The Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) has made a financial commitment to add visitor amenities to Hanley Field (5Y7) in Michigan.
The airfield is three miles southeast of Munising, Michigan, which is on the shores of Lake Superior adjacent to the National Park Service Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
“This airfield is a diamond in the rough,” said RAF Michigan Liaison General Grant. “Hanley Field has very high recreational value due to its natural beauty, and its proximity to the National Lakeshore.”
He and RAF Director Jeff Russell recognized the airfield’s potential and began imagining what was needed to attract visitors.
Grant and Russell gathered support from the airport manager, local aviators, the local Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) chapter, and the Alger County Commission chairman.
Together, they drew up plans to add visitor amenities to an existing county building.
RAF will help pay for a restroom, shower, kitchenette, and space to accommodate storage and charging of electric bicycles so visitors can tour the town and access the lakeshore.
“This area offers fantastic recreational opportunities such as boating, swimming, kayaking, hiking, hunting, trapping, and fishing,” according to Russell.
Visitors can explore on their own or take a commercial tour of sand dunes and forests, sandstone cliffs, caves, and waterfalls.