For all that’s been accomplished, there’s still a missing piece: the shelter facility itself. Friends has been busily hosting (amazingly popular) pancake breakfasts and hustling donations from the locals for several years now, and they thought they were getting close to funding the construction of a 20’ x 30’ shelter for seminars, socials and a place to sit when eating a meal. But that abruptly changed when members of the Florida Sport Aviation Antique & Classic Association (FSAACA) presented Friends with a $1,000 shelter donation at Saturday’s dinner. When George Chase, Friends’ President, recovered the power of speech, he noted, “I think that puts us over the top!”
RAF CHRISTENS ARCADIA PILOT SHELTER
It’s become pretty obvious that, if you own a tent and a plane, one of the best weekends to be had is Arcadia’s Rodeo Weekend. Arcadia Municipal X06 is this typically small rural airport next to this ‘time stood still’ small Florida town, so what’s the big deal? Well….the ‘big deal’ comes in two packages. It coincides with Florida’s oldest professional rodeo , 87 years young in 2015. The action found down in the dirt where the hooves and bluejeans mix it up is pretty entertaining. But it’s the second package that impresses even more: the new Fly-in/Camp-out aircraft campsite that’s been created by Friends of Arcadia Airport.
‘Friends’ goal for over four years now has been to breathe life into their quiet airport and, by extension, into Arcadia itself. And central to that goal has been to create a pilot shelter and aircraft campground that lure in those of us who seek a quiet campsite after an enjoyable flight…but who might also want a half gallon of milk available nearby or want a pizza delivered. After a long hot summer of work, what Friends has created is a shady aviation oasis: a semi-circular taxiway through Florida greenery that allows one to taxi right into a shady campsite, with a central fire pit nearby and the portalettes carefully hidden from view. This site first became “home” when a large mix of RAF members, three generations deep, arrived to park, play, relax and share in the home cooked meals served by Friends.
Arcadia’s Fly-in/Camp-out facility will be open to the public for regular use very soon, and the RAF will be sure to keep its members posted. But meanwhile you’ll know where to find many of us next March, because we’ll be in Arcadia, hoping to back the plane underneath an oak and waiting for Friends dinner bell to ring. (Want to see what YOU missed? Watch this.)
Submitted on March 27, 2015.
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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.
Our many RAF supporters have such vast and varied experience, and we’re capturing some of their words of wisdom to share with you. This guest editorial is by Stef Goza, a pilot and an RAF Alaska liaison.
Bill credits aviation for much of his success in business and the ability to serve his companies and family. What began in a Champ, and a Tri-Pacer owned by five people, turned into what Bill calls, “a key business tool” in which he accumulated 9,000 hours – in a Cheyenne, a Pilatus, and a TBM, where ninety-five percent of his flying was for business. “My retirement enabled me to recall ‘Why I Learned to Fly’, a slogan from an old RAF video.” Bill’s son, Patrick, purchased the C185 they now share. “While attending a business function, some associates arrived in corporate jets. As they joined up on the tarmac, the jet pilots gathered around Patrick’s 185, and one of the passengers asked, ‘What’s special about this?’ No explanation needed for this RAF audience,” Bill says. “My involvement in the RAF is, in a partial way, repaying the rewards aviation has endowed me with. Having been involved in many worthwhile nonprofits, this is one where financial support is only part of the picture. Physically participating in great projects that have a lasting effect, with good people, returns a great personal benefit,” he says. “My only regret is that I wasn’t there at the start.” Bill and his wife Jane are privileged to be able to split time between their long-time home in eastern Nebraska and Scottsdale, Arizona. While still serving on several boards, he enjoys golf “about every third shot,” biking, cars, and reading, but always looks forward to the time he can be involved in the RAF. “It’s flying with a purpose,” he adds. Bill can be reached at bdugan@theraf.org
AR Ambassador
A Christmas gift of flight lessons from his parents started Scott Anttila’s aviation journey in 1985. “I learned at Johnson Field, a small grass strip tucked into the woods in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and that early exposure to simple backcountry flying stuck with me,” Scott says. Growing up in the U.P., he spent a lot of time outdoors and found that flying was another way to get to the places he liked to explore—especially the ones most people never saw. As he earned more ratings and eventually moved to the Detroit area for work, Scott realized he needed a way to stay connected to northern Michigan. He bought an airplane and used it to get back to the smaller airstrips and lake country he enjoyed. Along the way, he also flew gliders out of Frankfort, soaring along the Sleeping Bear Dunes and towing sailplanes over the Great Lakes. “Those flights gave me a different appreciation for the landscape and made me even more interested in the small, out-of-the-way airports scattered around the state,” he says. Visiting those kinds of places, Scott first came across the Recreational Aviation Foundation. He started using RAF-supported airstrips both inside and outside Michigan. “I noticed how well-kept they were and how much access they opened up,” he says, adding, ”Over the years, I’ve watched a number of grass strips close, which made the RAF’s mission feel especially important to me. Maintaining these airstrips keeps aviation connected to the outdoors and makes it possible for more people to reach the quiet, remote areas that inspired me to fly in the first place.” Scott joins the other two RAF Michigan Liaisons, General Grant and Tanmoy Ganguly. He can be reached at santtila@theraf.org . Submitted December 11, 2025.
