General Aviation News

Because flying is cool

A month at Ryan Field

By · ·

Glenn Brasch, the force behind AirportCourtesyCars.com, served as camp host at Ryan Field (2MT1) in Montana during the month of September 2021.

The field, now owned by the Recreational Aviation Foundation, is popular with pilots from all over.

The Recreational Aviation Foundation’s “pride and joy” at Ryan Field is “The Barn.”

During his stay, Glenn snapped photos of several of the pilots who flew into the field. He also documented a work party that gathered Sept. 25-26 to finish up a variety of projects at the field, including electrical work to install lighting inside and out of the barn, installing snow brakes on the roof, and lots of other smaller projects.

The biggest project was installing more than 2,000 feet of sprinkler systems in the upper parking area in front of the barn.

“No one really thought we would get that done in the weekend, but so many pitched in and worked non-stop that it was done early Sunday afternoon,” Glenn reports.

Here are some of the photos Glenn took during the month:

A view of the mountains behind Ryan Field. (Photo by Craig)
This lucky pilot claimed a campsite in the trees. (All other photos by Glenn Brasch)
A line of campsites at Ryan Field.
Ray relaxes next to his airplane.
Cameron and Brett from Utah relax after setting up their tent at Ryan Field.
Dave and Ellen from Washington set up camp during their visit to Ryan Field.
The fire pit at Ryan Field gets a lot of use.
This airplane’s prop banner says it all.
The Recreational Aviation Foundation windsock at 2MT1.

Work Party

Volunteers were kept busy with a myriad of chores.
Mike and Hank “dig” their volunteer duties.
Volunteers picked up 10 to 15 loads of rock that were dug up for the sprinkler system.
Jered: The man behind the plumbing at the airfield.
John gets some help on his task.
Taking a break from digging a ditch.
Even the kids, like Cody, were put to work.
Not all the volunteer work is done outside.
Taking time for lunch during the work party.
Relaxing during the lunch break.
Installing the snow brakes.
Taking volunteer duties to a new level.
Volunteers worked together to tackle the long list of tasks.
Duane did most of the light installations — and more.
Winding down at the end of a productive day.
Testing the new sprinkler system.
Hank heads back to his plane after a full day of volunteering.
Hank taking off.

Visitors

Eric, Toni, and their copilot take a break at Ryan Field.
Gary from Washington on his visit to Ryan Field.
Julie and Joe with their airplane at Ryan Field.
Jon and Berkeley stopped by on Sept. 4, 2021.
John and Trisha also visited Ryan Field on Sept. 4, 2021, one of many visits for the couple who are RAF officials.
Kent and Heather from Colorado drop in to Ryan Field.
A factory Kodiak dropped in one day.
Lynn makes a stop at 2MT1.
Robert strikes a pose during his visit to Ryan Field.
Steve and Libby, along with their pet dog, stopped at Ryan Field on Sept. 4, 2021.

Reader Interactions

Share this story

Become better informed pilot.

Join 110,000 readers each month and get the latest news and entertainment from the world of general aviation direct to your inbox, daily.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Curious to know what fellow pilots think on random stories on the General Aviation News website? Click on our Recent Comments page to find out. Read our Comment Policy here.

Comments

  2. Love Ryan field! What a special place and a great story in how it came to be! The RAF is awesome and the people even better. Thanks Glen for all your help up there. See ya next year!

  3. What an epic adventure, I love to be able to do a shoot like that!!! Models galore!