Julie Boatman learned to fly at a private strip in Iowa starting in high school. She holds an airline transport pilot certificate with a commercial glider rating, and is a CFII. Julie’s the editor-in-chief for Flying Media Group, and she learns something new about the art of aviating every time she flies.
WORTH THE READ: JULIE BOATMAN 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 Julie Boatman, the editor-in-chief for Flying Media Group.
A Mountain Mentor: The RAF provides more than just support for our favorite places to fly.
Mountain checkouts ranked among my favorite dual sessions to fly during the years after college that I spent instructing in Colorado out of the Boulder Municipal Airport—then 1V5, now KBDU, a change I find hilarious. We’d fly to Aspen (KASE), Leadville (KLXV), and Steamboat Springs (KSBS), which will always hold a special place in my heart—both for its bountiful slopes and stunningly beautiful summer marathon.
I spent more than a decade based in Colorado, with every flight managing relatively high field elevations and density altitude performance reductions. Not having to lean during the runup still feels a bit strange to me today when flying in the flatlands.
But by and large those airports we’d fly into west of the Continental Divide were all paved—and well used. Though they each had their elements of objective hazard, none—not even Glenwood Springs (KGWS now) with its shortish runway and mostly one-way ops—could qualify as remote or unimproved. Therefore, I treated the transition I would make into the true backcountry with a lot of respect, because I had seen firsthand how insidious those high-country hazards can be, and how quickly the risks multiply with carelessness or neglect.
That’s also why I find the work that the Recreational Aviation Foundation does so valuable. The group reaches far beyond its considerable efforts to retain access and establish and maintain places to land in every state. RAF members serve as counselors and guides to those wishing to explore these marvelous lands from the air—and with minimal impact as compared to land-based transportation, I might add.
My introduction to the types of places RAF protects began in 2005, and though my teachers weren’t all RAF mentors per se, the model they collectively presented lies in the same vein.
In October 2005, I went flying on a mountain course with Lori MacNichol out of McCall, Idaho. After detailed airwork understanding her 180 hp Cessna 172’s specific performance, we headed first to Johnson Creek (3U2). Then she worked us to progressively more challenging terrain and approaches: Soldier Bar (85U), Wilson Bar (C48), and Cabin Creek (I08) in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. I learned immeasurably from each one, taking pieces I could incorporate into my flying, and techniques I still practice to this day.
Flash forward to October 2019, and I found myself in a beginner’s mindset again under the tutelage of Fred Williams on a WomanWise Adventure Week in Cascade, Idaho. He introduced me first to his backcountry version of the Kitfox—an amazing tool—and then worked me into progressively more “interesting” places. The next day I flew with Stacey Budell in her stock Cessna 182, and though Stanley (2U7) and Smiley Creek (U87) were “easy”—save for the bear and cubs passing along the perimeter—the approaches into Idaho City (U98) and Garden Valley (U88) kicked it up a notch. Again, the tools that these sessions with experienced instructors added to my box of tricks and have served me so well, so far.
Two RAF-connected mentors have taught me even more. In October 2020, Steve Taylor not only introduced me to his beautiful bouncing beach ball of a Republic SeaBee, but also to his Cessna “184 a half” in which we plied around the San Juans near Seattle in search of ghosts and glaciers and marionberry pie.
My latest off-airport adventures I shared last August in eastern Washington state with Brad Damm at CubCrafters—to landing sites without names. The time we spent talking and thinking and flying drove home the unique nature of these spaces once more.
The mentorship from these pilots goes beyond the hard skills and techniques you learn. There’s an overall philosophy you absorb through the behaviors they model—the respect for the airplane, the terrain, the land, and the people around you. You might venture out to an RAF-supported strip using the guidance you find on their website, but I encourage you to get to know the teachers within the group from whom you can learn so much.
Submitted on June 26, 2023.
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
