Featured Supporters
Mike Hines was one of those kids who at age 14 worked all month saving up money for an hour of dual instruction in a Cessna 150. He earned his PPL while still in high school, including spin and aerobatic training. This was in the 1970s at the old Ventura County Airport in Oxnard, California,…
You could say Steve Jones has aviation in his blood. He is the IT manager for the company that operates the largest, most diverse private aircraft fleet in the world, hangs out weekends at his active local GA airport, AND is willing and able to volunteer his skills for the RAF. Steve helps manage the…
When the RAF Outfitter developed its expanded online store, RAF HQ called upon aviation photographer Jake Peterson to provide professional imagery of each product to help shoppers make easy and accurate selections. Jake happily volunteers his time providing all this work for the RAF, and it is greatly appreciated. Jake has always loved the outdoors,…
From flying in and helping build amenities at Ryan Field, MT, to flying delivery missions for projects at Forest Service airstrips in Idaho, RAF Supporter Robert Miller’s contributions to the RAF over the years have been many. Robert Miller was raised “one ridge over” from Charleston, West Virginia’s airport, close enough that he was one…
From watching a radar screen the better part of his work day, to watching out the windscreen of his 1949 Piper PA-16 Clipper, RAF Supporter Donn Castonguay is very happy to have made the transition to his place in the GA world. He and his wife Suzanne enjoy leisurely flights over the green rolling hills, colonial architecture, and covered bridges of the Northeast from their home in West Cornwall, Connecticut. RAF Liaison Drew Lyons — then of Connecticut — got the couple engaged in work parties at Mt. Tobe (Waterbury airfield), one of the few remaining public turf airfields in Connecticut. Suzanne and Donn recognized and appreciate the RAF mission to preserve this and other idyllic airfields against development pressure and willingly pitch in to help. Donn’s career was a New York Center controller located at Long Island MacArthur Airport. He might have been the voice on your radio when you asked for flight following, or transitioned into or out of his busy New York airspace. Donn retired in 2018, trading busy Long Island for Connecticut’s quiet corner. His wife Suzanne, also retired from her career as an architectural consultant specializing in “curtain wall” construction — the high-rise glass and metal wall designed to move independently from the floors. They met in college at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, both pursuing architecture, then Donn discovered a new interest in aviation. He got his private pilot license in 2010 and wanted his tailwheel endorsement, which Berkshire Aviation in Great Barrington, Massachusetts provided in their Cubs. Flying with the Civil Air Patrol Oxford, Conn. Squadron, Donn tows gliders during CAP’s summer ten-day Academies and enjoys his role helping teens solo in those ten days. “There’s nothing like soloing an airplane to make someone feel that they can do anything,” he says. Many cadets advance to the Air Force Academy. Piper’s first Clipper rolled out of the Lock Haven factory in 1949, priced just under $3,000. Donn found this one in March of 2018. The plane is perfectly suitable for Donn, Suzanne and camping gear. They flew it to AirVenture in 2021, enjoying the Piper Short Wing gathering along the way. They have flown to Sun N’ Fun, and to an Antique Airplane Association fly-in in Blakesburg, Iowa. To get a dose of high speed flying, Donn attended several Reno Air Races with a friend. Castonguays have two grown sons. One is employed in a New York area school for autistic children. The other settled in Maine after discovering his passion for boats aboard a windjammer out of Penobscot Bay. He is engaged in digital design for boat builders. Today, Donn flies photo missions for the state with his CAP squadron, and serves as a lifeguard at the local YMCA. He enjoys motorcycle touring, and tinkering with their 1993 Volkswagen “Weekender” camper van. He and Suzanne enjoy a half-day flight to a favorite camping airfield, like Plumb Island, north of Boston where they take a car to the beach, or Parlin in New Hampshire where the RAF made improvements, and you can bicycle to a nice dinner in Newport. In contrast to the West with its higher elevations, density altitude and convective turbulence, Donn points out, “You don’t need a 180 here in the Northeast to enjoy beautiful flying over forested areas with welcoming small towns here and there.” In fact, at 100 mph, one can really enjoy sightseeing New England. Submitted on January 10, 2025 By Carmine Mowbray
