Articles

Its not often that you find a hard-core bush pilot who is also an active online blogger, but that's exactly what Mathew Keller is. Fortunatley for us wannabe bush pilots stuck behind a computer screen, Matt regularly posts stunning photos and video of his flying adventures. Flying roughly 130 hours last month, Matt is a busy guy, but he was generous enough to give us a few minutes to talk about who he is and what he does.

The Reed Ranch Airstrip will be open to the public at 8:00 AM on July 30th, 2010.  Don't land before then.

Here is the latest:

Folks,
 We're having a public opening for the Reed Ranch airstrip on Friday, 30 July. You are all invited to attend the ceremony, look the field over and attend our picnic luncheon. The schedule below.  Reed Ranch Airstrip identifier is "ID93" but the this will change soon to a public use identifier. It is located on the
 DNJ051/026, five miles south of Krassel, elevation 4157' MSL. The runway is oriented 34/17 and is 100' wide by 2070' long. Normally land RW16 and depart RW34m, CTAF 122.9. Our schedule:
 
 0700 - Cessna 206 fly Boise to Reed w/ 5 Pax
 0830 - C206 second shuttle to Reed with 5 Pax
 0800 - field unofficially open to public aircraft landing
 1030 - field opening ceremony (Raise the wind sock and land the first
 "official" plane)
 1100 - lunch BBQ (pot luck side dishes for visitors - burgers and dogs
 supplied for everyone) tables and chairs provided by Gary M.
 1330 - C206 depart for Boise with three VIP pax
 1330 - 14 pax van departs Reed for Boise with other Aero and ITD
 personnel (home at BOI  1700)
 
 The strip will be open for public landing at 0800 in the morning. We'll have a ceremonial opening photo opportunity at 1030 followed by a picnic lunch. We'll have a grill and some burgers and dogs but visitors should probably bring some side dish to share. There will be tables and chairs but limited shade. There's no potable water at Reed but there is one portable toilet for the time being.

 John V. ("JV") DeThomas
 Administrator, Idaho Division of Aeronautics
 P.O. Box 7129
 Boise, Idaho 83707
 (208) 334-8788
 

Dead Stick Takeoff Flying Adventures is a new DVD by Steve Henry of Caldwell, Idaho.  In the spirit of the Big Rocks and Long Props series, this video takes the viewer into the world of extreme off-airport flying in the backcountry of Idaho and Oregon.  Much of the footage is shot in the desert hills of eastern Oregon where Steve chooses to land on steep hillsides and mountain tops that are much too small for an airplane.  There is also a section devoted to several Idaho airstrips - Mile Hi, Vines, Dewey Moore, Cabin Creek - but even these get some extreme treatment as Steve lands them in ways most pilots wouldn’t consider.

Joint Press Release from Idaho Airport Network, Division of Aeronautics, and the Idaho Aviation Association:

The recent controversy over the so-called Big Creek Four airstrips (Mile Hi, Simonds, Vines and Dewey Moore) has been resolved. On July 10, members of the aviation community met with Payette National Forest officials to discuss concerns regarding the May, 2009, Errata to the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness Management Plan and a subsequent proposal from Payette officials.