Presley Melton

After years of experience flying his Boeing Stearman, Decathlons, an RV8, his award-winning 1943 Howard DGA, and a variety of other aircraft, RAF Ambassador Presley Melton of Arkansas says he has the most fun in his open-cockpit AirCam. 

Years ago, Presley journeyed out west in his RV8, enjoying Idaho’s groomed turf airfields, but realized he wanted something that he could safely take into more backcountry places. He decided on the AirCam, an aircraft that was originally a one-off creation, specifically built to fly photographers over Africa’s jungle canopy, where a forced landing could drop you near the den of a hungry lion or poisonous snake. It provided the safety and redundancy of two engines and a very slow stall speed. “It’s like flying a canoe, or a motorcycle. Your elbows are out in the breeze and the view is incredible,” Presley says. Due to public demand, the AirCam design was turned into a kit, and there are now several hundred flying. 

“It’s a long way to Idaho from Arkansas at eighty miles an hour, though,” he added, and now Presley has a Murphy Super Rebel, that he describes as an Experimental Cessna 180. The faster Murphy with an enclosed cockpit makes very long trips much easier. He looks forward to many more years of recreational flying. “Flying is a team sport” he says. When he announced his plans to fly to Big Bend National Park in Texas, “which is on the way to nowhere else,” he was joined by seven other aircraft. “I’ve been very blessed to have made a bunch of friends through aviation,” he says.

While enjoying South Carolina’s Triple Tree fly-in, he was invited to join Mark Baker and John McKenna’s breakfast conversation and became motivated to help the RAF and its mission. Presley retired from a three-generation business, having turned his casket sales business over to his two sons. Now he typically flies between 120 to 150 hours per year. It is very likely RAF members will spot him in any one of his current airplanes at an event. 

Presley and about ten other pilots and family members volunteered recently to assist The Nature Conservancy on a restoration project along a tributary of the Kings River in northern Arkansas. The group planted hundreds of trees. “It was our way to give back, in appreciation for what The Nature Conservancy has given us,” he said, referring to Trigger Gap, (17A) the airfield that the RAF and Arkansas volunteers created near Bentonville on land leased from TNC. 

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MARCEL LEBLANC

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By John McKenna • September 14, 2026
Sometimes one needs to look no further than one's incoming correspondence to find inspiration. Just this past week, folks passionate about the RAF mission reached out to me with suggestions that would bring resources to the RAF. Whether they be one-off items that we might offer, or events like large fundraisers, these folks are offering some thoughts on how we might continue to pay the bills. Additionally, we’re receiving word from folks with new destinations on their mind, and some pretty cool ones at that. Along the way, my inbox – as well as my calendar – is filled with updates on our Expanding the Map effort, with an emphasis on Fly Rocky Top. The Fly Rocky Top initiative in Tennessee is generating strong interest, and for good reason. It feels great. Folks are showing up to pitch in, with significant work projects planned. Trish and I, along with other board members, will be there to lend a hand to this exciting project. We are coming up on our annual year-end letter, which you will be seeing not long from now. In addition to showcasing a few more of our successful projects, we will be seeking your support. Stand by. I’ll wrap this up by letting you know that we could not be more pleased with how you all are doing your part. Thank you. It is so healthy to have an organization that uses passion as a primary energy source. - John McKenna, RAF Chairman Submitted September 14, 2026

GARRISON DAM RECREATIONAL AIRPARK IMPROVEMENTS CONTINUE

September 11, 2026
“We had a busy day at Garrison Dam Recreational Airpark, as we continue to work on the underwing camping area,” RAF North Dakota Liaison Brian Rau reported. Rau was awarded an RAF grant in spring of 2026 to convert an adjacent day-use park into an airport camping area, and had organized volunteers who began the project in May. The airport, 37N, is closed while the runway and taxiway are being upgraded by a contractor for the ND Aeronautics Commission.

PACK A TRASH BAG

By Stef Goza • September 9, 2026
You know the feeling. You set the airplane down somewhere spectacular, shut off the engine, and enjoy the pristine landscape in front of you. This is why you fly. Keeping airstrips pristine is everyone's responsibility. But one item that doesn’t always make it into the airplane is a good trash bag. Not for the trash you planned to make. For the trash you didn’t. Cans left in a fire ring, fishing line along the river, or food wrappers working their way through the brush. None of it came in your airplane, but you have the ability to get it out. That’s reason enough to tuck a couple of heavy-duty contractor bags in with your tie-down gear. They earn their space in other ways, too. A contractor bag can keep wet or muddy gear out of the baggage compartment, cover equipment in a downpour, collect rainwater, or become an emergency poncho or windbreak. It weighs almost nothing and takes up very little room. Throw a few in the airplane and leave them there. You may not need one for your own trash, but there is a good chance you’ll find another use for it—or find something worth carrying out. Submitted September 9, 2026 By Stef Goza, Etiquette Chair, Safety, Education, and Etiquette Committee

VOLUNTEERS CLEAR WILLOWS, TREES FROM MARBLE AIRFIELD

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