Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Sorted by date Results 94 - 102 of 102
There's lots of fun to be had in Alexandria. That's Minnesota not Egypt, although the Midwest town was named after the one in the Mideast. There's enough water in the area to keep any boater happy, plenty of fishing, lots of camping spots, and all kinds of good eating places. PGA Champion Tom Lehman's from the area, so naturally there's a lot of golf too. Seven public courses are within 15 minutes of downtown. Besides that, there's "Big Ole" and the Rune Stone Museum. Best of all you can fly to...
In Warroad they do windows. That's glass and wood, not computer software. Warroad is the home of the Marvin Companies. They make the gold standard for windows and know how to use general aviation to make a really good business even better. Marvin operates two Beech 1900s, a Beech King Air 200 and a Cessna Citation XLS. In 2013 they carried about 12,000 passengers and made 630 trips to and from Warroad. In effect, it's a small airline which started in 1976 with one pilot and a Piper Aztec.... Full story
Winter flying up here in the north country can be a challenge. It was even more interesting back in the "good old days" when engine preheating was accomplished using everything from "torpedo heaters" with flexible duct work, to charcoal grills and trouble lights. To hold in the heat, cowling was covered with old quilts, blankets, tarps, and moving mats. These days you just plug in the engine heater and soon it's warm enough to fire right up. Fitted cowl covers go on in minutes thanks to the... Full story
Wadena means "Round Hill" in Ojibwa. It's also the name of a well know leader of that Native American tribe who's band lived along the Crow Wing River in Central Minnesota. The first community named Wadena was a trading post located where a ferry on the Otter Tail Trail crossed the river. In 1873 Wadena County was incorporated and the name was transferred to the platted town and court house site on the Northern Pacific Railroad about sevem miles west of the original settlement. Wadena, both the...
Lieutenant Albert Miller Lea was a member of the First U.S. Dragoons based at Fort Des Moines. He was also an engineer and the cartographer for Zebulon Pike. In 1835 Lt. Lea mapped much of southern Minnesota. Pike told him to "name something after yourself". He picked a large lake next to a town site which was originally called "Paradise Prairie" and is now the City of Albert Lea. A native of Tennessee, Lea fought with the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. His son, Lt. Commander...
Tower is one cool place. The city is located near the east end of Lake Vermilion, arguably the most scenic lake in Minnesota. The fishing is great and there's plenty of room for boating. With good reason Tower advertises itself as "Your Gateway to Beautiful Lake Vermillion". The City has a harbor and marina, as well as a boat launch next to the city-owned campground at "Hoodoo" point. Tower is cool in every sense of the word. It's the coldest place in the United States that's not in Alaska. The... Full story
How places get named can be interesting. Cambridge, Minnesota boasts a higher percentage of Swedish Americans in its population than any city in the U.S. Yet it was named for the Cambridge in Massachusetts which in turn was named for the university town in England. That's because before the Swedes arrived, fur traders from New England settled in the area. They got to Cambridge by way of the river which connects Mille Lacs to the Mississippi. The Dakota name is "Spirit" or "Mystic" River. The... Full story
Staples is a railroad town. It's named after a lumber family and that's how it got started. But, by 1900 railroading was the mainstay of the local economy. Staples had a round house, locomotive maintenance shop, and an extensive marshalling yard. The round house and maintenance are gone, but the yard is still a major facility. There's so much rail traffic that the city recently built an $11.5 million overpass to connect the parts of town on either side of the tracks. Folks still can and do ride... Full story
Local sports teams are known as the “Bison,” but to be technically correct they should be called the “Ictiobus.” That’s because Buffalo was named after the fish species prevalent in the local lakes, not the shaggy animal that once dominated the Great Plains. A rough fish for a mascot probably wouldn’t be a great imagine maker and in Buffalo, they know how to make a good impression. Downtown is pristine, the lakes are wonderful, the city has a great system of parks, and the new arrival/departure...