“Buy a Maule,” Bob Gillette said to his friend Chuck Aldrian when Chuck retired from his Milwaukee-based architectural firm. Chuck had been regularly flying his Cessna 310R to oversee his projects all over the country, from groundbreaking, through the ribbon cuttings. Chuck’s wife Judy points out that the twin was a wonderful way to take the family to faraway places for vacations, as well. “I had 2,500 hours in the 310, and I credit it for the success of my architectural business,” Chuck says. ”I’d get a call, and take one or more of my staff to make a site visit. We’d be home by dinner,” he added. Chuck earned his private pilot license in 1967, and muses, “Two days afterwards, I loaded Judy and our two young children in a Cessna 150 and flew into Billy Mitchell Field. Can you imagine four people in a Cessna 150 among the DC3s and DC6s? But we were all lightweights then.” When Chuck and Judy no longer needed their 310 for business, they wanted to relax and enjoy a different kind of flying. “So we bought a brand new Maule,” he said. Chuck took the mountain and canyon flying course in McCall, Idaho and the couple started flying to backcountry airstrips. That began their new form of exploration, and distance didn’t seem to matter. “In addition to out West, we took it to Key West, Eastern Canada, and twice to Alaska,” Chuck says. They flew commercially to Australia and joined a guided group in C172s, logging 40 hours over the continent Down Under. “One day I asked Judy if she wanted to see some polar bears, and we flew up to Churchill, Manitoba on Hudson Bay.” The huge runway was built for defense during World War II, and the Aldrians found it amusing to see their little Maule alone on the tarmac. They loved their four days there, and were rewarded with views of the bears and beluga whales. They learned about “a little grass strip near Glacier Park,” from RAF co-founder Chuck Jarecki, and they landed at Ryan Field even before the RAF became fully involved. They enjoyed knowing Ben and Butchie, and flew out for several Ryan Fly-ins and became RAF supporters. Both Judy and Chuck are well into their eighties now. They’ve sold their expansive northern wooded property and vacation home that Chuck designed and built near their dear friends the Gillettes’ Lakewood Lodge. Chuck and Judy enjoyed 1,200 hours in their beloved Maule before selling it and its hangar. As Chuck reflected on their last flight, there was deep emotion in his voice. “It was October 2016. We flew to Lake Superior for lunch, over the beautiful fall colors and our house in the woods.” Chuck and Judy remain active in their EAA chapter. Thanks in part to his dedication flying 458 Young Eagles, and his over 50 years of safe flying, Chuck earned the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award. “Flying, and the RAF brought so much fun and joy into our lives,” Judy says, “We will remember it forever.” Chuck added, “ We have met so many wonderful people, it has enriched our lives.”
Matt Rhoades caught the flying passion from his employer at Setpoint Systems Inc. who flew a Cirrus out of Centennial, Colorado. One day he picked up Matt and a colleague from their Scottsdale meeting and flew them to Las Vegas for dinner. “That planted the seed,” Matt says. “It’s one thing to land at McCarran in a 737 looking out the little window. It’s another thing to be in a Cirrus with a 360º view!”
Some hundred years after the event at Kitty Hawk, two Wisconsin brothers calling themselves the “Wrong Brothers” built their own ultralight, and like Wilbur and Orville, attempted to teach themselves to fly. At least the more recent sibling duo had the advantage of a book on flying techniques. “We’re still here,” says Jeff Plantz, one of the Wisconsin brothers. But the bug had also affected their father, and when he was age 60, they bought a Cessna 172 – that remains in the family, in addition to his brother’s Cherokee, and Bellanca Cruiser. Jeff and his wife Patti earned their private ratings. When Jeff and Patti decided to try some float flying, “We learned we couldn’t rent a seaplane, so we built one,” Jeff says. He met RAF Director Jeff Russell who had a Cub across his home airport at Madison and was impressed with it. Beginning with a Piper PA-14 Family Cruiser, they assembled a side-by-side Cub on amphibious floats with plenty of baggage room for their many cross-country adventures – the payoff for those ten years it took to assemble the aircraft. Patti and Jeff have a unique appetite for adventure. After college, he had his own counseling practice. But “the urge for goin’ ” affected both Jeff and Patti, and they became what he calls “bed buggers,” or long-distance truckers. They bought a semi tractor, with a custom-designed cab and sleeper with the amenities they wanted, especially considering they brought their young child on their trips. “We’d work hard for two weeks, get rid of the trailer, then camp at National Parks, or stay with relatives from Seattle, or Colorado, Florida, to Vermont.” Following that enterprise, they operated a jewelry business, repairing watches and clocks while their kids grew up. Jeff went back to driving, and took a Fed EX route while Patti provided