The Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) is an

IRS The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory tax ...

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

Charitable organization A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definitio ...

that focuses on preserving, improving, and creating

backcountry In the United States, a backcountry or backwater is a geographical area that is remote, undeveloped, isolated, or difficult to access. Terminology Backcountry and wilderness within United States national parks The National Park Service (NPS) ...

airstrips An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publi ...

for

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

use. The RAF works with many national and state government organizations to identify new areas for airstrips and then assists with their funding. The RAF also educates members of government and the general public about the importance of backcountry airstrips and the need to keep them for future generations. The Recreational Aviation Foundation maintains liaisons and ambassadors in most

U.S. states In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

to help lead projects at the local level.

Achievements

* The RAF was instrumental in the passing of H.Rer. 1473 in 2010 that "placed value of recreational aviation and backcountry airstrips" for the public to use and on public land. * The RAF worked with the

Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's la ...

along with countless volunteer hours to help preserve

Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument The Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument is a national monument in the western United States, protecting the Missouri Breaks of north central Montana. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), it is a series of badland areas charac ...

Airstrips. * In conjunction with the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...

the RAF worked from 2003 to 2010 to open a new airstrip, Russian Flat Airstrip , earning the

Flying (magazine) ''Flying'', sometimes styled ''FLYING'', is an aviation magazine published since 1927 and called ''Popular Aviation'' prior to 1942, as well as ''Aeronautics'' for a brief period. It is read by pilots, aircraft owners, aviation enthusiasts and a ...

Editors' Choice Awards for industry innovation in 2011. * RAF volunteers continue to maintain

Chicken Strip Saline Valley Warm Springs Airfield, commonly known as the Chicken Strip, is a non-towered dirt airstrip not depicted on an FAA sectional chart. The airstrip provides general aviation fly-in access to the Saline Valley hot springs in Death Vall ...

Death Valley National Park Death Valley National Park is an American national park that straddles the California–Nevada border, east of the Sierra Nevada. The park boundaries include Death Valley, the northern section of Panamint Valley, the southern section of Eureka ...

, repairing the airstrip in both 2011 and 2016. * In 2020, RAF funding assisted in the acquisition of

Goodspeed Airport Goodspeed Airport is located in East Haddam, Connecticut, United States. It has been under new ownership with the support of the Recreational Aviation Foundation since November 2020. The new owners, Eric Zipkin and Bill McEnery, plan to revitali ...

in eastern

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

by a consortium of area pilots, intending to revitalize the airport and bring a greater aviation community to the airport and

seaplane base A seaplane base is a type of airport that is located in a body of water, usually a river, bay, harbor, or lake, where seaplanes and amphibious aircraft take-off and land. History Initially following the invention of the seaplane, traditional boat ...

References

{{authority control Aviation organizations based in the United States Political advocacy groups in the United States

Achievements

See also

References