Recreational Aviation Foundation Chairman has a way with words. So when he asked members to share their backcountry wisdom they stepped up.
backcountry flying
Volunteers gather to get Montana airstrips ready for flying season
Volunteers with the Recreational Aviation Foundation and the Montana Pilots Association have gathered twice already in 2025 to perform maintenance on the airstrips in Flathead National Forest.
Grant awarded to repair backcountry cabin in Alaska
Crews will repair the front porch, outhouse, chimney system, entryway, and rear window. They will brush out around the cabin and stairs, install an RAF fire ring and a fire extinguisher. If time permits, they will reconstruct trails using lakeshore on-site gravel and repurposed lumber from demolition work, and repair the existing skiff haul out winch, according to RAF officials.
Utah backcountry airstrip now on charts
Officials with the Recreational Aviation Foundation and the Utah Back Country Pilots report that Rustler Canyon airstrip near Bears Ears National Monument is the newest backcountry airstrip to be added to the aeronautical chart.
Backcountry etiquette campaign rolls out
RAF officials noted that the organization has partnered with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Tread Lightly, and state pilot organizations on the initiative, which is designed to raise awareness “on the importance of respecting the backcountry to preserve access to these special places.”
New backcountry airstrip opens in Southwest Idaho
The Jim Richmond Backcountry Aviation Foundation (JRBAF) has opened a new public-use airstrip at its Star Valley Ranch in remote southwest Idaho.
Picture of the Day: Seaplane adventure
Terry Hayes submitted this photo and note: “A pilot with Backcountry Flying Experience in Kalispell, Montana, shares with her student the beautiful places flying a seaplane allows you to venture.”
Picture of the Day: North Woods
Walter Lange submitted this photo and note: “A Cessna 152 on the ramp at Red Pine Grove Airport (82ME) in Maine, a formerly closed logging/forest service strip recently reopened with help from the Recreational Aviation Foundation. The airstrip, located seven miles from the Canadian border, is surrounded on all sides by thousands of acres of remote forest.”
Backcountry organizations collaborate
The new collaboration provides pilots with access to specialized backcountry flight training and “immersive flying experiences in the wild and rugged terrain of the Patagonia region of South America,” according to officials.