Jeanne has been a supporter of RAF since it’s inception. Her aviation work experience includes flying freight, Bureau Chief and Chief Pilot for Montana Aeronautics Division, copilot for the Montana Governor’s Office, and owning a flight school teaching basic aerobatics and mountain flying. She and her husband love flying into backcountry airstrips and are grateful to RAF for working so hard to maintain these aviation treasures.
WORTH THE READ – JEANNE MACPHERSON 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 Jeanne MacPherson, a longtime RAF supporter. Here is her philosophy on life, and how it relates to flying . . .
Can we ever become accomplished enough to stop practicing our craft?
Pablo Casals was one of the most renowned musicians of the 20th Century. Though he was a brilliant cellist, even in his eighties Casals continued to practice daily. When asked why he kept practicing when he was the best in the world, he replied: “I feel like I am making progress.”
This lifetime practice resonates with me in so many things that I love to do. Flying our two airplanes takes constant practice. Sometimes it is one of life’s upsets that forces you into learning and practicing yet again. I recently broke my hip ice skating on Canyon Ferry Reservoir’s wild ice. Daily physical therapy and exercise are now my routine. After a two month break from flying, I am once again practicing landings over and over…looking for that “daily progress.” I have never been comfortable with the saying: “any landing you can walk away from is a good landing.” I believe in striving for excellence.
Challenges that I have taken on to improve my ability to land accurately in a stabilized approach at a pre-specified spot are wheel landings in a tailwheel airplane, glassy water landings in a seaplane, short/soft field arrival at a planned spot, touching down on one wheel, and crosswind landings. It is always an ongoing practice.
Enhancing aviation skills can be done in many ways and yet made to be fun. One of my favorite approaches to flight reviews is to engage in add-on ratings or specialized flight training. AOPA’s Air Safety Institute offers “focused flight reviews” using tailored lesson plans for mountain flying, positive aircraft control, IFR proficiency, and others. I encourage you to check them out.
My husband, Bill, and I like to take on new challenges for our flight reviews. Several years ago, we traveled to the world’s best and friendliest airport in Santa Paula, California, to take Rich Stowell’s Emergency Maneuver Training Course at CP Aviation. This course not only challenged us and made as safer pilots but took us down a path toward ownership of a beautiful Super Decathlon and participation in the International Aerobatic Club. This also prompted me to start a flight school for emergency training, aerobatics, and Montana Mountain flying.
I am now retired from my work at Montana Aeronautics Division as Bureau Chief for Safety and Education and from my flight school, Mountain Airdance, but recently our Granddaughter, Graci, has expressed a passion for flying. Now, with a renewed sense of purpose, I am practicing landings from the back seat of our Super Decathlon with Bill in the front. I am making daily progress, getting the sight picture and perception from the rear seat so that I once again can be on top of my game as a flight instructor for our granddaughter Graci.
The philosopher Seneca said: “As long as you live, keep learning how to live.” I believe that if we follow this advice, we – like Pablo Casals the cellist – can keep making progress as pilots.
Submitted April 23, 2024.
Posted in Guest Editorial, News
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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 Neil Mortine, a marketing and relations executive, RAF Supporter, and husband of RAF Ohio Liaison Christine Mortine.
