Airports and State Advocacy
Craig Fuller talks with Montana pilots
Craig fuller shakes the hand of 8-year old Hayden Patnode, son of Jeff Patnode (red jacket) of Century Paving. Century Paving donated heavy equipment and employee time to build the Russian Flat airstrip. Also pictured is Jerry Cain (left), John McKenna (black coat, at right), and Tim Robertson, owner of Century Paving (above Fuller’s shoulder).
AOPA President Craig Fuller met with 50 Montana pilots at the Bozeman, Mont., airport Aug. 5. Discussions ranged from potential airport security procedures to user fees. He also offered support to backcountry airstrips while in the state. The meeting occurred in the pilot shelter at Gallatin Field.
Fuller visited the newest airstrip to be built on National Forest Service land, Russian Flat. Acting as hosts for his visit were officials of the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF), an organization formed by pilots who are passionate about backcountry flying. The RAF provided a grant for volunteers from the Montana Pilots' Association to prepare the ground and roll the landing surface of Russian Flat.
The Recreational Aviation Foundation includes pilots of every type of aircraft, from Piper Cubs to airliners. The common thread is a desire to protect existing strips, many of which are barely holding on, and to develop new ones. John McKenna, president of the Recreational Aviation Foundation, and Jerry Cain, treasurer, were among those meeting with Fuller.
The RAF is a private foundation dedicated to preserving existing airstrips and creating new public-use recreational airstrips throughout the United States. Recognized by the IRS as a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization, the RAF is using tax-deductible donations to acquire private land for the development of new airstrips.
August 7, 2009
