, he rebuilt a 1946 7AC Champ, and still has it. Of his three children, his daughter Rebecca was the one who was most thrilled to learn to fly. “Rebecca learned to fly the Champ as soon as she could reach the rudder pedals,” Pete explains. “I’d sit in back and let her fly.” When she soloed, Pete says he was standing on the turf strip near a badger hole. “I was more worried about the badger coming up and meeting harm, than I was about Rebecca’s ability to land safely.” She moved on to their C180, and is now commercially licensed to fly UAVs for her employer, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).


Pete has taken on another aviation challenge, having bought into a North American T-28 “Trojan” with a partner. “We’d like to offer rides to Vietnam War veterans, since the T-28 played a role in Laos during the War,” Pete explains. U.S. pilots taught Laotians to fly them for attacks on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. “We hope to add a Bird Dog (tandem Cessna 170 observation aircraft) for rides as well, as a tribute to their service.” He is anticipating traveling to Texas to get his type-rating in the T-28. Some consider the T-28 the most complex trainer the military ever had. ”There are three different ways just to open the canopy,” Pete says. It could handle up to one ton of weaponry under each wing. With its 1,425 hp nine-cylinder radial, he’ll need to be ready with a lot of right rudder. 


Pete’s been involved with the RAF from the beginning. His family has always enjoyed flying into the backcountry to camp, so it was a natural fit for him to get involved. Pete serves the RAF as Liaison to the BLM, overseers of many public access airstrips in the West. As past president of Montana Pilots Association, he has organized work parties and flyouts throughout Montana’s backcountry. “I have a good location in the center of the state,” he says.


He has generously donated time and material designing and fabricating handy logo key fobs, pancake turners and bottle openers, to laser cut RAF fire rings and sturdy “bear boxes,” refrigerator-freezer-sized containers for food storage, strong enough to keep the grizzlies out. His son Matthew inherited an eye for design and is working in high-end architecture. Matthew designed the commemorative P-38 floor inlays honoring Ben Ryan that impress visitors inside the Ryan Barn.


Pete says he devotes his time because he supports the RAF commitment to keeping backcountry airstrips “open and alive, and the interesting people you meet by being involved in the RAF.”


Submitted on March 15, 2023.

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RAF AWARDS GRANT FOR TRIGGER GAP TREE THINNING

February 11, 2026
RAF Arkansas Liaison Harper Goodwin has been awarded an RAF grant to improve Trigger Gap airfield in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. Goodwin, Arkansas Liaison Dave Powell and other volunteers recently met at the field to start thinning trees and underbrush along the 3,000 ft turf runway. While the work party was successful, it was apparent that much more needed to be done. “The RAF funds the routine mowing of the runway and camping area, but this expanded effort will remove undesirable trees out to one hundred feet of the runway and camping areas,” Goodwin said. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the airfield, and during this time, the perimeter area has been kept under control using a large batwing mower by the farmer who runs cattle nearby, but Goodwin explained that he can no longer continue maintaining the area.  Goodwin and Ambassador Jake Hampton volunteered time to define the area, mark trees, and get bids on the project that will remove and mulch encroaching trees, brush, and briars. “By removing the unwanted trees and underbrush now and allowing a few select trees to grow to maturity, this airfield and mountain top will truly present a park-like setting and unlimited views,” Goodwin said. He anticipates a three-day project with a land management company handling the bulk of the work. The brush and trees, many having vicious thorns, will be mulched by a Fecon machine. He wishes to address it soon before it becomes a larger, more costly challenge, and has committed to being on site to oversee the work. The contractor selected for the job is "very enthusiastic about the project, the airfield, and our mission,” Goodwin added. This newly cleared perimeter will need to be maintained on an annual basis, and Adam Jones, Director of FLY OZ, will be providing a large batwing mower twice a year, which will be operated by volunteers. For information on Trigger Gap, see the Airfield Guide . Submitted February 11, 2026

