Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
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One of the things I really enjoy about those who share my interest in aviation is the ingenuity, kindness and willingness to be of assistance that the vast majority possess. These great attributes certainly apply to those who have made it possible for us to hold the 6th Annual Great Minnesota Aviation Gathering (GMAG) at the Buffalo Municipal Airport (KCFE) on Friday and Saturday, April 26 & 27, 2019. You may recall that we have been in search of a venue which would appeal to our members. With...
With the New Year comes the hope that the coming year will be even better than the last. It gives us the opportunity to stop, look back, and put things into perspective. We make some New Year’s resolutions, and often check off a few items from our bucket list. The New Year presents some distinct challenges for the Minnesota Pilots Association. One of the primary efforts has been bringing pilots and aviation enthusiasts together at the Great Minnesota Aviation Gathering (GMAG). The GMAGs have suc...
Happy Holidays to each and every one of you! What a terrific time of year, as we celebrate with family and friends and as we look back upon 2018 and count our blessings and our challenges. The Board members of the Minnesota Pilots Association are thankful for those of you who have become members or who have renewed membership in our organization. Thank you. While Thanksgiving Day has come and gone, we have the chance to thank people throughout the year for their good deeds, for helping to make...
As pilots who enjoy the priv- ilege of ight, I think we have to be very vigilant as we strive to at least maintain the freedoms our predecessors left for us. This is particularly true as those of us who are in general aviation sometimes feel that us “little guys and gals” may play second ddle to corporate and commercial aircraft operators. I am not just talking about how the airspace is being con- trolled, but also how our avi- ation resources are being as- signed. Recently, Jim Peterson, tre...
In preparing this column monthly now for a few years I tried to minimize discussion of personal relationships, focusing instead on concepts and concerns that affect members of the Minnesota Pilots Association. I am going to make an exception this month to provide what is for me an emotional tribute to an individual who played a very supportive role in the founding of the Minnesota Pilots Association, working behind the scenes at a number of levels to promote our success. This delightful person,...
A joke question that I have heard more times than I care to admit, when posed to a student, is “What keeps an airplane in the air?” The answer: “Money”. One of the most convenient technology advances for those of us who fly piston driven aircraft is the self-serve pump. Those of my vintage (old geezer) recall the days when we had to plan ahead when making a cross country trip, making sure that the fixed base operator (FBO) was open at the time we would be needing fuel and, God forbid, if we l...
I just returned from six days of flying and aviation fun, having taken advantage of the chance to fly into New Holstein, Wisconsin, and camp with our friends at Supercub.org and to participate in the New Holstein Short Field Takeoff, Landing and Flour Drop exhibition. There were many there from Minnesota and literally from every corner of the United States. We endured days of rain, spending many hours under a pavilion, visiting and meeting new friends. It was quite amazing that we really...
We are fortunate to have a wonderful airport system in Minnesota, thanks to a number of key organizations. Let’s face it, our airports didn’t just happen. I am concerned we take for granted what it takes to “make” an airport. Most of our airports started out as “airfields”, which pretty much consisted of an open area out away from farmhouses and other buildings so as to minimize obstructions. With time came the realization that creating hard surfaces offers some distinct advantages to the pilo...
This summer has been a very bittersweet one for me, as we are not able to see two of our grandchildren as much as we have in the past. My wife and I received a phone call from our son asking if we would be around on a Sunday in April and we said sure, come on over. The news we learned from them was pretty devastating to us in that they decided to move from Minnesota to Texas. this meant that our 5-year old grandson and three and a half year old granddaughter would no longer be living just a few...
Well, folks, we have another Great Minnesota Aviation Gathering behind us and we feel it was another successful rendezvous for those who love and enjoy aviation in our state. I am not sure about you, but I know there are some things I really liked about the event, and some that could be improved. We would really appreciate you letting us know, at info@mnpilots.org, what you liked and what you feel would add to the event. Your feedback is much appreciated as it helps us make improvements in the...
The 2018 Great MN Aviation Gathering is upon us, folks! We are confident this will be the best one yet! The event will be held on Friday and Saturday, April 27-28, at Golden Wings Flying Museum at KANE, likely for the last year at this beautiful and unique venue. GMAG is a great place to speak aviation. It doesn’t get much better than hangar flying with your fellow aviators as we celebrate aviation in our state. The Hangar Flying Sessions are featuring some top notch speakers again this year, w...
We hope you have put Friday and Saturday, April 27-28, on your calendars so that you can plan to attend the 2018 Great Minnesota Aviation Gathering (GMAG). For those of you who have attended this event in the past you know that our event provides opportunities to learn more about many aspects of aviation, and to do so in the company of your fellow aviators. The GMAG came about to address the need for an event at which aviation could be celebrated. We felt we needed a time, just before the...
We recently had our annual business meeting for the Minnesota Pilots Association. We had a wonderful evening! Amongst the items of business was the election for three Board of Directors positions. We are pleased to announce Gregg Strathy and Steve Thibault have been re-elected, and Patrick Halligan has been elected to his first term. We are so grateful for these three outstanding individuals, and the expertise and energy they bring to the board. The annual meeting gives us a chance to review...
While we had a good year in 2017 flying in Minnesota, we have every hope that 2018 will be even better! New Year's resolutions are something I have not been a big fan of over the years, but maybe it can be turned into an "aviation bucket list" of sorts, making a list of things that we might want to do in 2018. One of the first thoughts I would offer is to become more involved in getting youngsters into aviation. This may be by committing to participate in every Young Eagles event that you can...
Winter is upon us as we near the Christmas Season. The first major snowstorm is upon us as I write this column, a bit of a shock as we have basked in unusually warm weather for Minnesota this fall. We have been spoiled to enjoy wearing tee shirts well into November, something I don't recall being able to do in the past. I have allowed myself to be drawn into a bit of complacency, admittedly, procrastinating getting the snow blower ready at the hangar, failing to get the engine blanket...
At the risk of being criticized for already bringing up the subject of Christmas, please let me remind you the Holiday Season is upon us. Another year has sped by. It seems like yesterday we had Christmas. It is no small frustration for me to have already seen Christmas decorations and displays in many stores. So, why do I choose to bring this up? The Tree of Hope drive, that’s why! For those of you who do not know, there is a terrific team of aviators and aviation enthusiasts who collects t...
Though the event will have transpired by the time this article is published, at the time of this writing I am planning to launch on a mission to partake in the annual Flying Cloud Air Tour, commonly known as the Fall Colors Tour, which is held annually in memory of David Jaranson of Side Lake, Minnesota. David was special, in that his love of flying his green and white super cub was unsurpassed. He loved life and flying. We treasure the memories this young man gave us as he kept a positive...
I am not sure about you, but I am not fond of politics. Given the choice of spending time talking about flying a super cub or talking politics...I'll choose super cubs! Besides, talking about politics is dangerous territory. Unfortunately, there are times when we just have to get involved with the political system and let our elected of cials know how we feel. I have to admit that before becoming involved with the Minnesota Pilots Association, I rarely called or wrote to those who represented...
