Dooley Vanyo Memorial Fly-In at the 45 Ranch in SW Idaho

Announcing the First Annual Dooley Vanyo Memorial Fly-In and Free Camping Weekend at the 45 Ranch in SW Idaho, September 19-21, 2025!
Personal Note from Brad Damm, JRBAF’s Executive Director:
I took Dooley on his first ride in a Cub, sold him his first Carbon Cub, and from that point on, he and I became fast friends. We flew together from Mexico to Alaska and many points in between, including the Owyhees. We had a lot of great adventures, did some really dumb stuff, camped, fished, got drunk, stayed at each other’s houses, and just always had a great time.
Dooley and I discussed the creation of a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding public backcountry aviation access many times during the early stages of planning JRBAF, and he was a huge supporter of the idea. He certainly would have been involved in building the organization if he hadn’t passed away in 2023. We closed on the 45 Ranch property literally just over a month after his passing, and he and I had talked about doing a trip there just days before he died.
I’m sure many of you can also say that your best memories of Dooley were similar to mine: flying in the backcountry, camping, eating a great steak, drinking good whisky, and just living life to its fullest. No one did that better than Dooley, and I can’t think of a better way to honor his memory than a Fly-In dedicated to him.
So please join us the weekend of September 19–21 at the 45 Ranch. It will be the inaugural opening of a new, expanded, aircraft camping area—dedicated in Dooley’s honor. While we normally ask people to join as members if they plan to camp at the 45 Ranch, we’ll drop that request for this Fly-In weekend.
Let’s do it the way Dooley would have wanted! Backcountry flying, camping, fishing, sitting around the campfire connecting with old friends and new—please join us!
45 Ranch Information: https://jrbaf.org/properties/45-ranch/
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