Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Sorted by date Results 1 - 11 of 11
Happy November and Happy Thanksgiving from the Minnesota Pilots Association! By the time you read this we will likely have the election behind us, and we will know better what we will be dealing with in the next four years…this is a critically important one for all of us! If you haven’t gotten out to vote please do so, and if you already voted…thank you! Regardless, we are thankful for so much here in our United States of America, where we enjoy the privilege of flight with very few restr...
Bill Powell was born in Alabama in 1804. His ancestors included Africans, Creeks, Muscogee, and Scots. His Creek mother called him Asi-yahola. When advancing "settlement" forced the Creeks and Muscogee to leave Alabama, Asi-yahola's family joined the Seminoles in Florida which was a Spanish colony until 1819. In the 1830s the United States government tried to move the Seminoles to the "Indian Territory," but led by Asi-yahola they resisted. He was treacherously captured during a peace...
Among the aficionados of the war bird genre, the Beech Mentor is a popular airplane. Officially the T-34, the Mentor was used by both the US Air Force and Navy as a primary trainer. It was derived from the ubiquitous Bonanza, is easy to fly, and good at aerobatics. What could be better for pilot training? Walter Beech developed the T-34 as a private venture thinking the military would like an economical replacement for the North American T-6/SNJ then in use. As usual, Beech was spot on and sold...
Obesity is a tremendous public health problem. It occurs when you take in more calories than you burn through typical daily activities and exercise. Your body stores these excess calories as fat. Studies have shown that most folks’ diets are too high in calories. This is especially true if you eat a lot of fast food and high-calorie beverages. People with obesity might eat more calories before feeling full, feel hungry sooner, or eat more due to stress or anxiety, like learning how to fly! Significant obesity can predispose to a number of n...
CLARENCE J. KROTZ 1920 - 1981 Born in Chicago, Illinois, Clarence Krotz attended Von Stuber High School before studying Chemistry at Northwestern University. His passion for aviation led him to enroll at Duncan Aeronautical School, where he earned his mechanic's license in 1941. In 1943, Krotz enlisted in the Army Air Corps and became a B-26 bomber pilot. He served with the 432nd Bomb Squadron in the Mediterranean Theatre of Operations, flying missions over Sardinia, Italy, North Africa, and thr...
If you’re looking for a valuable training experience to further your aviation knowledge, have I got a deal for you! And its free! The Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI), located on the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City – the training campus for the Federal Aviation Administration, offers two different courses for pilots. The first course is aircraft crash survival. The course begins with a classroom session that discusses realistic timeframes for rescue and some basic equipment to have on your person and in the aircraft....
The Aero Commander family got its start in 1944 when Douglas designer Ted R. Smith (1906-1976) and a group of Douglas A-20 engineers created a design for what became the first all metal twin-engine business aircraft. They formed the Aero Design and Engineering Company to produce the prototype, NX1946, powered by a pair of Lycoming O-435 piston engines. With a layout similar to the Douglas A-20 Havoc light bomber, NX1946, designated the L3805, first flew on 23 April 1948. After leaving Douglas,...
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 Nov. 2, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. EAA Chapter 431 is hosting a Fall Chili Fly-in. Brodhead Airport C37 Brodhead, Wisconsin. Nov. 9, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. EAA Chapter 113 is hosting a Fall Chili Fly-in. Mettetal Airport, Canton, Michigan (near Detroit) www.eaa113.org potluck chili and desert. Dec. 4, 11 a.m. Minnesota Business Aviation Association Annual Membership Meeting, Embassy Suites, Bloomington, 2800 Ame...
An early morning storm didn't stop the crowds from coming out to enjoy a pancake breakfast in Mora. The storm passed quickly and the sun came out to welcome visitors to a variety of events. A paper airplane contest for kids, free gifts for kids and adults, airplane rides from Hawk Aviation, a short take off and landing demonstration, tractors and airport equipment on display, fuel discount for visiting pilots and lots of interesting aircraft to see. The Sept. 21 fly-in sponsored by the city of...
The sun was going down at 8:00 p.m. on a warm September evening in 1958. August Kahl and his 15 year old son, Loren, were loading tomatoes into their farm truck so they could get an early start from their farm in Inver Grove Heights to the market at South St. Paul, Minnesota the next morning. The sound of jet engines high overhead were nothing new to the Kahls. They had heard the sound before. There were the new jet airliners landing at Wold-Chamberlain Field 15 miles away, and there were the...
This is the story of flight and how it came to one Minnesota family: my family. It’s a tale of inspiration and dreams, but also one of tragedy. Our story began in the 1930s in the fields and pastures of the southwestern part of the state in the little town of Springfield. The town’s population of 2000 is about the same as it is today. The fertile black soil encouraged farming. Dry winds blew off the prairie, carrying songs of meadowlarks. The roads ran straight as sticks, forming squares across the landscape. The Cottonwood River flowed on the...
