AOPA will hold its first fly-in of the 2018 season in Missoula, Montana, home of the nation’s premier smokejumpers, setting of the story A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean, near the incredible natural Chinese Wall, and Montana is home of the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF).
The fly-in takes place June 15 and 16 at Missoula International Airport (MSO), a place where you’ll find a wall of hand-painted portraits of the men who established mountain flying here and a gigantic stuffed Kodiak bear on display to remind you that you’re in the wilderness. The smokejumpers’ museum is on site and it features a display honoring Maclean, who probably should be credited with the popularity of the sport of fly-fishing. The Chinese Wall is one of those natural wonders that only pilots get to experience in its full glory: 12 miles of limestone towering 1,000 feet. The RAF protects the backcountry strips of this wonderland and will be an integral part of the AOPA Fly-In.
If that Chinese Wall intrigues you, participate in one of three fly-outs during the weekend: a flight to Seeley Lake with a potato bake presented by the RAF; a tour of the Quest Kodiak facility in nearby Idaho; and a flight over the Bob Marshall Wilderness and Chinese Wall to tour the privately owned Stonehenge Museum at Crystal Lake airstrip.
