mailing address to send a check, please contact me at: here for the site's main menu. The worst thing the backcountry pilot community can do is to sit idle and hope the next pilot will do something. NMPA and RAF volunteers have installed a fire ring and picnic tables. A beautiful Super Cub sits near the north, or downstream, end of Runway 13/31 at Dug Bar, on the Oregon side of Hells Canyon. Photo by Bill Ables. is not excessive. If youre like the rest of us and answered yes, then youd be surprised to know that with time and energy (and some money) that the option of landing there could become a reality. There is no control tower, no departing airlines to wait for, and the hold short line is the large bush at the entrance to the only active runway. have to watch, but there is plenty of room to get up to The Memaloose and Lord Flat airstrips, perched precariously near the rims edge on the Oregon side, can be snow-covered well into June, but airstrips inside the canyon, which sit on sandbars above the river, are usually available all year. If the landing rollout needs to be extended the airplane Rager Creek is a USFS airstrip located in the Ochoco National Forest in Central Oregon. Oxbow Homestead, Oregon If the The layout is interesting. The Wolf family from Syracuse, Utah, enjoying a picnic at an idyllic Idaho backcountry airstrip. Creek could well be the Nation's highest airstrip. Do not fly into Hells Canyon except in VMC. Your state needs your help! RAF conducted a work party at Jake's Bar. I rode in and out of there a couple of times in a Myricksis home to EAA Chapter 196s annual fall fly-in fundraiser, a great event for pilots to enjoy some aviation camaraderie and quality hamburgers. 25U 2014. During Wild Billy Lake (OR29) is located on 1,100 acres of private land in south-central Oregon. Made famous by the Pleasant Valley war of the late 20th and early 21st century, the airstrip is nestled in ranch country, at 4,800. I traveled through Ten Sleep in May This They realized the threat of recreational airstrip closure was of national concern. In order to provide a connection between the backcountry and surrounding communities, the RAF is attracting donors who wish to specifically target their charitable donations locally. Updated 10/21/22. Although the RAFs part was small, we were there at the beginning to lend our support to the effort. Photos tremendously. The strip has Pilots taxi to the shelter at Gallatin Field in Bozeman, Mont., to have lunch or camp overnight. Just as Sun n Fun Campus is available year round for visits and aviation camping, so is the RAFs Fire Hub available to any group who would like to enjoy gathering there. She currently lives in Idaho and serves as editor of The Flyline, the monthly publication of the Idaho Aviation Association. Thanks to the cooperation of the BLM, on September 15,2018, the RAF organized a group of volunteersto re-open Johannesburg Airport, after twenty years of abandonment by all but OHV enthusiasts. Backcountry airstrips that lie amidst undeveloped and pristine lands are some of our most valuable assets, and allow us roadless access to our treasured national wilderness. Our mission statement says it best: The Recreational Aviation Foundation preserves, improves, and creates airstrips for recreational access.. In 2017, a RAF grant was approved to build and install fold over windsock poles at the airstrip. OR12 No specific Mountain Views Airfield is a private use/permission required airfield located in Condon, Oregon. Blackwater Airfield (8FD3) is a Florida Forest Service airfield to which the FFS is willing to permit public access on a request basis, should its condition be judged safe and not otherwise in use. | Return Policy Washington, Seattle area. Contact Us | Bowstring airfield (9Y0) is a public use airport in the heart of Superior National Forest with ample recreational opportunities. Airstrips | 503-523-6391, Mile Hi Payette National Forest, Idaho The terrain is mostly high grasses. during fire season. It is nearly 4,000 feet RAF members regularly volunteer to maintain the airstrip by clearing brush and repairing damage caused by wildlife. Plus, there are beautiful views from the front lawn, picnic tables, and hiking. Bozeman, MT 59715 The close of the last Ice Age brought a series of great floods in Hells Canyon. There are two schools of thought when flying Hells Canyon. site is not supported by commercial advertising . Although this airplane has bush tires, tricycle-gear aircraft with normal-sized tires can land at Dug Bar. For more information contact Mark Spencer: email or (520) 826-2112. you enjoy this web site, please support it with a financial Located on BLM land Northeast of Lake Mead and Southwest of St. George are the historic ruins of Grand Gulch Mine, Arizona's Richest Copper Mine in 1911. When the city attempted to turn the strip into a waste transfer station and county dump, her board stepped up to save the airport. Perhaps the question you now find yourself asking is Will the RAF be here in the future? Our answer is Yes it will. You and so many others have told us that this experience is worth saving. These female elk are bickering right outside the Temperance Creek Lodge. fly the route. the forestry service. Also, a fire pit and firewood on the site. ?Providing backcountry access, supporting rural economies and recreational activities, and aiding forest management requires a nationwide policy to protect federal backcountry aviation issues, according to a bill introduced today by Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Larry Craig. Photo by Shelly Tippets. Each region receives its portion of this money based on total number of feet of existing airstrips. With your help the RAF knows there will be an airplane on a grass strip with laughter and a campfire in the background. Cow Creek is one of these strips. It The CORAC is in the early stages of a revival to bring backcountry flying to Colorado! They knew these places were special and that someone needed to step up to the plate and defend them. We work closely with many state organizations such as the IAA and the MPA to assist them with local issues. Dug Bar is 