August 2026 Newsletter: Back to Flying!
- Sandy Rusk
- Aug 27
- 5 min read
FLYING SEASON IS HERE
Oshkosh is behind us, everyone has mostly recovered, and now the flying season is really getting started.
We have Rough River coming up, airplanes moving around the country, work happening throughout our Canard Bases, new people getting involved, and a few new things we’re testing that could open RAFE up to even more students, pilots and aviation professionals.
So, no post-Osh hibernation over here!
THE RAFE STORE IS LIVE!
We finally have an actual place on the website to buy RAFE merchandise.
No hunting us down at an event. No emailing someone asking if we still have your size. No more waiting!
You can now shop RAFE shirts, hats and other merchandise directly from our website.
We have all our favorite designs available, including the newest and coolest "Conventional is Overrated".
Purchasing RAFE merchandise is an easy way to support the organization and help us continue maintaining, flying and sharing these airplanes.
And yes, more cool RAFE merch is coming!
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
JOHN HARTLINE
John Hartline brings a wealth of diverse experience and unbridled enthusiasm to the Rutan Aircraft Flying Experience. Retiring from the Air Force after 24 years of dedicated service, John's professional and military career was in IT which required him to be a versatile problem-solver, outfitting him with a dynamic, "jack-of-all-trades" skill set suited well for our unique aircraft.
Deep Aviation Roots
John’s aviation bug was planted long before his military days. Back in the 1990s, his late father would take the kids flying for the legendary "$100 hamburger." As a tribute to those early memories, John still proudly wears his father’s AOPA hat for special occasons around the airport. When the time came to finally pursue his childhood dream of earning his pilot’s license, John connected with his local EAA chapter. It was there he crossed paths with RAFE representatives, John happily raised his hand and jumped right in.
Bridging Theory and Practice
John has been voluntering with RAFE for almost two years. He's become an invaluable asset behind the scenes, supporting RAFE’s mission in various capacities and assisting a growing roster of volunteers. Now a licensed pilot, he has just completed initial flight training to become a RAFE Pilot-Sponsor.
"My favorite part of RAFE is the ability to take book-knowledge and theory and put it into practice at the hangar."
Seeking a new career in aviation maintenance John is enrolled at the Aviation Institute of Maintenance for his Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) license. He uses his volunteer time to bridge the gap between the classroom and hangar where he gets hands on experience working on RAFE aircraft under the tutelage of our experienced RAFE A&Ps, He is absorbing years of practical wisdom, best practices, and tricks of the trade that he plans to incorporate into his daily workflow as a future Aviation Maintenance Technician.
NEXT STOP: ROUGH RIVER
One of our favorite canard weekends of the year is coming up.
RAFE is getting ready for the Rough River Canard Fly-In in Kentucky, where a very large number of people who also believe airplanes look perfect with the little wing in front will gather in one place.
For those who haven't been, Rough River is one of the biggest annual gatherings of the canard community. It gives owners, builders and pilots a chance to catch up, talk canard , compare modifications, troubleshoot problems and, most importantly, actually fly together.
RAFE will be present in force, including plans for the Kennedy Long-EZ from our Lubbock Canard Base to attend.
Even after spending AirVenture talking about canards, we're perfectly happy to spend another weekend surrounded by them.
FROM THE LUBBOCK CANARD BASE
THE KENNEDY LONG-EZ
The Kennedy Long-EZ has been staying busy out in West Texas.
Over the past year, the airplane has attended several fly-ins, including River Falls in Canyon, Texas and Colorado City. The Lubbock team also flies ROTC cadets each October in support of The Order of the Dandelions, a fraternal order for military pilots, and they're planning to participate again this year.
Right now, the Kennedy Long-EZ is going through its condition inspection. When it isn't flying, the Kennedy Long-EZ is proudly displayed in the main hangar at the Texas Air Museum, where visitors from all over the world get to see it.
WANT TO FLY A RAFE AIRPLANE?
LET'S TALK ABOUT PILOT SPONSORSHIP
We get this question a lot.
How do I get to fly one of the RAFE airplanes?
The answer is our Pilot Sponsor Program.
RAFE's mission isn't just to preserve Burt Rutan's aircraft. A huge part of what makes RAFE different is that we work to keep these airplanes flying and in front of the public. To do that, we need people willing to help support the airplanes and qualified pilots willing to fly them.
But there is one really important thing to understand: Flying privileges within RAFE are connected directly to participation, volunteering and supporting the mission.
There are several levels of Sponsorship within RAFE but all can lead to becoming an Aircraft Sponsors. If qualified and approved through the RAFE review process, the Sponsor can serve as Pilot in Command of that aircraft. All our Pilot Sponsors receive transition training in a Rutan design and then fly the aircraft they are sponsoring. Pilot Sponsors are the backbone of our flying operations. They support all the aircrafts needs such has hangaring, maintenance and insurance. They maintain proficiency and participate in RAFE events such as Oshkosh and flying in airshows. Becoming a RAFE Pilot Sponsor is a provledge earned and an elite group.
RAFE also offers Aircraft Sponsor and Supporting Sponsor opportunities for people who want to help support a particular airplane without becoming one of its pilots. We also have a program for those that own their own aircraft to become involved through the Aircraft Owner Sponsor program. If becoming a RAFE Pilot Sponsor is something you've thought about, reach out to us. We'd love to start that conversation.
Current minimum sponsorship contributions are:
$2,500VariEze • Long-EZ • Quickie • Solitaire
$3,500VariViggen • Defiant
GETTING STUDENTS OUT OF THE CLASSROOM
AND INTO THE HANGAR
We're especially excited to that RAFE has an incredible amount of real-world aviation experience under one roof.
We have pilots, A&Ps, builders, engineers, composite experience, experimental aircraft knowledge and, of course, airplanes that tend to create a lot of questions the minute someone sees them.
Our programs include involving college students as well as middle and high school students, with hands-on learning taking place under the guidance of experienced aviation professionals.
That means opportunities to apply engineering and aviation concepts to actual aircraft and real-world maintenance environments.
It also allows introductions to aviation careers and the chance to see systems, structures, composites, maintenance and aircraft operations somewhere other than a textbook or computer screen.
WHAT'S COMING UP
The next few months should be fun!
Flying season is getting underway.
Rough River is coming.
The Canard Bases are getting airplanes out and about.
We're looking for more pilots interested in becoming actively involved with the fleet.
We're experimenting with new ways to bring students into the hangar. There is never a shortage of airplanes that need somebody's attention. If you've been watching RAFE from the sidelines and thinking about getting involved, this is a pretty good time to do it.
Come to the hangar.
Ask questions.
Meet the people.
See the airplanes.
You'll figure out pretty quickly why we keep coming back.
Rutan Aircraft Flying ExperienceRutanAircraftFlyingExperience.org
Thank you for your support!!
Sandy Rusk,
Vice President, Aviation Development
Rutan Aircraft Flying Experience
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