Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
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As an infertility specialist I have a keen understanding of adoption. What a gift it is for a couple to be blessed with the opportunity to expand their family by accepting a child into their home. This gift goes both ways, to be sure. A couple who may have no other way to have children is given the privilege of nurturing a life, and a child is given the privilege of the nurture that they are lacking. It occurred to me that this paradigm can be applied to aviation, as well. There are many...
New Richmond Regional Airport has 268 based aircraft housed in 119 hangars making it number one in Wisconsin for both categories. For perspective, 210 aircraft are based at the airport in second place. Nine of New Richmond’s aircraft are jets that make good use of the 5500-foot-long primary runway. It has a full parallel taxiway for better ground operations. The secondary runway is turf, there’s a helipad and seaplane base. Aviation gas and jet fuel are available as self-service or del...
The ski-plane and wheels fly-in hosted by EAA Chapter 965 in Aitkin on March 8, had a nice turn out according to Robert Heavirland. Three kinds of chili, hot dogs, cornbread and fixin's were enjoyed by many who filled the tables in the hangar and the pilot's lounge....
High blood pressure or hypertension is common. The CDC reports that nearly half of all adults have hypertension. That’s defined as a peak (systolic) pressure greater than 130 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury, the unit used to measure and report blood pressure) or a minimum (diastolic) pressure greater than 80 mm Hg. Blood pressure is the pressure of the blood that is pumped by your heart into the arteries of your body. As you might guess too high a pressure is bad for your arteries, which means it’s bad for you. Sustained, untreated high blo...
I have a way to increase your proficiency, it only takes 10 minutes per session, and its free! Interested? To set it up, you’ll need to get a piece of paper and write down different items. Write down emergencies – engine fire during start, engine failure on downwind, smoke in the cockpit, etc. Then tear those pieces of paper into small sections and put them in a bowl. Place your checklist next to it if you can. Try to commit to grabbing one emergency or situation every few days. Visualize it happening to you. Then see how much of your che...
Allen H. Meyers (1908-1976) started in aviation as a sheet-metal man and worked for Vought in Long Island, Martin in Baltimore, and Stinson in Wayne, Michigan. He'd learned to fly at Curtiss Field in an OX-5 powered Jenny, and later spent time as a barnstormer. By 1936, he'd set up his own Meyers Aircraft Company in Tecumseh, Michigan. His first successful design was the Meyers OTW ("Out to Win") that was manufactured for the Civilian Pilot Training Program established under the Civil...
Closed course air racing in the 1920s and 1930s was dominated by airplanes built specifically as racers. Charles Willis (Speed) Holman won the 1930 Thompson Trophy flying the Laird Solution, so called because it was the "solution" to the Travel Air Mystery Ship that won the 1929 race. Travel Air supposedly built the Mystery Ship in complete secrecy. In 1932, Jimmy Doolittle won the Thompson Trophy flying the notorious Bee Gee R-1. Doolittle later set a speed record for a land plane, 296 mph....
If you know of any upcoming aviation events, please send an email with details to editor@mnflyer.com so your event can be listed here. EVENTS April 12, 2025 Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame Banquet. Mystic Lake Banquet Center. April 26, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., Hosted by Elbow Lake Airport, Sponsored by American Legion Auxiliary Unit 357, Wheels, Tracks and Wings, celebrating the month of the Military Child. Family friendly, free event, Military vehicles and aircraft displays, fly over at 11a.m. Contact Joe 218-685-6594, joe@prairie-air.net, w...
Nicholas B. Mamer January 29, 1898 – January 10, 1938 Nicholas Bernard Mamer was born in Hastings, MN, on January 29, 1898. Mechanically Inclined, Nicholas became interested in all aspects of gas-powered engines. At 15 he was the chauffeur for a local doctor. On June 30, 1916, Nicholas enlisted in the Aviation Branch of the US Army Signal Corps, forerunner of today's Air Force. Pvt. Mamer was sent to the Signal Corps' new aviation training school at North Island, San Diego, to become an aircraft...
Well, it was night and overcast clouds made it dark. There was some rain around and widely scattered thunderstorms, but it was a good night for flying. Our airplane was equipped with weather radar and a strike finder taking the unknown out of the situation. If you don't remember the days before the miracle of satellite weather, a strike finder detected lightning and could do that all around the aircraft, unlike radar which could only see ahead. My colleague and I had been to a meeting at an airp...
Ahhhhh…March! With March comes the knowledge that Spring springs in March, ushering in some reprieve, we hope, from the wintery conditions we face in Minnesota. It will not be long before we see green grass sprouting up besides the runways, and on our turf airstrips…a glorious sight! March also finds the preparations for the 2025 Great Minnesota Aviation Gathering in full swing. We are arranging for speakers for the event, addressing a wide variety of aviation topics that you have req...
La Pointe was a trading post established by the French in 1693 on an island in Lake Superior. In the late 18th century, the American Fur Company took over and appointed Michel Cadotte the manager. Mr. Cadotte was married to the daughter of an Ojibwa leader. The chief's name was White Crane and the daughter Madeleine. Mrs. Cadotte most likely had an Ojibwa name, but the location of La Pointe became known as Madeline Island. Madeline or Madeleine is a French name derived from the Greek Magdalene....
In the Midwest February brings cold weather, snow and balloons. The first weekend in February the "Hudson Hot Air Affair" bring balloonists from across America to join in some winter flying. This year we had 30 balloons registered. The pilots and balloons came from all around the Midwest, including; Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, South Dakota, Iowa There were long haul balloons from Kentucky, New Mexico, Kansas. A balloon flight offered a unique perspective of the city and surroundings. The balloon travels where the wind blows, we saw...
