$100,000 Donation Helps Expand Backcountry Flying Access

Major gift to Jim Richmond Backcountry Aviation Foundation will help preserve remote airstrips and create new destinations for pilots.

Cayla McLeod
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Edited By: Travis Tingle
A CubCrafter's ULT Carbon Cub enjoys the peace and quiet at a backcountry airstrip. [Credit: Brad Damm]
A CubCrafter's ULT Carbon Cub enjoys the peace and quiet at a backcountry airstrip. [Credit: Brad Damm]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The Jim Richmond Backcountry Aviation Foundation (JRBAF) received a $100,000 donation from Royce Anderson and Nancy Schatzberg to preserve and expand public access to remote flying destinations.
  • The donation will support two key properties: establishing a new public-use backcountry airstrip at Meadow View Peak in California (partially as a matching opportunity) and funding restoration projects at the 45 Ranch in Idaho.
  • JRBAF is also conducting a fundraising raffle for three restored Piper J-3 Cubs to further its mission of acquiring, developing, and preserving recreational aviation destinations for future generations of pilots.
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For those of us who believe some of the best adventures begin where the pavement ends, there’s some exciting news coming out of the backcountry aviation community this week.

The Jim Richmond Backcountry Aviation Foundation (JRBAF) has announced a $100,000 donation commitment from Royce Anderson and Nancy Schatzberg of Wellington, Nevada, aimed at preserving and expanding public access to some of the country’s most spectacular remote flying destinations.

The contribution will support two of the foundation’s properties, including its newest project, Meadow View Peak in Plumas County, California, and the historic 45 Ranch in Idaho’s Owyhee Canyonlands.

A portion of the donation will establish a dollar-for-dollar matching opportunity for Meadow View Peak, where the JRBAF is working to develop a new public-use backcountry airstrip. The 136-acre property, surrounded by Plumas National Forest, is expected to welcome pilots in 2027.

Meanwhile, the remaining funds will go toward restoration and maintenance projects at the 45 Ranch, including replacing the roof of the caretaker’s residence. The property, which opened to the public in 2024, features a 2,700-foot turf runway, camping accommodations, and access to some of Idaho’s most remote wilderness.

But the foundation isn’t stopping there.

In addition to its latest donation announcement, JRBAF recently launched its 2026-27 fundraising raffle, offering participants the opportunity to win one of three restored Piper J-3 Cubs. Proceeds will support the foundation’s ongoing efforts to acquire, develop, and preserve recreational aviation destinations.

While the airplanes themselves are certainly enough to get any tailwheel enthusiast’s attention, the mission behind the raffle is what makes it particularly meaningful.

As general aviation continues to evolve, organizations like JRBAF are working to ensure that the next generation of pilots has more places to explore, not fewer.

Thanks to the generosity of people who believe in preserving that freedom, the map of places we can explore by airplane continues to grow.

Cayla McLeod

Cayla McLeod is an instrument-rated pilot with a love for all things tailwheel and grass strips. She has been actively involved in general aviation for the last decade, and can’t imagine life without flying and the people that go with it.
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