Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
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Danny Lilya is a 2019 graduate of Moose Lake Community High School in Moose Lake, Minnesota. In the fall of 2019, he was accepted and chose to attend the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. His brother, Michael, is studying to become a commercial pilot at UND's John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences based at the Grand Forks Airport. Danny and his brother, Michael, are also brothers in the Sigma Chi Fraternity at UND. Danny was born with a broken back, uses a wheelchair to get around...
Matt is working towards his Commercial Pilot Certification, flying through Thunderbird Aviation with aspirations to fly for a major airline. The journey to begin flight training started back in early December of 2017 as an innocent conversation. My sister's husband had just poured us another cup of coffee as we leaned against the kitchen countertop, relaxing following breakfast at their lakeside home in Prior Lake. We talked about the ins and outs of our daily grind and the challenges of working...
The Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame (MAHOF) is pleased to announce the application process for our 2021 aviation scholarship program "Giving Wings to Dreams" is now open for submissions from October 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020. In partnership with The American Aviation Heritage Foundation, the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame is committed to doing our respective parts to encourage individuals to follow their dreams of flight by offering five scholarships in the amount of $1,500 each to...
An ongoing series by Tom Lymburn "Ladies and gentlemen, to your right, on final approach, the greatest transport plane in history. Cameras ready! Please welcome, the Douglas DC-3!" She came "over the fence" flaring for runway niner-right. Gear down, flaps down, the late morning sun sharp on her pseudo-Navy prewar two-tone blue paint scheme. Red and white tail stripes, star and meatball insignia, chrome plated prop blades flashing in the sun. Not exactly stock, she had oversized spinners,...
Many of my friends and family consider themselves to be "fall" people. However, as a self-admitted summer junkie that tends to think of the future instead of the present, I often describe myself as a fan of spring as I anticipate the warm days of summer just ahead. The temps are similar in both April and October, but October just feels colder, as evidenced by comparing the long pants and sweatshirts often found in autumn to the t-shirts and shorts often worn in spring. That said, the fall...
John Parker was a pioneer. Growing up on a Southern Minnesota farm, he loved horses, but his fate took him to aviation and the use of aircraft for conservation and wildlife management. From 1949 until 1983, Warden/Pilot Parker flew for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources from what is now the Warroad International Memorial Airport. A cowboy at heart, he flew his planes across a state size range. Parker's early career took him from controlling the wolf population (then considered a...
Paul Jackson of Eden Prairie sent in this story about a "splash" held in lieu of AirVenture. What do you do when a pandemic wipes out the most popular flying event in the world that just happens to happen one state away? You improvise and make sure you have a great time and make sure your buddies are safe and comfortable with the event. I talked to some friends about what we should do when AirVenture 2020 was canceled. My winter ski plane fly-in has become a bit of a tradition after five short y...
This collection of photo memories was submitted by aviation enthusiast and photographer, Greg Drawbaugh. For myself as a non-pilot and non-aviator, taking images of the event is the main purpose of my visit each year. I especially like shooting during the flying demonstrations. For the past few years, I have made a connection with the ladies with the Warbird Living History Group, and I try to organize a photo shoot with these ladies and an owner of an aircraft. The shoot with the ladies always...
Riding my motorcycle to Buffalo Municipal Airport (KCFE), I took in a few deep breaths of fresh country air while basking in the rays of the warm summer sun. The smooth, steady rhythm of the motorcycle's engine provides the perfect drumbeat to the tranquil landscape, singing its song to the backdrop of farmsteads and forestry that decorate my surroundings. Even from the ground, June in Minnesota today is as picturesque as ever and would surely give Vincent Van Gogh a run for his money. The...
"Our mission is to conserve and manage the state's natural resources, to provide outdoor recreation opportunities, and to provide for commercial uses of natural resources in a way that creates a sustainable quality of life." Minnesota Department of Natural Resources That's a big job! Minnesota has 75 state parks, 1300 miles of trails, 3000 public water access facilities, 5 million acres of state forest, (you get the idea). DNR people enforce laws, manage fisheries, monitor wildlife, fight forest...
In 1993 when I was 14 years old and already an airshow fanatic, my father took me on my first pilgrimage to the Oshkosh Fly-In Convention (it would not be named AirVenture until years later). Fast forward 27 years and now a father myself, I was going to continue the cycle. My 14 year old daughter has also been bitten by the aviation bug and we were planning her first trip to AirVenture in 2020. When I broke the news to her that the event was canceled this year due to COVID-19, my heart sank as...
In three decades of air display announcing, I've been privileged to interview many members of what journalist Tom Brokaw called "The Greatest Generation." This has included members of the Flying Tigers (American Volunteer Group), Doolittle Raiders, Tuskegee Airmen, WASPs, aces, Medal of Honor winners, and veterans of the Berlin Airlift. Added to that, I've called over 200 types of aircraft in shows, from the Pietenpol Air Camper to the Lockheed F-117 Stealth Fighter. Antiques, classics, modern...
Reprinted with permission from Press Publications. Surfside Seaplane Base in Lino Lakes is celebrating its 50th birthday. The seaplane business, known for its maintenance, classes and air rides, has been an attraction in the Lino Lakes community for decades. "We keep anywhere between 35 and 45 airplanes here year 'round. We have a shop here that does the maintenance. We also do flight training," said Bruce Hanson, owner of Surfside Seaplane Base. Surfside first opened in the '40s, but changed...
