OWYHEE COUNTY, Idaho — A new non-profit organization is working to expand public aviation access to the backcountry.
Based on the vision of Jim Richmond, the late founder of CubCrafters, the new 501(c)(3) organization is working to give backcountry pilots “new and exciting places to fly to, experience, and explore for generations to come,” according to officials with the Jim Richmond Backcountry Aviation Foundation.
“Before he passed away in 2021, Dad had planned to dedicate a significant amount of his personal time and energy to expanding public backcountry aviation access for all pilots,” said Piper Richmond, a board member of the new foundation. “He was looking at sites that could be opened for backcountry recreational access even just weeks before his death. His idea was that a community of likeminded pilots could work together to acquire, develop, and open new high-quality destination airstrips in remote areas for everyone to enjoy.”
The new Jim Richmond Backcountry Aviation Foundation is doing exactly that, officials say.
With an initial donation provided by the Richmond family, the foundation received tax-exempt status as a public charity in 2023.
Shortly after, the foundation purchased the 45 Ranch, a historic cattle ranch in the Owyhee Canyonlands area of southwest Idaho, and has been working to open it to the public.
The 45 Ranch is a destination location with two airstrips and recreational opportunities for camping, hiking, fishing, rafting, and exploring the backcountry. It is open to the public now, foundation officials report.
This first property is “an amazing gem of an airstrip deep in the Owyhee Wilderness,” said Mark Patey, a foundation board member. “It has a history going back to the late 1800s. It was one of the largest cattle operations in southwest Idaho for many years, and was once described by Life Magazine as the most remote ranch in North America.”
“Cattle operations were retired years ago and, after extensive conservation work, the ranch was then used as a private wilderness retreat by its previous owners,” he continued. “We are very excited to write the next chapter in the history of this really special property as a place for the public to enjoy.”
The Jim Richmond Backcountry Aviation Foundation will raffle off the first Carbon Cub (S/N 001) as the grand prize in a fundraiser to help financially support the new foundation and its operations.
“This is a historic and iconic aircraft. It was the brainchild of Jim Richmond, and more than any other, it is the actual aircraft that really put him on the map as a legendary backcountry aircraft entrepreneur,” said Brad Damm, executive director of the foundation. “It is the aircraft that inspired much of what we now know as modern backcountry recreational aviation, and ultimately, a whole new class of safer and more capable backcountry aircraft were developed because of what this aircraft demonstrated was possible.”
Raffle tickets can be purchased online for $50 each.
Recognizing that winning an aircraft in a charity raffle can be a huge financial burden, the Jim Richmond Backcountry Aviation Foundation will also pay the approximately $50,000 federal income tax due on the grand prize, according to foundation officials.
Other prizes include a week for the winner and their friends at the 45 Ranch in Idaho, a pair of tickets on Alaska Airlines, a set of Alaska Bushwheels, a set of ACME black ops aircraft suspension, a tailwheel endorsement from Tac Aero, and new Bose A-30 headsets.
The 2,700-foot 45 Ranch airstrip is not on a sectional chart yet, but coordinates and more information about the property are available on the foundation’s website.
Anyone is welcome to visit, and foundation members can also camp or rent the main cabin there.
The foundation also owns the nearby Star Valley Ranch and has plans to open it to the public in 2025, along with opening other backcountry aviation accessible properties to the public in future years.
For more information: JRBAF.org
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