RAF FEATURED SUPPORTER: DON SEELYE

By Carmine Mowbray • February 11, 2026
Recreational pilots have a very special place to visit thanks to some dedicated Michigan pilots including Don Seelye. These folks understood the recreational value of North Fox Island in Lake Michigan, just 27 nm from Charlevoix. “We used to fly out there regularly with our family and friends and do some maintenance,” Don says. “It was privately owned, and our pay was the use of the island. We were able to enjoy the Tom Sawyer thing,” he says. Don was raised near Flint, MI. His father was an automotive engineer. Don left college and the restraint of a desk, preferring the outdoors and doing his own engineering, which led to a successful career manufacturing electronic controls for environmental research. His clients included JPL and Generac. His company patented a special controller. “We were told it was the first controller to survive the Antarctic winter.” Don never visited the frozen continent, preferring to explore Lake Michigan for shipwrecks. He bought a Cessna 120 and learned to fly. He’d fly over the lake, spotting telltale indications of something salvageable beneath the surface for his partner, who made furniture from legally salvaged wood. They would take their tugboat over the site and dive to the wreck. The best find, Don explains, was a three-masted schooner that had sunk over a hundred years before. It yielded beautifully preserved white oak. For vacations, Don would fly with his wife Carol and three small kids in the two-seat Cessna. “Once we flew to Mackinac Island. I signed in as ‘C-120 with five onboard’. I kinda expected an official phone call, but it never came,” he mused. Now, Don and his wife love flying the Lake Amphibian they bought in 1971. It has taken them over a good chunk of North America, from Key West to near Hudson Bay, he says, “We like to find remote lakes and camp. We find a somewhat sandy shoreline to beach the plane; maybe catch a big walleye.” In 2009, Don saw an RAF story in a flying magazine and called John McKenna, asking to get involved. “The McKennas came to Michigan and met us that July, and we met with Michigan Aeronautics. More RAF volunteers came in and joined us for local meetings with the DNR in Lansing. We finally pushed and pushed and got North Fox open,” he says.

GOOD ORGANIZATIONS, AND THE PEOPLE IN THEM MATTER

By John McKenna • February 11, 2026
With the departure of Darren Pleasance from AOPA last month, it seems like a couple of questions have landed in the public debate space. One of those questions is, did AOPA just lose a talented executive who had worked hard for a full year to establish himself as the new leader? And no matter your answer to that question, you might ask, do organizations such as AOPA really matter at all? I don’t often offer much commentary on organizational structure and worth, since I’ve never been considered an expert on the matter. However, I will suggest that organizations do matter. Good ones matter because they do their best to bring the collective voice of many to bear on matters we care about. When it comes to aviation, I believe it would be difficult to imagine our environment without an effective AOPA and the people who make it good. Having had the opportunity to peek behind the curtain, I can tell you that since day one of the RAF’s existence, AOPA has been there for us. I won’t take this space to describe each and every case, but trust me when I say they have been our friend, and they do matter. Probably a more vexing question is that of the people within an organization. I feel humbled on a daily basis to be a part of leading you, the RAF family, along with my fellow board members and leadership, on this journey we are on. So, what does that have to do with AOPA? I have, thanks to this RAF thing, come to know AOPA through the helping hands their team has extended. Craig Fuller was our grade school/high school teacher and mentor, giving us the foundational help we so needed at that time. Mark Baker became our friend and champion, lending us resources we could not have gained without his help. Darren Pleasance was well on his way to being that new leader, the one we knew we could count on. We are better for them all. So now what? I feel it is our turn to stand up for AOPA and help them through what is a difficult period. I hope it will pass soon. I am hopeful AOPA leadership will take this time to reflect on the decisions they have made and come out the back end of this better off. I am confident our friend Darren will find a place within aviation to be the kind of leader he was on track to be. And equally, I am optimistic that AOPA as an organization will continue its place of value in the General Aviation space. So, let’s all roll up our sleeves and do what we can to support a good organization that our industry needs. - John McKenna, RAF Chairman Submitted February 11, 2026

RAF OUTFITTER FEBRUARY FEATURED ITEM

February 5, 2026
Our RAF Beanie Collection is proudly made in Bozeman, MT by our friends at Sauce. Designed to keep you warm on cold days, these beanies are perfect for winter adventures like snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and—of course—flying! Available in adult one-size-fits-all and kids’ sizes. Get your RAF Beanie today and stay warm wherever your adventures take you! We’re excited to feature Shayla Swanson, founder of Sauce, in our latest RIF RAF newsletter. Originally from Alberta, Canada, Shayla is a competitive Nordic ski racer who launched her beanie company in Bozeman after relocating to complete her education. Learn more about Shayla’s journey and the story behind Sauce here .  If you have questions, please email contact@theraf.org or call 406-582-1723. Your RAF Outfitter purchase is greatly appreciated and furthers the mission to preserve, improve, and create airstrips for recreational access. You can support the RAF mission all year by shopping at the RAF Outfitter online store. Products are being added regularly, and items are thoughtfully selected for durability and suitability for pilots, by pilots. We welcome photos of supporters using RAF gear! Please send your images to ewhite@theraf.org , and let us know if we have permission to post them on social media or our website. Submitted January 5, 2026.

CHUCK HOWARD

By lellington • February 1, 2026
Day Job: Restaurant Owner and College Student Favorite Airstrip: TIE SO FAR: Trigger Gap (17A) and John Harris Field (AR05) Next Adventure: Spring airplane camping in New Mexico