Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 706
Cora Fuller trained in a Stinson "Detroiter" to become the first Minnesota woman to receive a pilot's certificate after 30 hours of instruction at the Fairmont Airport. The Detroiter was a rather sophisticated airplane in an era when most training was done in open cockpit biplanes with two seats. The aircraft was a four-seat monoplane with an enclosed cabin. Ninety years later, Jessica Holmes became the first female pilot to fly for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Fuller was an...
Wings of the North, the aviation history non-profit that's based at Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prairie, hit unexpected organizational turbulence this summer. "We were informed just before July's AirExpo by the building owners (Bearpath Investment Group, LLC), that our lease was not going to be renewed, effective Aug. 31," said Wings of the North Board Chairman Gary Applebaum. Applebaum and Museum Director Bob Jasperson told the Minnesota Flyer the organization has secured its collection and...
The Husky National Sodbuster STOL Short Takeoff & Landing Competition Series Aug. 5 to Aug. 7 at Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport featured almost 30 aircraft. "We were excited to bring this event to a larger airport," said Tom Flanary, Husky National STOL Series co-owner. We sold out Milaca two years ago, but we needed a bigger field." Five-hundred spectators watched the 2021 competition. In 2019, Milaca's annual August aviation celebration added the event, which tests pilots' skills during two...
Karlstad is getting a new airport. The most recent Minnesota state transportation budget signed by Gov. Tim Walz includes grants totaling $5.6 million for the city of Karlstad to relocate and build a new public airport. The city estimates a new airport could help create as many as 100 direct new jobs and 150 additional indirect jobs in the next five years. “Karlstad’s community and businesses will really benefit from a new airport,” said Al Lundeen, chairman of the Karlstad airport board. “We’re excited about the increased job opportuni...
Three large Minnesota events commemorated the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks with flyovers featuring F-16 fighter aircraft. Planes from the Minnesota Air National Guard's 148th Fighter Wing made aerial appearances over St. Paul, Duluth, and Minneapolis on Saturday, Sept. 11. Four F-16s completed a Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs 9/11 morning flyover of the state capitol, said Lt. Col. (Ret.) Audra Flanagan, who served as a second lieutenant with the Wing 20 ye...
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...
Hartzell Propeller has purchased the assets of Tanis Aircraft Products, a Minnesota-based manufacturer of engine preheat systems for fixed and rotary wing aircraft. The Tanis brand will become part of Hartzell Propeller's heated products, which now includes systems for propeller de-ice, piston engine reheat, turbine engine preheat, helicopter preheat, battery, avionics, and cabin preheat. Tanis Aircraft started business in 1974. The company was the first to develop aircraft engine preheat...
The first Saturday in September the community of Battle Lake will welcome the return of an popular aviation event that will honor two special people. Pat Kostelecky, a driving force behind the Battle Lake Area Community Fund (BLACF) and the "Annual Tribute to Gerry Beck - Gathering of Airplanes," died unexpectedly in November 2019. "We are going forward," said Kathy Deal, a good friend of Kostelecky's and BLACF member. "This year will feature a tribute to Pat, and the annual tribute to Gerry....
Humans have been "stocking" fish for a couple millennia. Chinese palaces often featured ponds inhabited by ornamental fish and archaeological evidence suggests several Mediterranean civilizations were in the business of enhancing their fisheries before the Roman Empire took them over. In the United States the practice of "planting" fish goes back to the colonial period. Early attempts were focused on sport fishing and involved mostly trout. The bad news was hatchery raised fish were being...
The Minnesota Pilots Association honored a recipient of the FAA's Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award and the 2021 Minnesota Pilots Association Aviation Technician Award recipient during the 2021 Great Minnesota Aviation Gathering at Buffalo Municipal Airport. Dale R. Johnson was honored for this year, having received the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award in 2020. The Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award is named in honor of Mr. Charles Taylor, the first aviation mechanic in powered flight....
The Minnesota Pilots Association honored the 2019-2021 recipients of the FAA's Wright Brothers Master Pilot Awards during the 2021 Great Minnesota Aviation Gathering at Buffalo Municipal Airport. The Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award is the most prestigious award the FAA issues to pilots certified under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) Part 61. This award is named after the Wright Brothers, the first U.S. pilots, to recognize individuals who have exhibited professionalism,...
The Minnesota Pilots Association recently acknowledged Minnesota EAA chapters and individuals for their enthusiasm and support for getting Young Eagles into the air in 2019 and 2020. Plaques were presented during the 2021 Great Minnesota Aviation Gathering in Buffalo. Launched in 1992, the Young Eagles program has dedicated more than 25 years to giving youth ages 8–17 their first free ride in an airplane. It's the only program of its kind, with the sole mission to introduce and inspire kids i...
Minnesota's commitment to aviation history was well represented when the National WASP WWII Museum in Sweetwater, Texas, reopened in early May after completion of a significant renovation and expansion project. Two Vultee BT-13s with state connections were among 12 aircraft present for a fly-in and homecoming event, which honored the first women in American history to fly military aircraft, paving the way for women to serve equally in the U.S. Air Force. The Vultee was the basic trainer flown by...
