Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
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Nicholas B. Mamer January 29, 1898 – January 10, 1938 Nicholas Bernard Mamer was born in Hastings, MN, on January 29, 1898. Mechanically Inclined, Nicholas became interested in all aspects of gas-powered engines. At 15 he was the chauffeur for a local doctor. On June 30, 1916, Nicholas enlisted in the Aviation Branch of the US Army Signal Corps, forerunner of today's Air Force. Pvt. Mamer was sent to the Signal Corps' new aviation training school at North Island, San Diego, to become an aircraft...
Well, it was night and overcast clouds made it dark. There was some rain around and widely scattered thunderstorms, but it was a good night for flying. Our airplane was equipped with weather radar and a strike finder taking the unknown out of the situation. If you don't remember the days before the miracle of satellite weather, a strike finder detected lightning and could do that all around the aircraft, unlike radar which could only see ahead. My colleague and I had been to a meeting at an airp...
AMANDA M. LEE 1986 - Amanda Lee is a native of Mounds View, MN. She graduated from Irondale High School in 2004, where she competed in soccer, hockey, and swimming. While attending the University of Minnesota, Duluth, she enlisted in the U.S. Navy as an Aviation Electronics Technician. Maintaining the F/A-18 Hornet. In 2009 she was selected for the Seaman to Admiral Program. A competitive program for Enlisted Sailors to earn their commission as an Officer. The following year, she attended the...
Life is taking off for a 2024 Mora High School graduate. Hazel Carda returned to Mora, Minnesota recently to celebrate the holidays with her family, having left her aeronautical science and flight training at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. While the cold weather and dusting of snow may take some getting used to, she is happy to be returning - if even for a short break - to the home town where she has lived her whole life. Carda first considered becoming a pilot...
MnDOT Aero Outreach: **Exciting Update!** ✈️📢 We’ve updated our **Airport Directory ** and **ForeFlight Content Packs** on our website! The 2025 updates ensure you have the most accurate and useful information for planning your flights across Minnesota. 📍 **What’s New?** ✅ Updated airport details & amenities ✅ Enhanced ForeFlight Content Packs for easier navigation Visit our website to download the latest versions today! 🌍✈️ https://www.dot.state.mn.us/aero/index.html The 2025 aviation calendar...
For 30 years I was part of a flying club called "Ascension Flyers" so named because the founders all belonged to Ascension Episcopal Church in Stillwater. The club was based at Lake Elmo and our aircraft was a 1958 Champion 7EC. My favorite thing to do with the Champ was fly to the Redwing Regional Airport. Occasionally I flew there for business, but usually it was just for fun. Robert Gaylord Seifert was part of the fun. Rob was the Redwing Airport Manager for many years. He was also a...
In October of 2024 a chartered Beech King Air stopped at the Piney-Pinecreek Airport for customs. A group of duck hunters were going to Portage La Prairie, Manitoba so Piney-Pinecreek was convenient. Easy access to both Canadian and U.S. customs was the intention when the place was upgraded in 1993 to a paved and lighted all-weather facility. In any case, the King Air Pilot had his own reasons to visit. In June 1993 Jim Groebner hitched up his camping trailer and headed to Pinecreek for the...
RANDLE S. CORFMAN 1953 - Randle "Randy" Corfman, born in Newton, Kansas, and raised in Whitewater, Kansas, developed a fascination with aviation at age six after his first airplane ride from a flying farmer's grass strip. While dreams of becoming a fighter pilot and astronaut were redirected due to the need for glasses, his passion for learning led him to pursue a career in chemistry and medicine. Corfman earned a BA from Kansas Wesleyan University, majoring in chemistry, biology, and history....
The Minnesota Tree of Hope toy drive was another huge success! Toys were collected and made ready for distribution, on Saturday, Dec. 7, to over 40 health care facilities in Minnesota. Thanks to the generosity of pilots and aviation enthusiasts many children, who find themselves in health care facilities over Christmas, had the joy of receiving a gift! Even Santa made a special trip from the North Pole to thank the volunteers. A total of 136 bags were packed with over 3800 toys, contributed by...
Two remarkable women from Minnesota scored historical firsts in aviation. Amanda Lee grew up in Mounds View. In 2022 she became the first female to fly for the United States Navy's Demonstration Squadron, aka "The Blue Angels." Almost a century earlier, Florence Klingensmith from Moorhead was the first of her gender to fly in the National Air Races. Besides being pilots, there's a lot of similarities between the two. Neither had aviation as their first career choice. Maintaining airplanes led...
MARK R. BAKER 1957 - Mark Baker, born in St. Paul, Minnesota, grew up in White Bear Lake. His passion for aviation began in the 1960s when he experienced his first flight in a Cessna 170 during a "penny-a-pound" ride event. By the spring of 1978, he had soloed, earning his private pilot license later that year. Over the years, he added numerous ratings to his credentials, including seaplane and commercial certificates. For many years, Baker dedicated his time to restoring vintage airplanes. His...
Henry (Hank) Irlbeck had no idea he would pass down a passion of flying to several generations of children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Henry, who was born and raised in Hinckley, joined the Army Airforce after Pearl Harbor was bombed. He flew B17s and B29s stateside. After being discharged when WWII ended he settled in Maplewood and continued to fly with his wife and five children, mostly out of Benson Airport, north of White Bear Lake along with Anoka Airport. He lived in Little Can...
