EAA AirVenture, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, July 21, 2025 – The Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) today honored Daher Aircraft CEO Nicolas Chabbert with the prestigious Golden Pulaski Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions and unwavering commitment to supporting backcountry aviation in the United States.
Chabbert exemplifies these qualities through his strong support of backcountry aviation and the leadership that has enabled Daher Aircraft to provide Kodiak 100 and 900 aircraft in support of RAF missions.
The Golden Pulaski Award was presented during Daher Aircraft’s opening-day press conference at the EAA AirVenture air show and fly-in, held at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
“The Daher-built Kodiaks are extremely versatile aircraft that have enabled the RAF to deliver people and materials for remote backcountry improvement projects that otherwise would be impossible to accomplish,” said RAF Chairman John J. McKenna, Jr. “To say that the Kodiak is a game changer is an understatement. We deeply appreciate the support of Nicolas Chabbert and Daher Aircraft in accomplishing our goals, including a notable mission to help reestablish operations the U.S. Forest Service’s Moose Creek, Idaho backcountry airstrip after a forest fire.”
The Golden Pulaski Award – which is named after Edward Pulaski, a legendary U.S. Forest Service Ranger and inventor of the firefighting tool that bears his name – honors those who embody courage, resourcefulness and service. Pulaski also is remembered for saving the lives of 40 firefighters during the Great Fire of 1910, also known as the Big Burn.
Daher Aircraft’s partnership with the RAF included the 2003 donation of Kodiak airlift services to move an AmeriCorps trail crew from Missoula in western Montana to the U.S. Forest Service’s Moose Creek site (1U1) in Idaho to work on the airstrip. Later the same year, the Kodiak was deployed to transport material and volunteers for the replacement of fencing around the ranger station that contains the rangers’ pack animals. The Kodiak also moved several loads of shingles to the Shearer Airstrip (2U5) deep within the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness area for the guard station there.
In October 2024, Daher Aircraft again donated Kodiak services to airlift building supplies, materials and personnel into Moose Creek, helping replace structures lost to a wildfire and complete fencing repairs.
Looking ahead, Daher Aircraft will continue its support, providing additional Kodiak flights in the latter half of 2025 to assist with U.S. Forest Service backcountry infrastructure projects in Idaho.
The mission of the Recreational Aviation Foundation (www.TheRAF.org) is to preserve, improve, and create airstrips for recreational access. The RAF has 13,000 supporters and has volunteers in all 50 U.S. states. RAF volunteers are dedicated stewards of these special places. The RAF is a public 501(c)3 nonprofit organization formed in 2003 with headquarters at 1711 W. College St., Bozeman, Montana, 59715.
