Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Sorted by date Results 1 - 9 of 9
The 2025 Great Minnesota Aviation Gathering (GMAG) is upon us, friends! Wow, do we have an outstanding program put together for our Minnesota Aviation Family Reunion! I hope you have Thursday and Friday, May 16 and 17, blocked out on your calendars and your camping gear on the ready to kick off an outstanding Summer of Flying! Don't forget that your $35 annual membership with the Minnesota Pilots Association doesn't just support the four aviation scholarships we grant (two for aviation...
You'd think there would be apple trees growing around Appleton, but that's not the case. One of the founders of Appleton, Minnesota was Addison Phelps from Appleton, Wisconsin and brought the name with him. There are no apple orchards in Wisconsin's city either which was named for Samuel Appleton who apparently never went west of the Hudson River, but his son-in-law was Amos Lawerence who founded Lawerence University in Appleton with financial assistance from the father-in-law. Appleton, Minneso...
When you show up for a flight physical three things can happen: you get your medical certificate (most often); you are issued a medical certificate under a CACI (about 5 to 10% of the time in my practice); you don’t get your certificate and are deferred to the FAA’s medical division for further evaluation (about 5% of the time). Obviously, you would like to get your medical on the spot, one way or the other. If you are deferred, it means a wait, maybe a long wait. So, what can you do to reduce the chance of your being deferred? First of all...
Aviation accidents have been getting quite a bit of attention this year. General aviation suffers about three accidents per day, with a couple hundred fatalities per year. This number hasn’t gone down nearly enough. There is a call for action however. The National Pause for GA Safety is an initiative to encourage pilots to do at least one thing, in the next six months, that sharpens their flight skills. Most of the big aviation groups are behind this effort, and you can earn Wings credits for your participation. Check out gasafe.org for t...
The end of WWII marked the beginning of the "Atomic Age." The Army Air Force, later the United States Air Force, finished the war with the only atomic bombing capability, the 509th Composite Group, made up of 15 Martin-built B-29s. Not to be outdone, Navy Rear Admiral Daniel Gallery proposed a Navy model for atomic bomb delivery. The initial proposal would have created a bomber too large for any existing aircraft carrier. Even the still-born CVA-58, the United States of over 80,000 tons and in...
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 May 3, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., 10th annual Breezy Point Aviation Day, CTAF 122.9, Aircraft, emergency vehicles, cars on display, free lunch, beverages, ice cream. Pilots must see briefing online before landing, breezypointairport.com. Contact Cliff 218-838-3434 May 3, Eau Claire Civil Air Patrol Squadron and EAA Chapter 509 pancake breakfast fly-in, 8 – 11 a.m.. Chippewa Valley Airport KEAU, Hawthorn Hangar. M...
Nine hours thirty-one minutes is one of the longest non-stop flights I ever made as a pilot. It also might have been my most lucrative day in aviation. My Air Force squadron flew C-130s from Elmendorf Air Force Base near Anchorage to supply radar stations along the Arctic circle. A permanent detachment with at least two aircraft and crews was based at Sondrestrom Air Base on the west coast of Greenland. One crew "rotated" every week. Starting from Sondrestrom and ending at Elmendorf, this...
It was a privilege to attend the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame Induction Banquet on April 12, 2025. Held at the Mystic Lake Center banquet hall, once again it proved to be an elegant evening with friends and family. The evening of events included; social hour, silent auction, displays of the inductees, meet n greet, delicious dinner and dessert, then the award presentations. The Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame and their sponsor partners award scholarships during the banquet to deserving...
