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Go Around. Ready or Not?
Do you recall the last time you performed a go-around? Are go-arounds something you practice on a regular basis? Are you prepared to go-around with every lap in the traffic pattern and every instrument approach, or is your mind set on landing no...
New law begins to make Meteorological Evaluation Towers more visible in Minnesota
Meteorological towers (met towers) are being built in Minnesota. The towers are used to collect wind data and other weather information such as temperature, humidity and rain. Met towers are getting...
COVID-19 Cleaning and Disinfecting Protocols for Aircraft
To say COVID-19 has changed our way of life is an understatement. Wearing face masks has become the new standard, families with children are adjusting to altered methods of schooling, and businesses are having to create new practices to keep...
Pilot Culture Modifies a Procedure, Leading to a Mishap
At 10:45 a.m. on April 13, 2018, a U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor started its takeoff roll at NAS Fallon in Nevada. NAS Fallon is the home of the famed TOPGUN fighter pilot training course, and the air force fighter was scheduled to fly in a one-on-one...
Your Fly Minnesota Airports Passport Adventure Awaits You!
Flying is fun for aviators. The freedom experienced when you fly is little short of absolutely marvelous. And now and then something comes along that makes flying even more fun, or even makes it like...
Know the Rules for Safe Ground Vehicle Operations at Airports
According to FAA Advisory Circular 150/5210-20A, "Each year accidents, incidents, and runway incursions occur involving aircraft, pedestrians, ground vehicle drivers, and personnel taxiing or towing...
MnDOT Tech Bulletin
Have you ever flown into an airport and found workers on the airfield? Do you ever wonder if they are listening to your radio calls? Do you expect they’ll give you the right of way? These are just some of the questions you should be asking yourself...
From the Director's Desk
Do you ever think about the people that work in aviation? I don’t mean the people that use aviation, I mean the people that are in aviation, making the system work. At MnDOT Aeronautics, I’ve...
Minnesota Airport Construction Projects 2020
For public airports in Minnesota, the 2020 construction season is going to be busy, with numerous projects continuing in process and planned, in spite of the current health difficulties. Upcoming projects include several significant runway...
What are PFAS? And is your community prepared?
This past January, just before COVID-19 became widely known and the world would change in ways we could never imagine, I was on a flight to Washington DC preparing for the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting. I’m honored to serve on...
Minnesota Airport Directory in Foreflight
MnDOT creates a “Minnesota Airport Directory and Travel Guide” every year. Our goal is to provide the public with general aviation information on public airports and public seaplane bases in Minnesota that isn’t available in the chart...
Where are you based?
A few years back the Federal Aviation Administration started a new program to track where aircraft are based. The FAA made a significant investment to gather this information. The FAA now has a database of based aircraft for all airports eligible...
MnDOT Aeronautics Statewide Economic Impact Study
In 2019, the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Office of Aeronautics conducted a study of the annual economic impacts generated by 126 of Minnesota’s 133 public airports. In addition to the 126 study airports, there are seven public...
Flying through a MOA
One of the greatest perks of flying is being able to see and enjoy the beauty of the earth below. But while casually enjoying these sights, especially at lower altitudes, pilots must maintain...
Directors Column
As I reflect on my visits to International Falls, one constant comes to mind; a warm welcome, a smile, a hug, from Mayor and Airport Commission Chair Bob Anderson. Sadly, a visit to I-Falls will no...
What can we do?
To be a good pilot... The leading causes of general aviation (GA) accidents may come as a surprise to most GA pilots. In a June, 2019 article by Janice Wood, published in the General Aviation News, Wood said: “from 2008 to 2017, fatal accidents...
Before it Becomes an Emergency
Those who truly love flying find that aviation is one of the things that actually defines them. It is their love and in fact their passion for aviation, that sets them apart from most others. People like this are easy to spot. If they hear the sound...
From The Directors Desk
Every day I learn more about Aviation and the impact our MnDOT Aeronautics office has on air transportation for Minnesotans. Although I still feel “new” at the office, it has already been more...
Opening the door to the future
Nearly every child has a dream or dreams of what they want to do for a career in the future. Many have a dream to fly fighters, airliners or airshow aerobatic aircraft for instance. Once they have tasted the excitement and freedom of aviation, it...
GA and Gun Safety
Flying in the cool, crisp air of fall can be absolutely spectacular as mile after mile of brilliant color passes beneath your wings. The variety of changing hues and distinct colors is quite simply awe-inspiring. It is in fact one of the great joys o...
Trust and Verify
We all have likely heard the old axiom, "trust, but verify!" It holds true today in many facets of our lives, especially in aviation. With all the "gee-whiz" technology that is available in today's...
Making the right call
Imagine you are a new pilot and live in an area where you don't have an air traffic control tower (ATC) at your community airport. Perhaps you can fly from point A to a number of point B's and C's...
From the Directors Desk
We are just weeks away from the opening of the EAA AirVenture at OshKosh, Wisconsin, July 22 through July 28, 2019. AirVenture is well known as the worlds' largest aviation gathering and fly-in. For...
One of summers challenges
Minnesota is strikingly beautiful no matter which season, but summer is quite simply amazing. With brilliant blue skies, diamond sparkles on the lakes, and a patchwork quilt of rolling prairie as far as the eyes can see, the beauty is seemingly...
No Plane, No Gain
"The mostly small, public-use airports across the country that are used by business aircraft are key economic engines, boosting jobs, local investment and economic activity in communities across the...