Being invited to take a free flight on any airplane is always exciting especially when that plane is a historical military aircraft. The flight on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022, out of the Anoka County Airport in Blaine was a media flight to promote the tour of a North American B-25 Mitchell medium bomber used during the second World War. Arriving at Atlantic Aviation at the north end of the airport, the tour started with a briefing of what to expect on the flight. "It will be cold and loud. If you...
About 6% of the world's professional pilots are women. Surprisingly India is the country leading the way where slightly over 14% of the pilots are female. Among helicopter pilots the number is just 4%, but in all categories, the number of women in aviation is rising. In 1938 Hannah Reitsch became the first of her gender to fly a helicopter. Ms. Reitsch was a German civilian test pilot who flew the first controllable helicopter, the Focke-Achellis 61. She also flew the Messerschmidt 163 making...
17 - Barbara Mack was born in Minnesota. In 1964 she experienced her first airplane ride at the St. Cloud airport in a Cessna 172. She earned her Private Pilot license a year later and proceeded to acquire additional licenses including Instrument, Commercial, Instructor, Seaplane SES, Seaplane MES, ATP, Balloon, Glider, Helicopter among others. After earning her Bachelor's and Master's degrees, she started a career as an Educator, teaching in the Robbinsdale School System. Eventually she...
The alarm interrupted the smoke jumper presentation "Ladies and gentlemen, please move to the side of the room, we have an alert." Obediently, we tourists moved to the side as the jumpers accessed their gear and exited. Once they were out of the building, we were allowed to go outside to the edge of the ramp upon which a CASA 212 and a venerable C-47A (N100Z) in United States Forest Service white and red awaited with engines already starting to turn over. Behind me I heard big radial engines,...
The 2022 EAA AirVenture had several highlights for me as a photographer and writer. There were fast planes with massive engines, small planes with tiny engines. Pilots who flew big jets and pilots who flew single engine props. But a highlight is always talking with the people! This year I had the pleasure to chat with John Dyke, a man who not only flew, but has designed one of the most unique airplanes I have seen around Minnesota and the Midwest. One of the great aspects about general aviation...
Hundreds of gorgeous, striking airplanes arrive at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh each and every year in hopes of winning a Lindy Award. Few aircraft, in comparison to the field, come away with any sort of award. Fewer still come away with a Lindy. Awards are given out across six categories: Homebuilts, Warbirds, Vintage, Rotorcraft, Ultralights, and Seaplanes. Entrants can be considered for only one category in a given year, and are not eligible for the same or any lower-tier awards if they have won...
Tom Poberezny, the retired president and chairman of the Experimental Aircraft Association, was mourned by the EAA and numerous aviation communities after his death July 25 at age 75, following a brief illness. Poberezny was EAA president from 1989 until 2010, and also served as chairman for two years until his retirement in 2011. EAA Director of Communications Dick Knapinski alerted aviation media of Poberezny's passing at the start of the Monday morning AirVenture daily briefing. EAA issued...
The U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure's Subcommittee on Aviation recently reviewed key opportunities and challenges facing the industry. General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) President and CEO Peter Bunce addressed the subcommittee's July 13 meeting, stating the industry is still struggling with filling technically skilled jobs to operate, maintain, and manufacture aircraft. Bunce said workforce challenges will become even more acute as general aviation...
Each year, a Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame (MAHOF) selection committee meets to review nomination submissions and select new inductees. Selection includes evaluation of a candidate's significant aviation contributions to Minnesota, the area of the state the individual represents, and other criteria involving career and professional contributions. Starting this fall, the MAHOF will showcase one inductee a month in the Minnesota Flyer leading up to the organization's spring annual awards banquet. The MAHOF Board of Directors is proud to...
An FAA Registry and N-Number inquiry provides the basic information about Jay Schrankler's recently acquired 1965 Beechcraft Bonanza Debonair 35-C33. There a whole lot more to the story, however. The aircraft has been a Minnesota aviation fixture its entire operating life. That's one reason why Schrankler has a refined strategy for improving the aircraft's 1980's era avionics. Lake Elmo EAA Chapter 54 members learned about Schrankler's plans for the Debonair last November. The Beacon newsletter...
The Minnesota Navy League Council acted early when filing a special flight plan to celebrate the long-awaited sequel to a military aviation cinematic classic. "Top Gun: Behind the Curtain" landed Wednesday, June 1, at the U.S Air Force Joint Base Fort Snelling, 760 Military Highway, Minneapolis. Veteran U.S. Navy pilots, active-duty Navy F/A-18 and F-35 fighter pilots, and Top Gun graduates shared stories prior to a close-up viewing showcasing both aircraft. The paid admission event also include...
Back in the 1930s, the primary radio aid for navigating in airplanes was the "Four Course Range." The way it worked is the station sent out two signals which divided the world into four quadrants. You could tell which of the quadrants you were in by Morse Code for the letters A or N which merged into a solid tone on each of the four courses. Pilots navigated by listening, there were no instruments involved. Sometimes "fan markers" provided information on distance from the station. The system...
