Recreational Aviation Foundation
1711 West College Street
Bozeman, Montana 59715
December 1, 2004
Hello RAF Supporters,
First, Tthe Board of Directors of the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) would like to express our sincere gratitude for your generous donations since our creation in the fall of 2003. We hope that you feel that we are representing your interests well and will consider making further donations for 2004 and in future years. If you have any concerns about our activities or would like to offer suggestions of changes or new directions we should consider, please feel free to forward them to us. And, of course, we will always appreciate any praise for what we are doing.
Next, wWe we would like to bring you up to speed on what we have been doing since we were created formed in December 2003.
Much of our early efforts were directed toward creating the RAF as a Non-Profit Tax-Exempt Corporation in the State of Montana, accomplished on April 21, 2004, and as an Internal Revenue Service Section 501(c) (3) Public Charity tax-exempt under Section 501(a), accomplished on July 7, 2004. As a 501(c) (3) publicly supported organization described in Sections 509(a) (1) and 170(b) (1) (A) (vi), donations made to the RAF are fully deductible by the donor as Gifts to Charity for Federal income tax purposes. Bequests, legacies, devises, transfers, or gifts to the RAF are deductible for Federal estate and gift tax purposes if they meet the applicable provisions of Sections 2055, 2106, and 2522 of the Internal Revenue Code.
We have also created an RAF website at www.recreationalaviationfoundation.org which we hope you will visit from time to time to see what we are up to and also to provide us with your comments.
While these that efforts were was ongoing, we prepared displays and informational materials for an RAF booth at the Montana Aviation Conference in Great Falls, Montana, during during March 4 through 6, 2004. We met many of you there and provided you with RAF Founder’s caps for the first 50 donations of $100 or more and regular RAF caps for all other donations of $25 or more. We also sold the Fly Idaho and Fly the Big Sky books by Galen Hanselman and the print “Back Country” by Sam Lyon as well as raffling off a Garmin 196 GPS and a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB). We also provided a presentation on backcountry recreational airstrips and participated in other related sessions. We truly enjoyed meeting many of you and discussing our common interest in the preservation, maintenance, and creation of recreational airstrips. While we didn’t have a booth at the Idaho Aviation Conference in Boise, Idaho, the following week from March 11 through 14, 2004, we did have a Board member there with brochures and caps to represent and present the RAF to the public and in relevant sessions.
In conjunction with the Montana Pilots Association Recreational Airstrip Committee, we have been intensely involved with the US Forest Service (FS) in the ongoing Forest Management Plan Revisions for National Forests in Western Montana to insure that general aviation is recognized as a legitimate means of public access and that recreational and backcountry airstrips are recognized as legitimate trailheads. We have also been working with the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to insure these same aspects are included in developing the management plan for the newly formed Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. We feel we have developed a good relationship with these government agencies by not being confrontational, but by presenting factual data, making reasonable requests, and working as a team member to develop plans that will both reasonably protect the wildlife and the environment and still provide reasonable accommodation for public access by air through general aviation for persons of all ages and physical abilities
In August of 2004, the Bureau of Reclamation authorized the continued landing of seaplanes on Canyon Ferry Reservoir east of Helena, Montana. Although not a direct achievement of the RAF, some of our Board members and the Montana Aeronautics Division worked closely with the Canyon Ferry Working Group to get this authorization.
Our first physical project effort is receiving donations toward and providing partial funding for development of a Pilot Shelter at the Bozeman Airport (Gallatin Field BZN). This shelter will provide restrooms with showers and a covered outdoor area with a fire pit and tables surrounded by a grass area suitable for camping. It will includeing including tie-downs for several aircraft. It is hoped that this pilot shelter will become a model blueprint for many others at recreational airstrips around the country to provide convenient rest stops for general aviation similar to rest stops provided for motorist on our nation’s highways. The shelter’s foundation has already been poured and construction is under way.
We are very excited about having met a wonderful elderly couple who wish to bequeath their beautiful mountain home, complete with airstrip, to the RAF to preserve in perpetuity their interests in and love of aviation. This beautiful property could be a future showcase for the RAF, a monument to this wonderful couple, and a premier destination for recreational aviation. If you know of someone else who would be interested in such a bequeath bequest or other donation of property, please have them get in touch with us. Also, if you are aware of any situations where the RAF might facilitate the acquisition of a piece of relevant property, please let us know. The RAF has tax and legal assistance available to help in planning other donations including life insurance, investment assets, wills and tTrusts, real estate, and estate planning.
We have participated in the Idaho Recreational Airstrip Symposiums held in late October 2004 at both Salmon and Worley. These symposiums, along with one other at McCall, Idaho, were convened by the Idaho Transportation Board and Idaho Transportation Department, Division of Aeronautics, as the first “Focal Area Planning” effort of the newly adopted Idaho Transportation Vision for 2004-2034. The purpose of the symposiums is to examine Idaho’s recreational airstrip assets and determine how to invest or not invest in them as part of Idaho’s future transportation vision. We met some other players in the field of recreational aviation and look forward to being a significant partner in this planning effort and the future development of recreational airstrips in Idaho, as well as other states.
We have just completed our annual Board of Directors meeting and are excited about what we have accomplished during our first year, even though it was mostly just getting organized. We plan to have an even better booth at the Montana Aviation Conference in Butte, Montana, during March 3 through 5, 2005 and also at the Idaho Aviation Festival in Boise, Idaho, during March 9 through 12, 2005. Please stop by to see us at either or both of these aviation events and tell us what you think about what we are doing and offer us whatever suggestions you may have.and support you feel are appropriate.
As I complete the writing of this letter, we are working in support of the Utah Back Country Pilots and other entities in providing and preparing factual data for presentation to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and various Utah counties during public hearings concerned with the BLM Draft Price Resource Management Plan. The final outcome of this plan will determine the continued usage or possible closure of numerous backcountry airstrips in the State of Utah. If we are successful in preserving these valuable airstrips, they may benefit from your donations toward their future preservation and maintenance.
Finally, let me assure you that 100% of your donation dollar goes toward either the cost of operating the RAF (supplies, website, displays, brochures, etc) or to preserving, maintaining, and creating recreational airstrips and associated facilities. The Board of Directors work solely on a volunteer basis with no compensation or reimbursement other than the ability to claim a charitable deduction for RAF related travel expenses or personal cash or property contributions, the same as any of you. This holds true for the many other volunteers from pilot organizations across the states that assist us in presenting our cause to the public and governmental agencies and in pursuing our goals. in the field.
With the season of giving upon us, please consider the RAF as a worthy recipient of your year end donations. In any case, we on the Board of Directors and those that support us hope you have a joyous holiday Holiday Season season and may your you next year will be filled with alleverything your hopes and dreams of.
On behalf of the entire Board of Directors,
Jerome M Cain
Secretary / Treasurer