John Sowles flies a Cessna 170, a Champ, and a TaylorCraft. His career was in testing and ensuring water quality in the United States and abroad. He’s a former trustee for The Nature Conservancy and continues to do volunteer work for them. John retired from his scientific profession, but still consults in the Dominican Republic and Kenya.
WORTH THE READ: JOHN SOWLES 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 John Sowles, a longtime pilot and RAF Supporter from Maine.
Bridging the Conservation Divide :
I’m neither the owner or CEO of a major aviation manufacturer nor a 10,000 hour bush pilot. But I do want to share my experience assisting the RAF in opening up a remote airstrip in the North Maine woods. Hopefully, it will help others as we try to save access to a dwindling number of airstrips.
The RAF is remarkable in many ways; it was born of an audacious idea by a bunch of bold risk takers over a coast-to-coast geography, negotiating with government bureaucracies, private property owners and environmental/conservation organizations. Objectively, I’d say they were a bit short of furnishings “upstairs”. But look at what they have accomplished!
My introduction to the RAF began soon after its founding at a dinner with a group of local pilot friends – Steve Williams, Lisa Reese, and Maine Liaison Andy Rowe – where the McKennas explained their vision and goals. At that point in my life, most of my flying had been on floats collecting samples for the State from waterbodies that were difficult to access by truck. I really enjoyed and appreciated getting away to remote areas and relying on nobody but myself. I had never given it a thought that land-based airstrips could provide a similar sense of independence, self-reliance, and peacefulness as the ponds, lakes and rivers I visited. The possibility of a land-based experience intrigued me and I became involved.
Right off the bat, I was afforded a front row seat on a long journey with RAF as we worked to reopen an abandoned airstrip in northern Maine. From the mid ‘60s and into the 80s, Maine’s north woods was hit with a spruce budworm infestation that destroyed hundreds of millions of dollars of wood having widespread negative impact on the economy of Maine. To combat the budworm, International Paper and the Maine Forest Service built a 3,200-ft paved airstrip to handle converted WWII bomber spray planes.
After the budworm infestation passed, Red Pine Airfield was abandoned. Its location adjacent to the St. John River made for a popular camping spot for canoeists and hunters. In 1998, as part of a large land conservation deal, ownership of Red Pine passed to The Nature Conservancy. For liability reasons, the strip was X’ed out. Camping and land-based vehicle access remained.
At that fateful dinner, it leaked out that I happened to be a Trustee of the TNC in Maine. “Could I help?” Soon I found myself in an awkward position between two organizations that on first glance might appear in conflict. At the time, conservation organizations were not especially known for opening access, much less motorized access. But Red Pine had been used for recreation for decades by locals.
When TNC ‘X’ed it out, it left a bitter taste with locals at a time when organizations like TNC were trying to repair community relations. Upon closer look, the RAF and TNC hold a lot in common. Both believe in supporting communities while achieving their mission. In TNC’s case, much of their land is open to commercial harvest, hunting and fishing, thereby supporting local economies. In RAF’s case, RAF provides stewardship value to the property owner. In this way we indirectly serve the non-aviation communities as well. Both organizations are respectful. Both seek ways to collaborate. Both are committed to conserving natural area experience. And both appreciate local community values.
Because TNC looked at the airfield as a potential attractive nuisance and liability, RAF made the case that we could manage that risk while benefiting a wide constituency. And through gentle conversation, I think we changed the balance sheet from negative perceptions of aviation to positive. Helpful in our conversations were the RAF Code of Ethics, data showing the comparable environmental impacts of aircraft vs land-vehicles, enabling TNC staff to access their property more frequently, ensuring a landing area for emergency evacuations in a remote area of the state, as well as for pilots transiting a large tract of unoccupied forest. We also were willing to concede about 700 feet by shortening the runway so that it would not infringe on the river protection corridor.
I’ve always believed that people can’t appreciate places if they are locked out. By being present and maintaining a clean and safe area, Red Pine can continue as a critical low impact asset for pilots and many other recreationalists. I want to acknowledge Andy Rowe, Steve Mason and Bill Sylvester as partners in this journey and Steve Williams and Lisa Reese for that dinner so many years ago. They, along with TNC staff, were a pleasure to work with.
My “take aways” are three:
- What the RAF does and how it does it is its secret to success. It requires a clear vision that provides benefits beyond RAF directly.
- The RAF does it by being supportive and respectful rather than confrontational; listening to and addressing landowner concerns and supplying facts and rational positions, and
- Patience, LOADS of patience and perseverance. Finally, after over 12 years of work, Red Pine reopened in 2021.
In closing, I believe that for all you out there who think you can’t make a difference, think again. We all have something to offer.
Submitted January 23, 2024.
