Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 74
Hunting the $100 hamburger is likely to cost a bit more this spring and summer because of rising fuel costs, but that shouldn't deter dedicated pilots from exploring new places when making the aeronautical equivalent of the lazy Sunday drive. Here's the Minnesota Flyer's most recent take regarding five don't miss drop-in destinations when heading aloft in the coming months. If you have an airport to share, drop us a line and we'll add it to our list of locations under consideration. Brainerd A...
Please check with contacts in this column to see if dates have been cancelled or changed. Send your event information to editor@mnflyer.com. We will publish as we have space available. For a full calendar listing, visit www.mnflyer.com and click on the"Events" tab. April 6-8: 2022 Minnesota Airports Conference, Mayo Civic Center, Rochester, MN. This event focuses on airport management, operations, and maintenance but is open to anyone interested in general aviation. The conference is sponsored...
Cirrus Aircraft has selected Eden-Prairie based Wings Insurance as its dedicated insurance broker to provide modern aviation insurance options for customers. "We are thrilled to enter into this new partnership with Cirrus Aircraft," said Wings Insurance President Steve Bruss. "Our team is positioned to deliver an exceptional insurance buying experience to Cirrus Aircraft owners." Director of Business Development Ryan Konrath said Wings Insurance will provide Cirrus owners with an excellent solut...
The Minnesota Chapter of the 99s Organization for Women Pilots hosted a "Pinch Hitter" Companion Flyer Course at the Anoka County-Blaine Airport on Feb. 19. Written by CFII Cheryl Ann Daml, the course was geared toward single-engine, piston airplanes with an electrical system and steam gauges rather than technologically advanced aircraft. VFR conditions were addressed during the half-day session. More than 30 people attended the course, which ran from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. with breaks every 45 to 60...
The Federal Aviation Administration recently approved a new governance structure involving the St. Cloud Regional Airport, effective Dec. 31, 2021. Governance was transferred from the city to the St. Cloud Regional Airport Authority, which was formed through a joint resolution with Benton County, Sherburne County, and Stearns County, with each entity appointing volunteer commissioners to the authority. The newly established St. Cloud Regional Airport Authority was created as a fiscally...
This Supermarine Spitfire Mk IXc from the Dakota Territory Air Museum visited AirExpo 2021 before heading over to EAA's AirVenture Oshkosh. See "Aircraft Museums and Collections of Minnesota" in this issue for a related story....
Please check with contacts in this column to see if dates have been cancelled or changed. Send your event information to editor@mnflyer.com. We will publish as we have space available. March 5: ICEPORT 2022 Fly-In Brunch, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with prize drawings 1 p.m. at Mac's Twin Bay Resort, Mille Lacs Lake. Pilots monitor 122.9. There is no fee for this event but donations welcome. For info, contact Mark Priglmeier (320) 200-8050 or createlift@gmail.com March 19: EAA Chapter 965 Aitkin...
Kruse Aviation has been an FBO fixture at Princeton Municipal Airport (KPNM) since 2001. Owner Duane Kruse reports he's busy with interior projects. "We have three airplanes in the hangar right now," he said. "We have a Maule that's getting its fabric, final paint and interior and is getting ready to fly." Kruse said he's also completing paint and interior work on a Cessna 140. "We've got enough work to get us through the winter months and into spring," he added. In 2017, Kruse Aviation...
A beautifully transformed Piper Cherokee Six-300 continues to shape aviation memories for Trent Palm, his wife, Cynthia and the couple's five children. When the time came for a restoration, Hannah, age 9, Tristen, age 7, Amelia, age 5, Flynn age 3 and Quintin, age 1 ½, all played a key role in the effort. "They helped with the interior when I brought home the color palettes," Palm recalled. "They were part of the design team for our family traveler." It's no surprise aviation remains the...
Mille Lacs Lake's annual ICEPORT fly-in is the perfect cure for aviation cabin fever. Organizer Mark Priglmeier plans the gathering with an additional goal in mind. "It's all about getting people flying," Priglmeier said. "My goal for this event is providing a unique place that people can take their families." Many people give up flying because they have no place to go to or things to do, thus they find it hard to justify the expense and time of being a pilot, he contends. "If we give a little,...
This vintage 1941 Stinson-Stratton L-1F Vigilant WWII-era observation plane was one of the featured aircraft during a mid-November 2021 EAA Chapter 1638 field trip of C&P Aviation's facilities at the Anoka County-Blaine Airport....
Forest Lake-based EAA Chapter 1638 participated in a special event hosted by C&P Aviation's Pat Harker on Nov. 10, 2021. Almost 40 chapter members toured the company's hangar at Anoka County-Blaine Airport and observed a number of historical aircraft. C&P restores aircraft and manufactures replacement parts for many different types of vintage aircraft. Harker, in right of picture, is an airplane construction, restoration, and maintenance expert and highly accomplished pilot....
Donnie Gardner is expanding the world of aviation retail one market niche at a time. He credits his dad for providing the creative spark behind DGPilot Aviation Collectibles & More, located in downtown St. Paul. "My dad is a huge aviation enthusiast, and I didn't realize this until a few years back," Gardner explained. "I was visiting with him in Kansas City where I grew up and he pulled out his personal collection of diecast aircraft. He must have shown me 100 to 200 aircraft." Gardner hadn't c...