Before the "unified designation system" for aircraft was introduced, the United States Navy used its own alpha-numeric method. Sometimes this resulted in a popular, unofficial nickname. Two airplanes that got renamed that way were the Skyray and the Tracker. In plain view, the Skyray resembled fish belonging to the "Ray" order (Stingray, etc) and was a real hot rod. A jet fighter with an afterburner, the Skyray was the first supersonic carrier-based fighter and held several speed and time to cli...
Whether you are passenger or pilot, circadian rhythm disruption or rapid time zone change syndrome AKA Jet Lag, can drastically impact your performance for days after slamming through multiple time zones. Symptoms include excessive sleepiness and a lack of daytime alertness. Some folks also experience fatigue, insomnia, disorientation, headache, lightheadedness or stomach upset, none of which are good when driving an airplane! We’ve talked about this before, May 2023 most recently. For those of you who don’t want to plow beck to that art...
Spring is imminent, and that means more folks out flying, strong winds, bumpy rides, and lots of fun. If its been awhile since you’ve flown, it would be a good idea to do some recurrent training first. There are many places online to take part in some education that is both interesting and relevant to you. Grab a cup of coffee and attend a Wings seminar or two. Then find your favorite CFI and challenge yourself to a fun recurrent flight program. So many pilots think its gotta be boring and consist of the same old stuff. It doesn’t. Make it fun,...
Some aircraft companies created airliners or cargo haulers based on bombers. Boeing is a good example of this, as is Avro. The Boeing B-17 begat the Model 307 Stratoliner. The Avro Lancaster begat the York and the Avro Lincoln begat the Tudor. One of the most prolific families from Boeing, began with the B-29. From the B-29 came the B-50 via the re-engined XB-44. Also in this family, came the R-3350 powered XC-97 during WWII, which evolved into the production C-97/ KC-97 series with R-4360...
If you know of any upcoming aviation events, please send an email with details to editor@mnflyer.com so your event can be listed here. EVENTS March 1, Iceport 2025, Da Boathouse/Mac’s Twin Bay, Mille Lacs Lake GPS 46.17N/93.48W, Fly-in brunch, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Look for the orange safety cones depicting the landing zone. Skis and wheels welcome. Updates at Facebook.com/CreateLift March 4, Discover Flying Cloud airport, 4:30 – 6:30 p.m., Hennepin Technical College – Eden Prarie Campus, 13100 College View Drive, Eden Prairie. The Metropo...
Bill Osman photo ; Photo sent by Robert Heavirland of Bill Osman and his 2 year old granddaughter who is crazy about airplanes. She loves to learn about them looking at the Minnesota Flyer. Bill says it is the best teaching aid to learn colors, numbers, wing, propeller, tail, wheels etc... She loves to "read" it cover to cover and over again. Her knowledge has been greatly enhanced. Seems like we have a new up and coming aviator on grandpas lap....
Winter flying in Minnesota offers some unique and fun fly ins. Trick Air has been sponsoring their fly-in at Jackson Seaplane base (MN61) to promote winter flying and ski flying for the past nine years. The weather was perfect for ski-plane flying, cold temperatures, light winds and some occasional sun. Approximately 20 planes came from all over the state, including; the metro area, Brainerd, Duluth and Iron Range. This year featured a ski runway and plowed ice runway. The plowed runway was 90...
AMANDA M. LEE 1986 - Amanda Lee is a native of Mounds View, MN. She graduated from Irondale High School in 2004, where she competed in soccer, hockey, and swimming. While attending the University of Minnesota, Duluth, she enlisted in the U.S. Navy as an Aviation Electronics Technician. Maintaining the F/A-18 Hornet. In 2009 she was selected for the Seaman to Admiral Program. A competitive program for Enlisted Sailors to earn their commission as an Officer. The following year, she attended the...
Life is taking off for a 2024 Mora High School graduate. Hazel Carda returned to Mora, Minnesota recently to celebrate the holidays with her family, having left her aeronautical science and flight training at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. While the cold weather and dusting of snow may take some getting used to, she is happy to be returning - if even for a short break - to the home town where she has lived her whole life. Carda first considered becoming a pilot...
MnDOT Aero Outreach: **Exciting Update!** ✈️📢 We’ve updated our **Airport Directory ** and **ForeFlight Content Packs** on our website! The 2025 updates ensure you have the most accurate and useful information for planning your flights across Minnesota. 📍 **What’s New?** ✅ Updated airport details & amenities ✅ Enhanced ForeFlight Content Packs for easier navigation Visit our website to download the latest versions today! 🌍✈️ https://www.dot.state.mn.us/aero/index.html The 2025 aviation calendar...
One of the things that comes with winter is the opportunity to reflect upon what has been, and what is to be. Recently I was listening to a person describing a personal moment of reflection, several years ago, that changed the person’s life in a positive way. Prior to this moment the person had been very successful financially, and professionally, but found that he/she was not enjoying that success very much, at all. The person became acquainted with a very well-known person who had experienced...
Seven miles from end to end, Park Point in Duluth is the world's longest freshwater sand bar. In 1871 a ship channel was excavated on the northwest end making Park Point an island, after which ferry service was used for access. A gondola that carried goods and people across the channel replaced the ferry then the famous lift bridge was opened in 1930. The Duluth lift bridge is the world's fastest, being able to rise the required 138 feet in just 55 seconds. At the other end of the sand bar, the...
