Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
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The 2022 Minnesota Aviation Maintenance Technician and IA Renewal Conference returned March 28-29 to the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center. The two-day, in-person conference attracted almost 200 aviation maintenance professionals for continuing education, networking, and IA renewal. Industry exhibits featured the latest and best in aviation products, technology, and services. The event continues to be a premier opportunity for aviation maintenance professionals to reconnect with...
The 2022 Great Minnesota Aviation Gathering is just a month away and we are looking forward to seeing you again this year to celebrate aviation and to cross flight paths with our aviation friends. This year’s GMAG is shaping up to be one that you will not want to miss! The leadership at the Minnesota Pilots Association has undertaken an effort to develop a robust strategic plan for our future, led by Treasurer Andy Brown. We are pleased to announce that Vice President Paul Jackson is leading a...
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...
In 1929 the city of Duluth purchased 640 acres to build an airport. It opened in 1930 with two, 2,650-foot-long turf runways. Scheduled airline service to Duluth started in 1940. After the beginning of World War II, three paved runways were constructed in the classic "triangle" of that era. Each was 4,000 feet long. Runways 9/27 and 3/21 were extended to 5,700 feet in 1945. Runway 9/27 was later extended twice, reaching the current length of 10,151 feet in 1956. Runway 13/31 was closed in 1973...
Less than three months after getting his pilot's license, Carter Ricard took off from Sauk Centre Municipal Airport to undertake one of his highest-stakes flights so far: asking his girlfriend, Olivia Kompelien, to prom. Ricard is a junior at Albany Area Secondary School and lives in Albany. Flying is a big part of his family. His father, John Ricard, is a crop duster, and his mother, Cindy Ricard, is a commercial pilot for Endeavor Air, an American regional airline that operates for Delta Air...
Vertigo is a common experience. It's not just a feeling of light headedness but a sensation that the world is spinning around. When you were a kid and spun around you intentionally set off a form of positional vertigo. Something like that can happen in flight. For example, when you're in the clag and abruptly bend down, let's say to pick up a pencil; suddenly it seems as if either you or the plane is in a spin. Hold still. Don't do anything funny with the stick and it goes away. Accelerate...
Each year, the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame (MAHOF) inductee selection committee meets in June to review nomination submissions and to select the following year's inductees. Selection includes evaluation of a candidate's significant aviation contributions to Minnesota, the area of the state the individual represents, and other criteria involving career and professional contributions. This month's banquet will honor the MAHOF 2022 inductees and return the organization to its regular banquet...
Forty some years ago an aviation revolution was occurring, one of the biggest changes since Jimmy Doolittle flew without seeing outside the airplane. Point-to-point navigation using VORs and NDBs was being replaced by "area navigation." It more or less began with Long Range Radio Navigation or "LORAN." Use of LORAN by aircraft goes back to World War II, but the hardware was two large "black boxes" and it was mostly used on big transports for over water flights. A couple of avionics manufactures...
Guadalcanal is not a waterway like "Panama Canal." In Arabic the name means "Valley of Stalls," or "Markets." It's also the name of a city in the Spanish region of Andalusia, and thanks to a homesick Spanish sailor who went to the South Pacific in 1568 the largest of the Solomon Islands has the same name. Andalusia is a bucolic place. The Solomon Islands are hot, wet, and populated with poisonous critters. One member of the U.S. Marine Corps once said, "Guadalcanal only looks good from the poop...
The pilot report, or PIREP, is an often appreciated bit of information, but how often do you actually submit one? PIREPs are, generally, only useful in a given area and for a small amount of time. Knowing this information, it is important to send them in often to aid your fellow pilots. It also helps ATC, meteorologists, accident investigators, and more. The next time you find cloud layers or turbulence, or some lovely smooth air in an otherwise sea of turbulent sky, consider filing a PIREP....
The Curtiss Hawk series of fighters began with the Army's PW-8 (PW = Pursuit Water-Cooled) in 1924, and evolved from the P-1 to the P-6. The Navy followed with land and carrier-based models called the F6C. While the Army continued with liquid-cooled inlines, the Navy moved to the F6C-4 with air-cooled radials. The peak of the Curtiss models was the F11C, later re-designated BFC, for dive bombing. On 18 October 1932, the Navy let Contract #28847 to Curtiss for 28 production F11C-2...
General Aviation aircraft are not only fun to fly, but (dare I say it?) PRACTICAL for personal and business travel. Yes, they are comparatively fast-enabling not only cross-country trips, but a GA aircraft can enable travel to a destination several hundreds of miles away for a weekend-a trip not practical by car. Inevitably, getting the LAST few miles to your destination can be a problem. Having a friend or relative pick you up is one solution (and also gives you "bragging rights" about your...
MnDOT Aeronautics added a new feature to the Minnesota Airport Directory and Travel Guide three years ago. We developed a Foreflight Content Pack and made it available for anyone to download and add to their Foreflight app. The Minnesota Airport Directory Content Pack takes everything great about the directory and travel guide and makes it accessible on your iPad via Foreflight. This year, we separated the seaplane bases from the main content pack, to create a new Minnesota Seaplane Base...