Posted in Guest Editorial, News
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I live and work in Ohio, and like to play in the mountains, both flying and with feet on the ground. A lot of us live east of the Rockies, without the profound effects of density altitude, or that invisible mountain wave. In my earnest desire to fly in the mountains I love, many years ago I registered for a backcountry flying course…in Truckee, CA. Miraculously, I made it to Reno before experiencing a mountain wave. With Truckee practically in sight and approaching the final mountain ridge, my ground speed went from 135 kts to 80 kts in an instant. I floated over the ridge, pitch expected for straight and level at 80. I will never approach a ridge crossing straight-on again. Rather, at 45º, to allow for only a 90º turn to escape safely. Density altitude – the lack of power from high elevation coupled with above-standard temperature – gripped me when on final into Raton Municipal/Crews Field KRTN, 6,352 elevation, in a Grumman Tiger with student pilots aboard for a cross-country experience. Seduced by the gradual rising terrain westbound from Ohio, on final I realized I was sinking below the runway edge. It REALLY gifted me a profound understanding of density altitude! Can we safely transition to higher altitude flying? Sure! It just takes creativity and planning. Be aware of FAA hazardous attitudes, do some research, talk to experienced pilots in the places you are going, do more research, then get in your plane and practice where you live. Scenario training is great when you really lean into it. AOPA developed Focused Flight Reviews, which include a Backcountry option, mentioned on page 4, August 2026 Flight Training. One safety tool is Vc, or “canyon speed,” coined by Amy Hoover and “Dick” Williams in their manual Mountain, Canyon, and Backcountry Flying. Contact me for info on the backcountry flying course in Truckee. I have vetted these samples of the many resources myself. Just remember, online videos and reading can be productive, but it’s your hips in the seat with other experienced pilots that really works! For more resources, find the RAF Safety, Education, and Etiquette page here . Submitted October 15, 2026 By Christine Mortine, CFII, DPE, RAF Safety, Education, & Etiquette Committee - Education Chair cmortine@theraf.org
Three outstanding RAF volunteers were honored at the 2026 RAF Educational Conference in Seattle recently. RAF Volunteer Coordinator Erin White said, “It was incredibly difficult to choose this year’s winner. The HQ team and I finally narrowed down the candidates to three, and we simply couldn’t pick only one. I am very proud to announce that there are three 2026 award winners.” Wendy Lessig of Utah, Ron Keller of New Mexico, and Kevin Johnson of Oregon were each awarded the “Wind Beneath Our Wings” plaque that recognizes extraordinary efforts to further the RAF mission. This award was created and generously sponsored by RAF co-founders Dan and Margie Prill, and Chuck and Penny Jarecki. Each name has also been engraved on a permanent plaque displayed in the RAF's Bozeman, MT office. Wendy Lessig became Utah Liaison in 2019 and set a high bar for the task. A former director of Utah Back Country Pilots, she coordinated their mission to preserve and ethically access Utah’s backcountry airstrips with the RAF’s national recognition to boost awareness of her projects. Wendy has spent countless hours working to open multiple airstrips as part of the RAF’s Expanding the Map initiative. She works closely with the Bureau of Land Management and has become well-versed in public land management policy. She navigates the steps required to ensure access on federal lands, including using RAF grants and procuring other funding to pay for cultural surveys. Her diligence has paid off with successes that include the reopening of Taylor Flat and Keg Knoll airstrips. She engaged with Utah DOT Aeronautics and UBCP to install weather stations at strategically important locations for aviation. Wendy has flown her PA-12 all over the US, often to help at work parties. Ron Keller had been advocating for recreational aviation in New Mexico well before 2016 when he became RAF Liaison. Keller helped start the New Mexico Airstrip Network in 2014. He excels at working on projects in partnership with the Forest Service, New Mexico Pilots Association, and New Mexico Airstrip Network; with the goal to preserve valuable recreational destinations — places in the high desert where you could land your own aircraft, pitch your tent with panoramic views of ponderosa, piñon pine, and Rocky Mountain juniper. As RAF Liaison, he received permission from the USFS to rehabilitate Sacaton airstrip that had been dormant for over 40 years. Several work parties later, these dedicated volunteers saw Sacaton registered and ready for public access. Beyond reopening airstrips, Keller organizes volunteers, and has many camping amenities to show for their efforts, like picnic tables, vault toilets, and shade structures, most welcoming to campers and hikers. Of course Ron loves flying to all these places, but he also says, “I enjoy mowing all six USFS-managed airstrips on the Gila National Forest.” Choosing to haul a mower for hours each way on dirt roads certainly helped qualify Ron for this award. Upon receiving the award, Ron immediately credited it to the many volunteers who assist his efforts in NM. Kevin Johnson lives in Oregon where he bases his C172, but he’s often on the go. Kevin is an RAF Ambassador and has provided his design and carpentry skills on RAF projects from the Pacific Northwest to Montana, quietly and steadily getting an incredible amount of work done. He also builds and installs airfield kiosks of his own design. When he learned of the drive-in-only work call at Walker Ridge airfield in California, he drove nine hours each way to help out, towing a windsock pole that he’d built to the site. His range was recently expanded to include east Tennessee, where he joined the initial work party on the “Fly Rocky Top” project to construct a pilot pavilion over the weekend at Higdon Field, one of the seven outpost airfields planned as part of the RAF Expanding the Map project. During the award ceremony, the crowd gave each a standing ovation, and White added, “Volunteers from California to Maine and everywhere in between are doing incredible work every day preserving special places to fly.” The RAF is thankful for each and every person who volunteers their time and talent towards the mission of preserving, improving, and creating airfields for recreational access. Submitted October 14, 2026 By Carmine Mowbray
As the RAF works on Expanding the Map, a team of volunteers got a head start on projects at two Fly Rocky Top airfields in Tennessee, part of the seven planned backcountry destinations, with Smuggler’s Landing as the “basecamp.” The first weekend of October, the crew poured concrete and made great progress on kiosks and post-and-beam picnic shelters at Higdon Field and McGraw's Backyard, using traditional Bavarian peg joinery techniques. Beginning at Higdon Field amidst the shade of the deciduous forest, the crew began assembling a shelter, pounding wood pegs with a huge wooden mallet. Hurrying to beat the oncoming rain, they moved on to McGraw’s, built the second shelter in a wooded grove near the groomed turf runway, and installed a windsock.