Taylor Flat Airstrip, just a stone’s throw from the wild and scenic Green River as it carves through spectacular Utah canyons, is officially reopened. Thanks to a cooperative effort between the RAF and Utah Back Country Pilots (UBCP), Taylor Flat Airstrip, TF9, is one more recreational destination pilots can once again enjoy as the RAF works on Expanding The Map ! In 2023, dialog was initiated with the BLM to reopen the airstrip. Daggett County got involved, and RAF Utah Liaison Wendy Lessig navigated the required NEPA process. Lessig was instrumental in preparing a right of way (ROW) lease agreement application, coordinating between Daggett County, the BLM, and other stakeholders, and gathering information to assist the BLM throughout the required Environmental Assessment. “Thanks to Wendy taking action as the RAF Liaison, and her professional persistence following through the lengthy public review process, Taylor Flat Airstrip will reopen as another unique backcountry destination," RAF President Bill McGlynn said. The RAF and UBCP teamed up May 9 to revitalize the airstrip, which had lain dormant for thirty years. “The work party was a resounding success,” Lessig reports. ”We are grateful for the twenty-five volunteers who hand-picked rocks from the airstrip, and used them to mark the runway corners and threshold. “
Starting this month, we’re sharing messages from our RAF Safety, Education and Etiquette “SEE” committee. We hope you like the way we present these stories, and most importantly, we hope you’re one of those folks willing to sit around the campfire and help your friends become better at this thing we call backcountry aviation. We all see things that might not end well. We don’t intend to call anyone out for what might already be a bad day in someone’s flying life. In the interest of safety, we’re inviting you to be part of the culture starting with, “see something, say something.” The hard part might be how to politely deliver that message, and even more important, how to react if we are on the receiving end of someone’s comment. It takes maturity to accept input, especially at one of those moments when maybe we realize things could have just gotten much worse for us. I know I’ve been in “that place” when some thoughtful input about my flying or behavior has been offered. Part of flying is to always strive to be better; and when we aren’t at our best, try to own our shortcomings, learn from them, and move forward. I think about this often. I worry that if we don’t work at getting this part right, at best we risk losing access due to bad practices or behavior; and at worst we risk people getting hurt or worse. It’s that last piece that keeps me up at night. Of all the joys that doing this work brings us at the RAF, the risk of people getting hurt is what I think about the most. Safety, education, and etiquette are tied. Getting these right means the best outcome. So, get out there this summer. Get some grass stains on your wheels, get some bugs on your windscreen, get better at your craft of flying the airplane, meet some new people, and for sure start to create those special friendships that begin around a campfire under a starlit night. - John McKenna, RAF Chairman Submitted June 16, 2026
By RAF Director Bill Brine and the RAF's Safety, Education, and Etiquette Committee. Too many backcountry accidents happen on the third approach. After two unsuccessful attempts at landing, the pilot is tired, anxious, behind the airplane, and making decisions with a brain that has been running down since the first go-around. The airstrip hasn’t gotten easier. Third time’s NOT a charm. What’s driving this is cultural. Baseball is “three strikes, you’re out.” Could this thinking have joined us in the cockpit? We aren’t playing baseball out here. The backcountry does not give you that third strike. It gives you consequences. Our RAF Code of Conduct calls on each of us to establish personal minimums based on sound aeronautical decision-making — before we need them. Decide your limits at the kitchen table. Write it down. Brief your passengers. Commit to it before you start the engine. That’s when the rule does its job and leads to that hoped-for experience you set out on. Here is one worth considering: two attempts, fly away, head somewhere else . Not because your mission failed, but because you made a sound decision. Flying away is not defeat. Head to your alternate. Land, shut down, and let everyone decompress. Unload gear, leave passengers, go back solo, or call it a day. Those are good outcomes. Submitted June 15, 2026 Photo Credit: Scott Newpower
This month, the RAF is featuring our friend Charlie Gregoire, co-founder of innovative Redbird Simulators. Redbird's story is of a few guys who acted on their great idea to make it easier and more affordable for anyone to become a pilot. In 2006, they imagined a flight simulator that made a pilot feel like they were flying a real airplane. “We thought a decaying Cessna Cardinal RG was the perfect prototype,” Charlie said, and “Redbird” was born. “After a few more not-quite-right prototypes, we arrived at our first product, the Redbird FMX.” And driven by the idea to make initial flight training affordable, Redbird FMX is a great primary loggable training platform. Since then, Redbird has delivered over 7,000 aviation training devices to more than 60 countries. From desktop models to full-motion units, “We’re proud of the revolutionary changes our employees and customers are bringing to this industry we are all so passionate about,” Charlie says. Charlie also serves as a member of the special RAF group of volunteers we call the Vy Group. Pilots know that Vy is the “best rate of climb” speed, and these folks help steer the RAF in ways to “gain altitude” efficiently. Redbird and the RAF have partnered on the idea to prepare pilots for the unconventional demands of backcountry flying. Redbird has incorporated backcountry training scenarios, and graciously shares their wide selection of “off pavement” experiences by inviting pilots to try their hand in simulators at aviation events, like AirVenture and Sun ’n Fun. This year we invite you to Redbird’s interactive display at AirVenture, booth 301. While there, enjoy coffee and donuts with the Redbird team and us from 8:30 am to 10:30 am on Tuesday, July 21. Charlie and his team recognize the value of partnerships like ours. He says partnerships are an important part of Redbird’s past and future success. We share a common goal to make GA as safe as possible – wherever, and whatever you choose to fly – and keep it strong with passion, dedication, and commitment. See Redbird’s complete story here . Submitted June 15, 2026 By Carmine Mowbray
