Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
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Every year the Federal Aviation Administration Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) in Minneapolis has nominations for Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT), Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) and FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam) Representative of the Year. Casey Komarek from Two Harbors was selected as the 2021 Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) of the Year for the Minnesota District. Laura Herrmann from St. Bonifacius was selected as the 2021 FAASTeam Representative of the Year for the...
SEH’s Duluth Airport Authority’s Sky Harbor Airport Runway Relocation effort was one of four company projects that received engineering excellence awards during the American Council of Engineering Companies of Minnesota’s (ACEC-MN) 54th Annual Engineering Excellence Awards Program Feb. 26. The project received a Grand Award for engineering achievements that exhibited the highest degree of merit and ingenuity. Entries were judged by an objective panel based on originality and innovation, future value to the engineering profession, social, econom...
The Airlake Aero Flying Club recently celebrated the distinguished military retirement of one of its pilot members. Rick Connolly was born in Bloomington, Minnesota. He graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School, Bloomington, Minnesota in 1987 and entered active duty with the U.S. Army serving as a combat medic with C. Co. 202nd Support Battalion, 8th ID, Mannheim, West Germany from 1987 to 1990. Connolly was called back to active duty in support of Desert Shield/Desert Storm serving as a...
Minnesota Pilots Association President Randy Corfman received a resounding early indicator scheduling should continue for the Seventh Annual Great Minnesota Aviation Gathering (GMAG) May 21-22 at Buffalo Municipal Airport (KCFE). This winter, MPA completed a survey of its 700-plus members to gauge interest after last year's COVID-19 related cancellation was announced in mid-March. Ninety-two percent of those surveyed said the association should hold the event even with the likelihood of a...
Organizer Mark Priglmeier reports ICEPORT 2021 was a huge success. A record-setting number of airplanes visited Mille Lacs Lake for the early March event. According to Priglmeier, the goal of the ice flying event has remained simple since its inception. Create a special place for pilots to spend time during the winter while enhancing their proficiency. "Yes, we blasted our record. But it's not about how many planes we get," Priglmeier said, recapping the March 6 event. "It's about people...
The six general aviation airports operated by the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) collectively grew operations in 2020 by two% to total 326,044, or 6,381 more takeoffs and landings than in 2019. The general aviation airports are often referred to as reliever airports because they relieve congestion that would otherwise occur at the MAC's major airport, Minneapolis-St. Paul International (MSP). More than half of all registered aircraft in Minnesota are based at the MAC's reliever...
Smokey Bear's campaign started on Aug. 9, 1944 and is the longest running public service advertisement in U.S. history. Fire safety is just as important today as it was during World War II. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' Division of Forestry has all kinds of support for fire prevention. Brochures and other reading materials are available plus DNR Forestry sponsors education events and seminars. DNR Forestry provides wildfire protection on nearly 17 million acres of Minnesota's...
The sky over Buffalo this summer will be missing the sight and sound of a 450 hp Stearman biplane. The red with black trim airplane has been a familiar sight in the area for many years. But time marches on and things inevitably change. Early afternoon on Thursday, March 4, Boeing Stearman N65691 lifted from the Buffalo Airport, likely for the very last time. It was piloted not by its long-time owner and restorer Ray Johnson, but by a ferry pilot who took advantage of relatively warm spring...
Forty Minnesota Civil Air Patrol (CAP) cadets and senior members received an unforgettable hands-on lesson in aerospace education in February as they flew through clear, cold skies circling their hometowns aboard two UH-60 Blackhawks. The joint effort was hosted by the Minnesota Army National Guard's 34th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade based out of St. Paul and the Delano-based Skyhawk Composite Squadron of Minnesota's Civil Air Patrol Wing. Also participating were Civil Air Patrol...
The fly-in season of 2021 got off to a rousing start with the Sixth Annual TrickAir Ski Plane Fly-In at Jackson Seaplane Base in McGregor. The event was postponed twice, pushing the date to Feb. 20. Low ceilings and a polar vortex hampered earlier efforts to hold the annual event. The morning of the 20th brought blue skies and light winds making the hosts look "Nostradamus-like" in their selection of this day. In previous years, good weather meant lots of arrivals. The anticipation of many...
In Upper Michigan there is a delightful place called the Keweenaw Peninsula. Keweenaw is a Native American word that roughly translates as "portage." Over 7,000 years ago the area became a source of copper originally mined by a group called the Algonquians. Copper taken from the Keweenaw by prehistoric miners has been found as far away as Arkansas and Oregon. By the middle of the 19th Ccentury, copper mining was underway on an industrial scale. In 1885, the "Michigan Mining School" was founded...
In January, I wrote an article in which I laid out my flying plans for 2021. Fast forward just a few weeks and my, how things change. The 12th of February was to be the eve of my first long cross-country trip. Not the type of cross country that you fly as a student, but my first real cross country – just my wife and I along with a suitcase in our Cessna 182 in search of sun, fun, and freedom in the skies. Mother Nature had other plans. About three days ahead of our anticipated departure date, W...