Good friendships happen over time, and the RAF loves making good friends. Beginning in 2009, John Nadeau of Massachusetts – the first RAF State Liaison east of the Rockies – approached The Nature Conservancy in Maine about restoring and reopening Red Pine Grove, a remote paved airfield on land along the St. John River just a dozen miles from Quebec. Pointing out our common goals of good land stewardship, he wondered if TNC would consider partnering on the idea. RAF Maine Liaisons Andy Rowe and Steve Mason joined the conversation. Andy had good friends in the region, and Steve, a long-time Northern Maine bush pilot and logger, added professional credentials. Pilot and new TNC Trustee John Sowles joined as well and widened the friendship circle. Not long after, Arkansas Liaisons Dave Powell and Harper Goodwin identified a pristine hilltop meadow above the Kings River in northwest Arkansas on land owned by The Nature Conservancy, locally known as Trigger Gap. Encouraged by the friendship beginning up North, the two RAF Liaisons engaged TNC in conversation about partnering on building an airfield, with its far lighter environmental footprint than a road. “What was merely raw land and a vision by some determined backcountry pilots became a common goal of both organizations,” Harper says. Thanks to this successful partnership with TNC, volunteers from the RAF and Fly Oz built a new turf airfield, pavilion, and toilet at Trigger Gap, and announced its opening in October, 2016. “Our partnership with the Recreational Aviation Foundation has always been built on trust, stewardship and a shared love for the outdoors,” says Roger Mangham, State Director of TNC in Arkansas. “Trigger Gap gives people a way to experience the Kings River landscape while demonstrating what we know in Arkansas to be true, that conservation and recreation can go hand in hand.” The airstrip's visitor log has proven that many folks enjoy landing lightly on the land and pitching their tents. Evening brings fellowship together around the fire in the pavilion. Often, acoustic music spreads to the surrounding forest. Things were still happening back up in Maine. Nadeau says, “We stressed the RAF culture and our desire to enhance the Red Pine facility to the benefit of all users. I pointed out to their Boston attorney that statutes protect TNC. It helped that we spoke with the same accent.” In spring of 2021, TNC signed an agreement with the RAF to open and maintain the runway. “TNC recognized that remote Red Pine Grove was a wonderful, already built resource that was easily accessible by small aircraft to provide just the sort of outdoor recreation The Nature Conservancy favored and promoted,” Nadeau added. Common purpose binds friendships, and friendships build trust. These two examples of trust and friendship prove a mutual commitment to good land stewardship, and the idea that nature and people can thrive together. Submitted October 13, 2026 By Carmine Mowbray
People are the backbone of the RAF. You’ve heard this before from many business leaders, but with the RAF it is not simply a catchy phrase; the people are truly our key asset. A financial institution would speak to its cash assets as to why you should put your funds with them; an energy company might show its proven reserves as a reason to invest in them. An automaker would like you to appreciate their cutting-edge manufacturing equipment so they stay competitive and turn out trouble-free products. Sure, we too have tangible items on our balance sheet that are important tools we use to get things done: tools to build, and tractors to mow airfields. We have property and equipment that we own, and some that we lease. We have always worked hard to hold the line on expenses, saving funds in order to both take good care of what we have and be ready to act on future opportunities. Without a doubt, the line item that gives the RAF its strength is its people. We believe it would be hard to find another organization, at least within the aviation space, that has the amount of passion that our people bring to the RAF all across the country. This did not come overnight, nor do we take it for granted. This focus on connected volunteers has been a strategic objective of the RAF since its founding. The projects come to us because of the places we get involved in, and the places come our way because of our people. People who are always looking for opportunities to make one more spot that special place. We are proud of the people who call themselves friends of the RAF, and we hope those of you who spend a good deal of your time advancing the mission will continue to do so. What’s more, we would be gratified if you continue to bring others along. Most who don’t yet know us will likely find us a welcoming community, one that is excited to have them. As I have often said, we originally came for the airplanes, but what keeps us coming back are the people. - John McKenna, RAF Chairman Submitted October 13, 2026
