Andrew is a Multi Instrument Commercial Pilot with close to 3000 hours who started flying the Idaho Backcountry after learning to fly in the year 2000. It has been one of his greatest thrills to give back to Idaho after all that it has shared with him. Andrew makes his living off the growth in Idaho as a General Contractor building custom dreams and commercial buildings. He is keenly aware of the importance of managing growth proactively for us all to enjoy the aviation access we love today.
WORTH THE READ: ANDREW GEORGE GUEST EDITORIAL
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 month’s guest editorial is by Andrew George, the President of the Idaho Aviation Association.
When I spoke at the 2024 RAF Volunteer Education Conference in Montana, I emphasized to those in attendance that we face one overarching challenge and one true adversary that poses the greatest threat to our industry: public opinion. I have not wavered in this belief.
As aviators, we are a minority voice navigating within a majority of opinions that often shape policies. These policies, in turn, have the potential to restrict our rights to explore the skies. While we can discuss wilderness access issues, the complexities of the air traffic control system, or even the nuances of proper etiquette and behavior, none of these concerns carries the weight of what a negative public perception can do.
Aviation has long battled the stigma of being unsafe or corrupt and careless at times—an image that does not reflect reality. Every industry has its bad actors, but aviation suffers disproportionately because its rare missteps are often catastrophic and widely publicized. Tragedies overshadow human-interest stories, creating lasting impressions that are hard to reverse.
Consider the devastating events at Reno, when the Galloping Ghost experienced a minor mechanical failure that led to significant loss of life and indelible memories for millions. That singular event reshaped how the Reno Air Races operated and began to erode public support, contributing to the eventual decline of the races at Stead Field.
This delicate balance between public perception and our freedoms is not unique to Reno—it applies across the country. One incident is all it takes to shift public sentiment in a way that permanently alters our ability to enjoy the skies.
I see the RAF as a vital force in combating these perceptions. The organization is uniquely positioned to share positive, corrective information about aviation’s benefits. Unlike larger national organizations like AOPA or EAA, which focus on broad industry-wide concerns or specific passions like building and flying experimental aircraft, the RAF’s grassroots approach is tailored to the needs and culture exemplified within individual states.
Aviation adapts to the physical and cultural geography of each region. The RAF excels by fostering a flow of information from local communities to a central hub and then redistributing it widely. The RIF RAF newsletters are great communicators of regional activities and contributions. This creates a system where local knowledge and stories can shape public opinion far beyond where they originated. The RIF RAF has shown where the Congressional information is shared as well. A benefit to its commitment to work with the Federal agencies throughout.
Because the RAF operates at the airfield level —where its contacts understand the specific needs of local pilots—it is uniquely effective in shaping country wide public perception. By focusing on grassroots engagement, the RAF has already made significant strides in influencing public opinion in many areas, with even greater potential in the future.
To maintain and grow this influence, we must all participate. It takes consistent communication—sharing information, correcting misconceptions, and engaging those who may view aviation as reckless or uncaring. Changing minds requires effort from all of us, not just within our local communities but also in collaboration with those far removed from our own neighborhoods.
We are always one bad day away from a shift in public opinion. While this is the reality of the social environment we live in, the degree of that shift depends on what we do today—how we communicate, how we collaborate, and how we behave as ambassadors of aviation.
We will all share in the struggles to protect our rights as aviators while we also create new ways to ensure our behaviors are safe and perceived as positive. The RAF is poised to be one of the few, deliberate organizations that I see as being in the right place at the right time. The RAF is not the AOPA in size and doesn’t need to be. It is not the EAA and has a singular focus. It is not like the IAA either as we are specific to our geographical areas. The RAF, oh it is sitting pretty in my mind…it has the beauty of being large enough to command a seat at the table, small enough to know where it came from yet powerful enough to add strength to any argument it sees fit. That’s where the RAF provides such assistance to help create a stream of information back and for that will and has shaped positive public opinion.
Let this serve as a reminder: Every day, the IAA (or other organizations) seeks ways to share, communicate, and collaborate—not just locally but across the nation. I strongly support the RAF’s mission and its ability to share our passion for aviation, connecting my community to yours and fostering understanding and appreciation for what we all love.
