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Articles from the November 1, 2016 edition


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  • NASAO elects new officers for 2017

    NASAO|Nov 1, 2016

    Members of the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) elected new officers for the coming year at its 85th Annual Convention and Trade Show held in San Antonio, TX. “I am honored and humbled to be selected as the chair of NASAO this year,” said Brandt. “I congratulate the new Executive Committee and Board of Directors on their appointments and I look forward to working with them as well as our NASAO staff on our important issues.” Brandt said they have many opportunities facing them this year as the board leads the associa...

  • Reno: Connections and Camaraderie

    Tom Lymburn|Nov 1, 2016

    Tom Lymburn The full moon was the only light on the gray gravel of lot 3-the Participants and Media lot. Race crews filtered slowly out of the banquet hangar, last good byes, hugs, slaps on the back, jokes, and joshes delivered, and wended their tired, sunburned ways toward rental cars, dusty pickups, and RV'S. Sawbones team would be taking many ways home-airliner, truck, and race plane. Sue and I trudged toward the gate, past Formula 1 racers being disassembled for trucking home. Wings and...

  • Breakfast at Benson

    C.M. Swanson|Nov 1, 2016

    C.M. Swanson When he was not flying, the late John Benson sat in a barber's chair next to a wood stove at his airport on his farm, sharing stories about aviation. One of the familiar stories is how, in the 1930s, his brother Roger plowed an airstrip on the farm just east of Bald Eagle Lake in White Bear Township. "John actually got his pilot's license when he was 15 years old," said EAA Chapter 745 president, Jerry Fleischhacker at the October 8 Fly-In Breakfast. The old barber chairs still sit...

  • Pilots answer call to action for Young Eagle rides

    C.M. Swanson|Nov 1, 2016

    It didn't take long for Minnesota EAA Chapter 237 to rally once they got the call for assistance from Grantsburg Municipal Airport requesting Young Eagle rides for community members in Wisconsin. "Twenty-four airplanes flew in," said EAA Chapter 237 president Kirk Fjetand. "Forty Young Eagles fights were given to children during the event. For many of them, it was their first flight." The local media was also on hand to record the event. "It's good to see so much support for the airport in...

  • Minnesota STEM Forum workforce call to action

    C.M. Swanson|Nov 1, 2016

    C.M. Swanson Positive societal change doesn't happen by chance. It takes drive, dedication, and determination. Judging by those standards, the Minnesota STEM workforce call to action held by AirSpace Minnesota and Aerospace Industries Association at the Minnesota Department of Education Conference Center on October 6 was a rousing success. From the morning visit from Senator Amy Klobuchar, to keynote speakers Dr. John Olson, Vice President and General Manager of Polaris Defense and Dale...

  • Osceola's Wheels and Wings Fly-In a crowd pleaser

    Staff News Brief|Nov 1, 2016

    In a genuine show of support for general aviation and the importance of an airport to a community, Osceola's Airport Commission, Area Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club, and Village of Osceola gathered at the airport to serve the public during their annual Wheels and Wings Fly-In at the L.O. Simenstad Municipal Airport in September....

  • Open cockpit biplane flying makes flying real

    Jim Hanson|Nov 1, 2016

    Jim Hanson This is my 321 unique type of aircraft flown. As mentioned previously, there is no set standard for aircraft flown. It's up to the individual as to how he/she counts them. My criteria are that I must make a takeoff or landing, no holding the controls in cruise. By making a takeoff or landing, I get to experience the ground handling, the acceleration, the effect of controls over differing airspeeds, and the rate of climb or descent. I don't automatically count a suffix model, only...

  • Planes and Paws second annual Pet Expo

    C.M. Swanson|Nov 1, 2016

    Animals and airplanes drew an interested crowd to the Commemorative Air Force hangar at Fleming Field Airport October 15 for the second annual Planes and Paws Pet Expo. Event activities included a pet costume contest complete with prizes, vendors of animal rescue services and related fields, and, of course, aircraft on display for up close public viewing. Kathy Fox, Quality Assurance Manager at Sierra Hotel Aero, Inc. based at the South St. Paul Airport said the response from the event they put...

  • Moorhead

    Tom Foster|Nov 1, 2016

    Moorhead has always been a transportation center. Early in the 19th century the route between the Mississippi and the Red River of the North was serviced by ox carts. A settlement sprung up where the cart road met the river. River boats then connected to Winnipeg and points north. Ox drivers and riverboat crews were a rowdy bunch. The settlement soon developed a reputation as "sin city" with over 100 taverns, plus some other establishments that added to the notoriety. By 1871 railroads had...

  • Mystery Airplane

    Tom Lymburn|Nov 1, 2016

    During World War II, the British relied on the United States for transports. Realizing they could be left behind after the war was over, the Barbazon Committee looked at setting requirements for post-war airliners. Some designs, like the huge Bristol Brabazon with eight Centaurus radials and the ten engine Saunders-Roe Princess flying boat, were colossal failures. Only two became serious trend setters. The graceful de Havilland Comet had to overcome some mysterious early crashes before proving...