For 30 years, Holiday Tree of Hope has been collecting toys for children who are hospitalized during the holidays. The non-profit organization has served over 40 hospitals, shelters, and Ronald McDonald house each year, bringing smiles to children and families who are dealing with trying times. This year, Holiday Tree of Hope wants to get a jump start on the project with a "Christmas in August" fly-out project at seven airports throughout Minnesota. Pilots and the general public can drop off...
Once there were navigators. Not a touchscreen gizmo made by Garmin or the weirdly mutated creatures that got hyped up on drugs to guide the Spacing Guild ships in Frank Hebert's novel "Dune." Actual human beings once practiced their art using "dead reckoning" and celestial navigation. In the 1930s a subspecialty evolved to guide aircraft over the earth. Charles Lindbergh found his way across the Atlantic using the compass and clock technique very much like that taught to beginning flying...
The Seventh Annual Great Minnesota Aviation Gathering (GMAG) made a three-point landing with its May 21-22 return to Buffalo Municipal Airport (KCFE). More than 600 people attended the event, said Minnesota Pilots Association President Randy Corfman. A key attendance variable was weather. "We didn't have great conditions either morning, so a lot of planes could not fly in," Corfman added. "However, we did have a lot of people fly in on Saturday." The West Metro Aviation ramp quickly filled with...
The Minnesota Pilots Association announced its Aviation Achievement Award winners at the 2021 Great Minnesota Aviation Gathering at Buffalo Municipal Airport. Tom Lymburn is an aviation historian, writer, and photographer who has been announcing air shows since 1991. He taught English in Princeton, Minnesota, for 34 years, serving three terms as department chair and being voted Teacher of the Year in 2003. Over three decades of announcing airshows, Tom has called over 200 different types of...
This year's version of the Breezy Point Aviation Days took place Saturday, May. 1. A sunny and unseasonably warm forecast produced lots of visiting aircraft. A quick count tallied almost 80 total aircraft, and those attending enjoyed a pig roast, static displays, emergency vehicles and a medivac helicopter, pilots and friends social time, and a well-attended classic car show. The first aircraft touched down on Runway 35, but a wind shift soon favored Runway 17. Before long, a steady stream of...
The Minnesota Pilots Association announced its aviation scholarship winners at the 2021 Great Minnesota Aviation Gathering at Buffalo Municipal Airport. The recipient of the 2021 Janette Strathy Aviation Scholarship is Alicia Cerney. She is studying Commercial Aviation at the University of North Dakota. Cerney appreciates the example set by other women aviators and hopes to inspire others to follow their dreams in aviation. The recipient of the 2020 Janette Strathy Aviation Scholarship is Chelse...
Professional aviators frequently aspire to fly for an airline. Airlines are a big target, about 110,000 pilot positions exist in the United States. Some pilots want to be in corporate aviation, and about 15,000 opportunities are available for that kind of work. Charles Scott wanted a job of which there are less than 400 in the U.S., but he was aiming at something even smaller. Five people in the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources can claim the title of conservation officer/pilot and that...
A recent milestone amphibious float delivery by South St. Paul-based Wipaire, Inc. brought back fond memories for the company's CEO and president. Chuck Wiplinger recalls when his father, Ben, and members of Wipaire's engineering department began developing the 2100A line of Wipline floats. "I was still in high school," Wiplinger said. "Dad wasn't sure how many he would build or how many people would want them, but here we are, 500 sets later." Wipaire delivered the company's 500th set of...
The Federal Aviation Administration Safety Team's popular Saturday morning webinar series serving Flying Cloud Airport (KCFM) recently reached a new audience online. Laura Herrmann, FAASTeam representative from St. Bonifacius, hosted a mid-March webinar that featured the participation of approximately 20 to 25 pilots based at the Crystal Airport. The goal was having a town hall similar to others conducted for the KCFM aviation community. Herrmann was joined by Airport Manager Mike Wilson and...
Wings of the North is pleased to announce Alyssa Voit as the non-profit organization's 2021 Dubay Scholarship winner. She was selected from among over 30 applications to receive this $2,000 scholarship to pursue her aviation studies. The James F. Dubay Memorial Scholarship was born out of a desire to encourage those who dream of flight to find their wings. Jim Dubay dedicated many hours to learning everything he could about planes and history, especially about WWII. He was a founder and board me...
Hangar 3 at Fleming Field in South St. Paul was a busy place Saturday, April 17. Commemorative Air Force Minnesota Wing volunteers completed a photo session featuring Miss Mitchell, the Wing's B-25J while others were hard at work getting another North American product ready for a return to service after winter maintenance. Volunteers did brake work on the SNJ-6 Texan before Operations Officer Trevor Henson took off in the WWII-era trainer and flew a test flight. The CAF Minnesota Wing was the...
The red-white-red tips began their slow meshing. Gradually, with the deep growl of the four 2450 hp Rolls Royce Griffon 57A's increasing, the contra-rotating blades became a mad blur. If you suffered from migraines, you wouldn't want to watch too closely or too long. The Holman Field ramp was jammed with spectators and cameras. The long checklist took a while to complete, and finally, the huge blue-gray monster began to taxi off the dried grass and swung ever so ponderously onto the asphalt...