Andrew is a Multi Instrument Commercial Pilot with close to 3000 hours who started flying the Idaho Backcountry after learning to fly in the year 2000. It has been one of his greatest thrills to give back to Idaho after all that it has shared with him. Andrew makes his living off the growth in Idaho as a General Contractor building custom dreams and commercial buildings. He is keenly aware of the importance of managing growth proactively for us all to enjoy the aviation access we love today.
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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.
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.
“The word that comes to mind when I think of our second Walker Ridge work party is magical,” RAF California Liaison Doug Lumgair said, "even though it started off again with a truck stuck in the mud.” Volunteers began arriving Friday afternoon in a tailwheel Rans, a Super Cub, and Lumgair in his Cessna 170. A pickup with a big dump trailer brought the Polaris Ranger, and more pickups arrived. The runway surface posed major problems with boulders protruding from the surface. Everyone was eager to get started with pry bars and remove them. Once they fired up the generators to power the hammer drills, they discovered that this was the best method for attacking the rocks below the surface and breaking them up into pieces that they loaded into the trailer for removal. “At times, it felt like we had taken on an impossible task. But with steady work and persistence, by afternoon, we began to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Lumgair said. In the Friday evening fire circle, they made new friends while sitting around a propane fire pit that had been cleverly transformed into a radiant heater by placing a washing-machine drum over it. Walker Ridge lies in a dark-sky area. Before the full supermoon rose, Lumgair said they could see the Milky Way with the naked eye. The campsite at the south end of Walker Ridge has a gorgeous view of the valley, and the view became “even more breathtaking as Central Valley tule fog filled the valley and the supermoon lit the fog, creating a shimmering white lake.” Lumgair said. Saturday morning, two crews quickly organized with hammer drills, and others began cutting brush along the runway edges. Volunteers had already removed what Lumgair called an incredible amount of brush during their first work party, but Saturday, they hauled out twelve more trailer loads. Late on Saturday, they had enough time to work on the rock outcroppings in the south turnaround area as well. "It was amazing that we were able to cut and haul so much brush and break down rocks and fill the resulting holes—all in one steady, hard-working day. Thank you very much to everyone for supporting the RAF in so many ways,” he said. Some stayed Saturday night to enjoy another beautiful evening. Work remains, and Lumgair is planning more work parties in the coming year to complete further improvements, some of which will require additional approval from the BLM. “Please let me know if you get up there this winter. I’d love to hear your thoughts and see any photos of your experience, Lumgair added. Doug Lumgair can be reached at dlumgair@theraf.org . Submitted December 11, 2025.
Chris at TacAero in Fredericksburg, Texas to fly what he calls, "the mighty XCub. It's an awesome airplane,” he added.
That is the end of a quote that goes a bit like this: “It may not be easy, but if you don’t start, it won’t happen at all.” When I read that, I thought back 23 holiday seasons ago, about when the RAF got underway. We likely were a bit naïve about the road, or lack thereof, that was out front of the RAF, but we were wise enough to grasp that if the RAF were to become a successful contributor to our country’s recreational and backcountry aviation, the path would not be easy. What we did know was – and some of you have heard this before – “If not us, who? And if not now, when?” That simple realization got us started, or it wouldn’t have happened at all. The RAF works much that way today. We are a “jump in and figure it out” organization. We sense a need, and bypass the tendency to spend lots of time getting ready to get ready. As RAF Director Bill Brine of Massachusetts says, “The RAF has a bias towards action.” And we attract folks who have that same get-it-done attitude. What I try to do in this piece is relate these words to other parts of my life, and those who spend a few minutes reading them. With it being the giving season, I suggest that one of the best gifts you can perhaps give is one that says, “It might not be easy, but now is a good time to get going or (you guessed it), it won’t happen at all.” In this digital consumption world we live in, I urge you to be your best authentic you. We’re all bombarded with algorithms and social media. If you’re reading this, you are that authentic person the RAF seeks, who pitches in on the team that the RAF thrives on. You can be the wrapping paper around the gift of getting started, of helping others to take meaningful action, and accepting responsibility as opposed to taking credit, all while embracing the learning that comes from the occasional setback. If success had been a requirement ahead of passion, the RAF would not be where it is today. The RAF has proven that people with passion get things done. So, at this time of year, give that gift of passion and leadership, the kind the RAF works hard to exemplify. - John McKenna, RAF Chairman Submitted December 9th, 2025.