Every once in a while, you'll hear or read a story that just makes you feel good inside, or you might say to yourself, "That's a great story!" Chuck Datko's story of how he came to sell his T-6 Texan, and more importantly, who he sold it to, is one of those "feel good" stories. Chuck Datko, age 75, from Coon Rapids, Minnesota, retired owner/president of Burmeister Electric Company, has owned a variety of airplanes over the years. His hanger at Anoka County Airport, in Blaine, Minnesota, has hous... Full story
I like to walk the field ahead of time. Early morning is best – time to drink in the atmosphere and savor, however briefly, the newly mown grass, listen to the birds that swoop low over the runway and get my old Rockports damp with dew. Snuggled next to Battle Lake, just outside the town of 875 or so, about 20 miles east of Fergus Falls, is the only grass field I've called airshows at in three decades of announcing. A bit under 2800 feet by 200 feet with hangars and a corn field on one side a... Full story
The aviation world lost a special lady in June. Dame Vera Margaret Lynn Welch passed away at her home in England on June 18, 2020 at the age of 103.Vera gained popularity during WWII performing for the troops on the front line and became known as “The Forces Sweetheart”. Tom Lymburn mentions her in his “Merlin Magic” article in the May 2020 issue of the Minnesota Flyer....
Although there is still much work to be done and funds to be raised, the Isle City Council voted recently to keep the airport open. At the June meeting of the Isle City Council a vote was taken which would determine the future of the Isle Airport. In December of 2019 the city council and the Isle Airport Association received notice from the Minnesota Department of Transportation Office of Aeronautics that unless obstructions were removed the Isle Airport would be closed down. The obstructions... Full story
Back when "overnight delivery" was exotic, an interesting fleet of airplanes flew "time sensitive" stuff like legal papers and canceled checks. One such aircraft was the Beech 18. Originally a business transport or small airliner, it was a tail dragger with two radial engines. The "18" evolved. Some had turboprop motors and other's tricycle gear. A big player in the business with the intriguing name of "Sedalia, Marshall and Booneville Stage Line" once had the world's largest fleet of these now... Full story
If you are in the process of building or restoring your own aircraft you can now send in a question to be answered in a future issue of the Minnesota Flyer by Technical Advisor Mark Manning. Please submit your questions along with a photo whenever possible to: verlena@mnflyer.com. As Technical Advisor, Mark Manning brings with him over 38 years of aviation experience. He has performed maintenance on over 35 different types of aircraft and has flown more than 25 different models of aircraft. Hope... Full story
Share your photo - This can be anything aviation related, an item of interest, i.e. artifact, piece of clothing, collector items, models, paintings, original photo's of aircraft in flight, and so forth. There are some pretty interesting things out there that many of us have never seen before. Please include a brief explanation with your photo. Send your submission to: verlena@mnflyer.com or Minnesota Flyer, PO Box 449, Moose Lake, MN 55767-0449.... Full story
It would be hard to imagine more interesting times than what our planet has recently experienced. The coronavirus worldwide pandemic and the resulting government responses have very much changed the lives of everyone. No baseball, movies, airshows or fly-ins. Bars and restaurants are closed, so the $100 hamburger run is out. The economy took a major hit, resulting in widespread unemployment. Aviation activity has decreased on an alarming scale. The U.S. airport system has felt the jolt as much... Full story
On May 1st, 2020, came the EAA announcement that the 68th annual Oshkosh fly-in event scheduled for July 20-26th was to be canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was not an easy decision but for many reasons the organizers felt it was the only option given the uncertainty of the situation. More than half a million people from all over the world head to Oshkosh each summer for the event, the largest fly-in convention in the world. Last year's event hosted people from over 90 countries around... Full story
In all the history of aviation, only 99 pilots can claim to have been "Flying Tigers." The nickname was later adopted by the 23rd Fighter Group of the U.S. Army Air Force, but the original Flying Tigers were not members of the military. They were a band of mercenaries recruited by Claire Chenault before the U.S. was officially at war with Japan. Flying in Burma and China from December 1941 to July 1942, they destroyed 296 Japanese aircraft, losing 14 pilots in the process. Einar Mickelson from... Full story
(With permission of the Proctor Journal) Tuesday, April 14 pilot/owner Tyler Nelson was forced to make an emergency landing on Midway Rd. (approx. 10 miles west of Duluth) after his Cessna 172K's engine stalled at 3,000 ft. Nelson had taken off from the Superior Airport about 15 minutes before the incident. He was able to safely land the plane and then take off a short time later. Neither Nelson or the Cessna had a scratch on them. It is not yet clear why the engine stalled.... Full story
Moose Lake was able to enjoy being a part of a statewide effort made by the National Guard to honor those on the COVID-19 frontlines. On Wednesday, May 13, pilots from the Minnesota National Guard's 148th Fighter Wing out of Duluth, and the 133rd Airlift Wing out of Saint Paul, as well as from the Air Force Reserve's 934th Airlift Wing, performed their second round of flyovers of hospitals statewide. A pair of F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft flew over Mercy Hospital in Moose Lake as part of their... Full story