David Berger is a District Medical Officer in Broome, Western Australia. There are nine regions in Western Australia. Broome is in the Kimberly region on the northwest coast. It's a fascinating place. Local indigenous people painted their thoughts in rock art that can still be seen 40,000 years later. Metals, petroleum, and agriculture sustain the local economy. Diving for natural pearls is a major activity, as is farming oysters. One third of the world's diamonds are mined in Kimberly....
The reason behind the flight was simple enough, my night currency had lapsed and with Minnesota winters comprised of short days and long nights, I decided that it was a prudent move to take a solo night flight. Not just for the sake of being able to carry passengers an hour after the sun sets, but also to make sure I stay proficient as a pilot. I noticed that my currency had expired not long before tonight, as I had made plans to take some friends on their first flight in a private airplane a few days ago and it had become a factor. My friends...
With thousands of other EAA members and guests, I waited for the arrival. Minolta XG-7, 300 mm lens, skylight filter, Fuji color film all checked. Late afternoon. July 1985. It was unusually and somewhat ominously quiet for Wittman Field. Announcement followed announcement all day, reporting so many miles out, over such and such check point. The winds had died. There was a bit of late day haze. I was at the north end of Three-Six, about 500 feet from the runway. The line of cameras and...
Nellis Air Force Base is a huge facility. It has two 10,000-foot-long runways and is home for more Air Force units than any other military installation. The base is located on the northeast side of Las Vegas (that's "The Meadows" in Spanish FYI), a sprawling metropolis with a permanent population getting close to three quarters of a million. "Vegas" is the entertainment and gambling capital of North America and visitors can swell the area's population by 50%. In the 1930s, about 8,400 people liv...
Identifying a Pilot Surprisingly this will be the easiest task on your quest to marry a pilot. The pilot will identify itself. Any interaction with a pilot will result in identification within mere moments of natural conversation. We call this PSP (Pilot Swagger Positioning). • They are proud of their pilot status. • They prefer aviation conversation to any other topic on the planet. • This unusual breed is comfortable making decisive decisions and moving forward quickly. History has shown...
Last summer, the first I spent with a private pilot's license, I used my newfound freedom to hit up a number of Minnesota fly-in events: Rush City, Starbuck, Elbow Lake, Aitkin, etc. I even made my first trip to Oshkosh and camped for a few days. Naturally, this year I had hoped to do the same, now a year older and a few certificates smarter, but I think by this point we're all aware of how that plan turned out. Part of what I love about fly-in events is that they provide a mission, a reason to...
The city of Mora hosted its annual fly-in Saturday, Sept. 19 from 8 a.m. until noon at the Mora Municipal Airport. The day began with the Mora American Legion opening ceremony with the presentation of colors followed by the Mora Lions Club serving a pancake breakfast with all proceeds going to support community projects and donations. Volunteers were standing by to greet all incoming aircraft with a poker chip for a free breakfast for all pilots in command. There were airplane rides available,...
Happiness is getting paid for what you love to do anyway. That's especially true if you're a flyer or nature lover. Lots of people spend plenty of money to go flying or get away from it all. Robert Hodge had a job where he got paid to both fly and be in the great outdoors. For 30 - plus years he was a game warden and pilot for what is now the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. To paraphrase the old TV commercial, "It just doesn't get any better than that." Bob Hodge grew up with a passio...
It’s that time of year again when the comfortable days of fall are giving way to cooler temperatures. Winter is moving in fast and will be here before you know it! As you are going over your checklist to be sure your airplane is ready for winter flying, remember to also look over your winter survival kit. Have you removed anything from the kit and not replaced it? Don’t assume that something is there just because it was the last time you checked. Go over the contents item by item. Are any packages opened or damaged? Look for outdated items (em...
Your Thanksgiving Holiday may look different this year but there is still much to be thankful for. That is why in this season of Giving Thanks we at the Minnesota Flyer would like take this opportunity to say “Thank You” to all of you! Thank You to our advertisers who continue to run their ad even when so many businesses have been hit hard by the ongoing pandemic and uncertain economy. Thank You to our columnists for working diligently to provide quality material to fill our pages even in the absence of annual aviation events. Thank You to the...
Most of the articles I’ve read throughout the year have discussed the current COVID pandemic at length, and rightfully so – this virus has affected the lives of nearly every person worldwide. The year 2020 has been filled with shutdowns, travel restrictions, and many other challenges to daily life while our time has been spent focusing on case counts and hospital capacity, keeping a hopeful eye toward recovery. Our aviation community, like so many others, was impacted heavily. Mass groundings of commercial traffic left much of the sky emp...
Due to COVID-19, our event is mostly online this year with a goal of raising $65,000 to provide 6,500 toys to hospitalized children by December 1st. Tree of Hope began in Nary, MN, in 1991 when Dr. Ray and Celeste Shefland noticed many children spending time in the hospital over the holidays. Some dealing with major or terminal illness, some recovering from surgery or an accident. Many far from home and missing their families and friends. Tree of Hope, a 501(c) (3), has grown to include over 37 hospitals in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North...
