Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
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A 1978 Bellanca Citabria 150S registered to Alan Kupferschmidt of Lake Elmo, Minnesota, prepares to touchdown at the Moose Lake Annual Fly-In Pancake Breakfast Saturday, Aug. 21....
Time seems to fly by (pun intended), as I get older. I remember my dad telling me, when he was in his 70's, "Randy, when you hit 60 time goes by very quickly." He was right about this and many other things, of course, but his advice helps remind me how precious time is. Some events in my lifetime are prominent in my mind, but few things are as prominent as September 11, 2001...9/11. I am sure that by the time you read this the 20th anniversary of 9/11 will have been recognized, reconfirming the...
When the telegraph put the Pony Express out of business, Morse Code was the medium for transmitting electronic messages. Later it was used by ship's radio operators and then by aircraft. Until the early 1950s, a radio operator and telegraph key flew on many international flights. Amateur Radio (or Ham) was the last stronghold of Morse Code and Ham operators were required to be proficient as recently as 2002. Aviation is the vestigial user of Morse Code where navigation aids still broadcast their...
In 59 years of flying, I've seen a LOT of "threats" to General Aviation. Government over-regulation, confiscatory taxes, fuel shortages, aircraft manufacturer bankruptcies, an 80% reduction in the number of FBOs, closed airports, pilot shortages, air traffic controller strikes-ALL were deemed a threat to General Aviation-yet the industry weathered them all. Here's another-a shortage of Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) Mechanics. I like to think that by subscribing to multiple trade magazines, and...
Early Sunday morning I negotiated my way around the southern part of the Twin Cities to avoid the orange barrels, cones, and hulking construction equipment. Traffic was light. I crossed the river at Hudson and settled the Jetta into cruising mode for Mauston. From there, it was on to Ripon. The Wisconsin sky was noticeably bluer and the landscape greener. Smoke seemed absent. After checking in at the old hotel in Ripon, I headed for Highway 44. Through the stoplight, heading northeast toward...
COVID-19 is storming back with the Delta variant. Yet another deadly epidemic lurks in the background, claiming many lives—opioid abuse. According to government estimates almost one-third of the population suffers from chronic pain of one source or another. About 25 million people have moderate to severe pain to the point where activity and performance are severely limited. So it’s not surprising that there is a large demand for the pain relief provided by opioids. In addition to illegally manufactured fentanyl and heroine, misuse of pre...
Fly-in organizers around the state encountered two interesting challenges during the month of August. One was breakfast condiment-related and the other involved weather conditions. The hot, sultry days of late summer produced scattered storms and low ceilings that forced many pilots to make go/no-go VFR decisions the day of an event. Several events with high attendance had to send volunteers scrambling to the store when the pancake syrup ran out. The Flyer's most recent calendar listings...
Although we can dream, there is no such animal as a perfect pilot. It’s a myth, much like strong tailwinds roundtrip! Consider this, though: if you STRIVE for perfection and fall short, you land in a very good, safe place making you a more competent, safe, and efficient aviator. Years ago, the Northwest Airlines training department promoted this Perfect Pilot concept to its pilot group. They strongly encouraged us to develop a mindset that sought perfection rather than adequacy. Think of a flight as a perfect square hunk of granite. If you f...
The concept of mating an airplane with an airship was trialed as early as World War I. On 26 January 1918, an Albatros D. III was released from Zeppelin L-35 (LZ-80). The pilot flew the fighter to a successful landing. No method of recovering to the airship was tried. Further trials by the British and later the United States followed. The British experimented with launching a Sopwith Camel (unpiloted) from airship R-23 in 1918 and later a piloted de Havilland Hummingbird and Gloster Grebe from...
In June, the Minnesota Department of Transportation's Aeronautics office announced that it had signed a Collaborative Partnership agreement with NASA's Advanced Air Mobility team to plan for the future of aviation. The partnership will support Minnesota's goals as the state plans for a future where advanced technology cargo aircraft and passenger air taxi services are integrated into Minnesota's multimodal transportation network. Minnesota is one of five government entities chosen to...
Funding for airport projects in Minnesota comes from a variety of different sources. One of the more unique programs is Minnesota's Hangar Loan Program. Rather than force hangar projects to compete for grant dollars with other infrastructure needs, this program provides loans to publicly owned airports to construct revenue-generating hangar facilities and provides protection for the fleet of general aviation aircraft registered in Minnesota. The program was established by the Minnesota...
In my time as a pilot the air medical flying was never in my purview. It wasn't in alignment with any of my disciplines. Or, so I thought. As a pilot, each flight is mission-centric. Whether it be for training, traveling, or to do a bit of sunrise appreciation flying, there is a mission. My flights have not been medical related. I've been fortunate to enjoy the North Shore tourist sort of flying mostly. It wasn't until 2010 when a close family member hit a deer coming home from Mille Lacs Lake...
Over the past 30 years, we have seen a lot of changes in our ability to gather and display weather information at Minnesota's local airports. MnDOT has a goal to make it as easy as possible for general aviation pilots to access last-minute weather and NOTAM information before departing, so they can make sound flying decisions with the best available information. To help with that goal, MnDOT's Aeronautics office has established weather computers at each public airport in the state. We refer to t...
Explore Minnesota is encouraging people to get out and explore the rainbow of colorful fall foliage in Minnesota. To find your True North visit: Minnesota Vacations & Travel Guide: Explore Minnesota at https://www.exploreminnesota.com/. Fly MN Airports! Passport program is sharing this opportunity to Explore MN by Air – Fall 2021 by encouraging you to get back into flying and visit unique places that are located near a Minnesota's public-use airport before Oct. 31, 2021. Just visit https://www.d...
Please check with contacts in this column to see if dates have been cancelled or changed. Send event information to editor@mnflyer.com. We will publish as we have space available. For full calendar listing, visit www.mnflyer.com and click on the "Events" tab. Sept. 18: Brainerd, MN: Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport (KBRD) 75th Anniversary Open House Carnival 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Contact: Jennifer Knopik (218) 454-5632 or info@brainerdairport.com with questions. Sept. 18: Mora, MN: Pancake breakfast...
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