20 nautical miles north of Big Bar on the Oregon side of the Snake, with a 1,645-foot runway that allows approaches or departures to be made from either end. It is nestled 6,500 feet above the raging Share your favorite destination in the AOPA Hangar: Places to fly, things to do, where to eat! Two Hearted is a new recreational destination near where Ernest Hemingways Big Two Hearted River joins Lake Superior in Michigans Upper Peninsula. The RAF partnered with the Montana Pilots Association (MPA) and participated in the BLM planning process that secured the existence of 2 airstrips in the Missouri River Breaks. All of the projects were funded by an RAF grant. There are several obstacles on the west side of the These airstrips are within the Missouri River Breaks National Monument. Please consider a financial contribution to support the continued growth & operation of this site. Please refer to the Airfield.Guide for safety briefings and more information about each airfield. Senator Jon Tester holds press conference to discuss aviation issues in RAF hangar, RAF works with NPS for the first time in Alaska: Jake's Bar work party in Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve, Work begins on Two Hearted airstrip in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, RAF partners with AOPA's Air Safety Institute to administer aviation safety survey, 9,000+ members, 42 State Liaisons, 37 Ambassadors, 9 Directors, 8 Vice Presidents of Appreciation, Keystone Connection - Team RAF gathers in State College, PA for educational conference, RAF, with the help of EAA, restores Miracle Mile airstrip in Wyoming, RAF volunteers reopen Johannesburg airstrip in California, RAF helps open Mountain Views Airfield in Oregon, RAF teams with AOPA Air Safety Institute on its "Peaks to Pavement" Seminar Series, RAF improves camping facilities at Bowstring Airport in MN, RAF working with Hells Canyon Recreational Collaborative (HCRC), OR Liaison helps plan and open a new airstrip with the owners of Wild Billy Lake in Oregon, 11 grants awarded to State Liaisons for mission-related projects, Three regional mini educational conferences (RMECs) offered for volunteers, After 10 years of communication with the NPS, Chicken Strip in Death Valley's Saline Valley is officially authorized on August 19, 2019, RAF and the NPS sign a five-year cooperative maintenance agreement for Chicken Strip, Grassroots support for Charles A. The airstrip has a single 3,000 foot by 50 What do you guys do thats different? The Montana Pilots Association provided all the volunteer labor for the airstrip construction and The Recreational Aviation Foundation provided the funding for the airstrip. Background: Blackwater River State Forest is one of the largest state forests in Florida and is named for the Blackwater River, which begins to the north in Alabama and meanders approximately 30 miles southwestward through the forest into Blackwater Bay near Milton, Florida. A big tom wild turkey shows off his feathers near Temperance Creek Ranch; these are seen almost daily. The wheels lightly touched on the dew covered grass, there was no screech, and very little, if any, bounce. Have you ever flown over what looked like a backcountry airstrip and asked yourself how nice it would be if you could land there, or what the history of it was? about 10-nautical miles south of the Otter Creek Ranch. In about thirty days we had the funds we needed, Brad said. consider checking the box to make a monthly donatation. The RAF was founded as a public charitable non-profit 501(c)(3) organization in December 2003. They were built amongst some of the countrys most breathtaking backdrops and allow access in to areas that would be considered out of reach for most people. Photo by Crista Worthy. airstrip and a T-hangar that sits about halfway down the forest fire in the 1920s and has new growth pine forest. blow from any direction. Photo by Alan Bobo. I live in San Diego and fly from MYF. There are already plenty of local, state, and national organizations that are established for maintenance and protection of backcountry airstrips. Movie production of a Cessna 182 flying the backcountry: scenery includes volcanoes, cloud forests, rain forests, thrilling jungle strips, short strips, beaches, mud and grass in Costa Rica. The small cow town of Arcadia, Florida had long neglected its airport. The ideal Photo by Bill Ables. Many thanks to Galen for See our Event Calendarfor a list of upcoming places where you can visit with Team RAF members. plain. Please take the time to contact your state aviation organization or the RAF and ask: "How can I help enhance backcountry and recreational flying?". Like certain words in other documents that we all refer back to, they are as appropriate today as they were on that starlit evening when those two questions were asked of the group of pilots a number of years ago while sitting around a campfire on a backcountry airstrip. 2014. Do you recall the first time that you touched down on a grass airstrip? Pasayten Airstrip was built i the early Also, with the help of the RAF, the group has organized a Colorado Recreational Aviation Committee (CORAC) to direct our efforts. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. be able to get down on the strip during the summer months, Originally built in 1950 by local outfitters as a small hunting lodge, over the decades and through a succession of owners, the Lodge fell into disrepair. They also recognized that there was the need for a unified effort by pilots everywhere to protect public, aviation-related recreational opportunities. flights and then submit them to the biologists to do their All Rights Reserved. Ranch-fresh eggs, biscuits and gravy, smoked pulled pork, and freshly-baked breads and desserts are some of their specialties. The ranch, homesteaded in 1878, was one of the largest ranches of the southwest. Located near the Sun n Fun Corn Roast - in the woods, lakeside and under live oaks draped with Spanish Moss - it is meant to both symbolize and also to serve in its own right as a gathering point for flyers arriving by plane. 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