accounting services. “Patti is a heck of a trooper. She’s a great taildragger and floatplane pilot. We’ve been together nearly 50 years, and she tolerates stuff like when I alerted her of a huge credit card charge for those amphibious floats,” he said. Jeff’s social conscience led him to a job with Head Start, and among all these engagements, he and Patti have fit in many flights throughout the country. After ten years of flying the Cub on floats, they’ve exchanged them for wheels. Close to home they’ve helped out at Gillette’s Lakewood Lodge, Cornucopia, and have ventured much farther through Montana and Idaho, enjoying camping in the Missouri Breaks, Ryan Field, and Johnson Creek. “You usually run into very nice people,” Jeff says. This autumn, the fall colors sparked their wanderlust, and they drove their RV to Nova Scotia. So if you do catch a glimpse of this interesting pair of travelers, be sure to thank them for their support of the RAF. Submitted Oct 14, 2024 By Carmine Mowbray
Pat Hartness laid aside his logbook at age 75 after a remarkable life in aviation.“It was the perfect opportunity to start driving a tractor and still stay actively involved in aviation,” he says. It opened a new chapter of his passion to inspire others. After 8,000 VFR hours in everything from PiperCubs, an AirCam, St
When Tom Dolaskie returned from his service in the US Air Force to his hometown of Munising, Michigan in 2008 he saw the effects of the economic downturn. As he walked among the many vacant buildings and abandoned houses, he didn’t see a doomed town, he saw opportunity. Today, visitors to this scenic town may be drawn by its natural beauty and recreation, but are rewarded with choices for eco-exploration, fine dining, and the luxury of five-star hotels. Tom and his sibling-partners tapped their complementary talents and world-wide experiences, added a partner, and worked to create an extraordinary destination. Tom’s wife Ana’s career is restaurant guest experience, and she manages their fine dining enterprise. Together they created the Roam Community Foundation, which is focused on improving the quality of life in Munising. Their town is nestled in the mixed forest along the shores of Lake Superior, near Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and trails through the 880,000 acre Hiawatha National Forest. Summer tourist season is short in the Upper Peninsula, but thanks to the vision and determination of Tom’s team, there’s plenty of economic activity to sustain this town of 1,800 residents. The Roam Community Foundation keeps folks engaged all year long with events, good-spirited competitions, and heartwarming fundraisers. Hanley, the local airfield hosts EAA Young Eagles flights, and Tom and his son enjoyed a flight together. Tom realized he now had the opportunity to accomplish a long-time goal to become a fixed-wing pilot right at home. He’d been around C-130s and Blackhawks in the Air Force, and he’d already taken rotor-wing training. He bought a 1943 Taylorcraft. Tom’s introduction to the RAF was all about improving his local airfield, rather than flying cross-country to backcountry places. The airport had reached a tipping point of failure or change. In 2023, RAF Director Jeff Russell and retired Naval aviator Roger Bentlage from Marquette County Flying Club addressed a local crowd about the benefits of supporting their town airport. “Jeff and Roger calmly and professionally engaged, even with those opposed. I was so impressed by their passion,” Tom said. “I realized that with my experience, I could execute some improvements. ‘Can’t be done’ does not live in my world,” Tom added. RAF Michigan Liaison General Grant said, “Tom tackled remediation, rehabilitation, and investment with the same dedication and vigor as he had done in his other efforts for Munising.” Tom was also affected when he saw visitors arrive at the airport with their own Subway sandwiches. “They had no way to travel the last mile,” Tom observed, so his nonprofit provided an airport courtesy car. Now visitors landing at Hanley can enjoy the new restroom, shower, and kitchenette, then drive to town and find many attractions among its variety of vibrant shops and businesses. Tom has lived and worked all over the world, and continues as an executive in their global IT enterprise. “I’ve moved forty-three times,” he said. When he was opening the Montage in Beverly Hills, his dad called to say his mother was terminally ill. That triggered his return to Munising, and settled his sense of home. His brother and sister live in homes next door. “Our kids all play together,” he added. They lost their dad not long after. “Losing people who are important to you, critical to your purpose . . .I needed to turn those losses into motivation,” he said, “ and I went full throttle from then on.” And the town, and anyone fortunate enough to visit are beneficiaries of all this family dedication and enterprise. Submitted August 14, 2024 By Carmine Mowbray