The 2021 Tree of Hope holiday toy collection event faced continued challenges prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but an ongoing public health crisis didn't stop the non-profit organization from helping children and families during trying times. For more than 30 years, Tree of Hope has been collecting toys for children who are hospitalized during the holidays, serving approximately 40 hospitals, shelters, and Ronald McDonald houses. "We delivered 3,200 toys," reported organizer Deb Klier. "There...
Ken Snyder kept a simple mantra in mind throughout the course of his Le Sueur Municipal Airport hangar renovation project. "My whole goal was keeping costs in check," he said. "It wasn't hard, even though a lot of thought went into it. If there was a question, I just overbuilt it." Snyder bought the 40-by-36 foot hangar in August 2020. The structure didn't have a door, the roof leaked, and two posts were rotten. The hangar also had a dirt floor. Getting a roof installed was a priority to protect...
Osseo-based Wiley Properties has consistently renovated its Crystal Airport hangars to keep pace with market changes in general aviation. Wiley Properties got its start in 1954 with Hap Wiley, who owned and operated a well drilling company at the time. Since drilling is seasonal in Minnesota, Hap decided it would be beneficial to have his workers construct buildings during the winter months. That activity eventually evolved into a successful family real estate business that continues to include...
Merle Marshall's attention to detail served him well during his 33-year career as a Teamster. After retiring in 2017 as a Metropolitan Airports Commission senior maintenance worker, it wasn't long before Marshall's attention turned from runways to hangars after helping out a friend. "Larry Degner of Aerolift Door kept getting phone calls about hangar door cables and latches being broken," Marshall recalled. "He'd call me, and I'd go help him. Well, one day the phone rang so much I decided to...
One of the highlights of the year (ranking next to AirVenture at Oshkosh) is the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame Banquet, which inducts new members annually. The COVID-19 pandemic forced a three-time rescheduling of the event, which was conducted on Saturday, Oct. 30, at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Bloomington. Almost 500 people were in attendance at the banquet. I had a great time networking with aviation contacts, contributing writers, and making new industry friends, as well as reestablishing...
The Seventh Annual Girls in Aviation Day attracted more than 1,000 participants to a new location at Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prairie. Jet Linx Minneapolis served as official site host for the Sept. 25 event. With 85 events around the world, Women in Aviation International's Girls in Aviation Day 2021 reached nearly 10,000 attendees. Minnesota's Stars of the North (SOTN) chapter has partnered with Minnesota's aviation community to provide a platform for girls to learn about career opportunit...
For more than 30 years, Holiday Tree of Hope has been collecting toys for children who are hospitalized during the holidays. The non-profit organization serves over 40 hospitals, shelters, and Ronald McDonald houses each year, bringing smiles to children and families who are dealing with trying times. This year, Tree of Hope is moving back to having an in-person toy collection event, with changes prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizers are asking for limited socialization at the...
An airport encounter with a new Minnesota Flyer subscriber's vintage aircraft and a subsequent hangar visit took me down a pleasant mental path recently. The late summer experience was typical of editorial interactions that occurred during an inaugural fly-in season that included more than 25 event visits statewide. Here's the scoop from Minnesota Flyer command central: In mid-September, I was out and about on a sunny Sunday, making my second fly-in visit of the day. Arriving early at my...
Wings of the North, the aviation history non-profit that's based at Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prairie, hit unexpected organizational turbulence this summer. "We were informed just before July's AirExpo by the building owners (Bearpath Investment Group, LLC), that our lease was not going to be renewed, effective Aug. 31," said Wings of the North Board Chairman Gary Applebaum. Applebaum and Museum Director Bob Jasperson told the Minnesota Flyer the organization has secured its collection and...
The Husky National Sodbuster STOL Short Takeoff & Landing Competition Series Aug. 5 to Aug. 7 at Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport featured almost 30 aircraft. "We were excited to bring this event to a larger airport," said Tom Flanary, Husky National STOL Series co-owner. We sold out Milaca two years ago, but we needed a bigger field." Five-hundred spectators watched the 2021 competition. In 2019, Milaca's annual August aviation celebration added the event, which tests pilots' skills during two...
The Metropolitan Airports Commission/Anoka County Aviation Association Annual Airport Barbecue Sept. 13 included plenty of food and aviation-related fellowship. The early evening event was attended by airport tenants, users, businesses, and families and friends and was held inside the MAC Equipment Building near the Air Traffic Control Tower, 8891 Airport Road N.E. in Blaine. The ACAA is an association of hangar owners and renters, FBO owners, pilots, flight instructors, commercial operators...
Weekends in September were a busy time for Minnesota's general aviation community. The events calendar featured plenty of summer-ending fly-ins. The Minnesota Flyer's October press time listings included events in Battle Lake, Superior, Wisconsin, Wells, Le Sueur, New Ulm, Mora, Grand Marais, and Hector. In addition, there were separate airport celebrations in Brainerd and Blaine. Here's a look at photo coverage from six of those events. Event organizers: Please send your 2022 listings to the...
