Preserving Idaho's Treasures:
Backcountry Airstrips & Small Community Airports
The Idaho Aviation Foundation benefits general aviation in Idaho by supporting initiatives and projects designed to maintain, upgrade and develop airstrips, improve access, and promote safety at backcountry and recreational airports. Although IAF projects and grants primarily benefit general aviation users, many non-aviation outdoor enthusiasts also reap benefits from these efforts.
The IAF is a 501(c)(3) organization, which means that your donation is tax deductible. Consult your tax advisor .
Because of the way our donations are managed, 100% of your contribution goes to projects, not to administrative costs.
History of the IAF
The J. Curtis Earl Idaho Aviation Foundation (IAF) was established as a companion organization to the Idaho Aviation Association (IAA). The IAF was formed as a contribution based organization for the purpose of benefiting and preserving all airports within Idaho. It was established as a tax exempt 501(c)(3) foundation to facilitate tax deductible contributions.
From the outset it was envisioned that the IAF would serve as the funding source for airstrip maintenance and improvement projects, educational pursuits, and other beneficial purposes while the IAA, as a not-for-profit organization, but without tax exempt status, would focus its financial resources on political advocacy to protect access to and the continued existence of airstrips within the jurisdiction of the government agencies.
The IAF funds aviation projects, makes educational grants, and sponsors special initiatives such as the Wilderness Within Reach program. The IAF has a capable and motivated board which guides the IAF in its pursuit of projects beneficial to aviation interests and negotiates for the protection and preservation of our precious airstrips.
What's Ahead in 2026
What will the IAF be focusing on in 2026?
These will be in conjunction with the Idaho Aviation Association (IAA). Check the IAA calendar for upcoming work parties and aviation events.
Big Creek Lodge 2026
See www.bigcreeklodgeidaho.com for a look at the lodge and the area.
2026 Season Opening Date is TBD
Featured Airstrip
Cougar Ranch Airstrip on the Middle Fork of the Salmon
Across the Middle Fork from Mahoney Airstrip sits another Idaho aviation jewel – Cougar Ranch Airstrip! Opened up in 2018 it is a great place to visit.
The identifier is D47. It is 1400 feet long and the elevation is 4,270 feet with an interesting approach. It is close to the river and on the historic Cougar Ranch.
Get instruction if you have not been in this area before, and then go have fun! Here are some pictures:
YouTube videos of landing/departing from Cougar:
https://youtu.be/9aaSXP0gTwI https://youtu.be/MjuYpwX8wmA
Enjoy the efforts of the Idaho Aviation Foundation and Idaho Aviation Association to make these airstrips available!
Idaho Aviation Book "Images of Aviation"
This book is a permanent record of how aviation has become a critical component of life in Idaho. It serves as a testament to the value of Idaho aviation in all its forms, and the legal right of all our backcountry airstrips to continue to be open to all pilots, in perpetuity.
The IAF provided a grant to subsidize the Author for the writing of this book.
Since the dawn of Aviation, Idahoans have employed aircraft to carry people, groceries, mail, freight, and livestock over inhospitable terrain. Idaho’s airstrips are the stuff of dreams, offering pilots, anglers, hikers, and river-rafters access to deep wilderness less than an hour from the city. Aerial firefighting was born–and is based–in Idaho. Flight instructors in Idaho prepared thousands of pilots to fight in World War II. As the birthplace of United Airlines, with its famed “friendly skies,” Idaho is one of the country’s most aviation-friendly states. Government officials, private landowners, and volunteers have worked together to create and then preserve an infrastructure of big-city, small-town, and backcountry airstrips that are the envy of pilots worldwide.
Former IAA President Larry Taylor noted that the book “captures the history of Idaho Aviation and the people who have made it what it is. This is a book that should be in the hands of every aviator who has flown in Idaho or plans to.”
Pilot and author Crista Videriksen Worthy lives in Idaho and has been flying around the United States with her family since 1995 and writing about fun places to fly since 2006. Her favorite places to explore are the backcountry strips of Idaho and Utah’s red-rock country. Worthy is the author of over 500 articles about aviation, travel, bodybuilding, and wildlife and is the former managing editor of Pilot Getaways; she currently serves as editor of The Flyline, the monthly publication of the Idaho Aviation Association.
Copies ordered on the IAA website will be signed by Crista Worthy. Click on link to order your copy today:
https://idahoaviation.com/product/idaho-aviation-book-images-of-aviation/
Additionally, here is a link to a story in the January issue of Idaho Magazine that Crista wrote about Aviation here in Idaho. Enjoy!
https://www.idahomagazine.com/