Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
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Spring brings about changes in nature, the landscape, the weather, and even in people. The warmth of the strong sunshine and more daylight hours are welcomed with open arms. Even the early spring flowers and plants open their buds and spread their tiny petals or leaves like unfolding “wings” raised toward the sky to say ‘thank you’ for the relief from the frost. As the beauty of spring reveals itself in rapidly changing scenes, it is easy to be drawn to the gentleness of the moments along with the subtle, sweet scents of the first flowers...
It's been a while since I've ridden in a car with a cassette player. I know we have a lot more old aircraft in the system than old cars. One of the Bonanzas that MnDOT operates just turned 40 and though it had an ADF in it when it was new, that panel real estate has given way to a touch screen GPS. I hear from flight schools that their ADF that was working the day before is magically placarded inoperative for flight tests. It's been a while since we at MnDOT have considered NDBs a key navigation...
Flying during any season in Minnesota can be stunningly beautiful. It can also present some really unique challenges. One of those unique challenges is icing. Yes, the days are getting longer and maybe a little warmer, but even as we edge toward spring, we still need to remember that snow and icing conditions can exist for several more weeks. Accumulated ice, snow, and frost can have a detrimental effect on your efforts to fly. As you begin your walk around, be sure to look closely for any...
Spring is in sight and we have been working hard to prepare to participate in a number of outstanding aviation events for the spring-summer season. Here are a couple terrific events that I want to remind you of and let you know your Office of Aeronautics will be there and we hope to meet many of you at these events: MN Airports Conference On April 24-26, at the Willmar Conference Center, 240 23rd Street SE Willmar, Minnesota; you will have an opportunity to hear industry and government...
Pilots rely on NOTAMs. Runway closures, navaid outages, contaminated surfaces, poor braking action; these are all potential hazards that could affect the safety at an airport. Some hazards are predictable and some happen at the last minute. Either way, airports need to let pilots know about them. Pilots rely on an alerting system called Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs), which allows airports to inform them of these type of hazardous situations. It's a requirement that pilots read NOTAMs before every f...
This is an inspiring story of three forward-thinking Minnesota high school students. They are neighbors and best friends in life, and are now about to launch themselves into building their respective futures. The focus will be on one student, primarily because of her immediate efforts to give back to the very organization and community that helped guide her to make her dreams take flight, literally. Elizabeth "Ellie" Langdon, and her friends Jackie Little, and Molly Ruth, are currently Seniors a...
Students in the 10 through 12th grades have an opportunity to experience more aviation than they probably thought exists. They can do that by attending the one of the 2019 Aviation Education Careers (ACE) Camp. At ACE Camp in June or July, students will spend one week of their summer fully immersed in exploring the many exciting facets of aviation and dozens of well-paying careers found in the aviation industry! Camps are held in June and July accommodating 30 or more students per camp. There...
In my last column, I addressed Grant Assurances, what they are, what they do, and why we need them. This time I want to address Minimum Standards. While the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does not require minimum standards, they are directly tied to grant assurances. Airport minimum standards must be met by all commercial service operators on an airport. This helps to ensure that FAA rules and regulations are met, while also ensuring safe operations, and providing opportunities for...
Most pilots who have flown for a year or more have likely experienced flying in cold weather. Some may actually prefer to fly in the winter months because there are few threats of thunderstorms (at least in the more northern regions of the US), and nearly unrestricted visibility on clear days. Also there are no bugs to clean off windscreens, struts and leading edges! In addition, the beauty of the winter landscape can be awe-inspiring in itself which can make flying in winter an amazing...
Every aviator has a unique fondness in their heart for an airport that holds special memories for them. Those memories will forever remain with them. The picture of that airport, in their mind, will always be 72 degrees with clear air and visibility unlimited. In other words, simply perfect. That "picture" of the perfect airport likely includes not just great weather, but perfectly manicured grass, clean, smooth and long, wide runways and taxiways. Clearly money was available to keep this...
A pilot report or PIREP is a pilot’s report of actual weather conditions encountered while airborne. A PIREP’s main purpose is safety — it helps weather forecasters update their data and improve quality of forecast A PIREP filed to report good weather is just as important as a PIREP filed to report bad weather. Yes, you can submit them electronically. Check out the electronic PIREP submission tool at the National Weather Service’s Aviation Weather Center Digital Data Service (ADDS) website. Don’t be overly concerned with strict format or...
These days it is common practice for nearly everyone to spend large amounts of time staring at electronic screens. Whether for work or for fun, our electronic devices have been deeply embedded in our lives. Even in aviation, we are using electronic pads to read flight charts, check the weather, to file flight plans, and much more. Then we climb into a cockpit with two or more electronic displays and head off into the blue. While many of these devices have actually made facets of our lives...
Business aviation is defined as the use of a general aviation airplane for a business purpose. It is essential to tens of thousands of companies of all types and sizes in the U.S. that are trying to compete in a marketplace that demands speed, flexibility, efficiency and productivity. It is also a vital contributor to America's job base, economy and transportation system. Furthermore, it connects small towns and communities that often have little or no airline service. Equally important,...
The value of an airport is appreciated by and impacted by its users, whether transient or based at the airport. Proper use and good planning can attract new users, new tenants, and inspire airport growth. In fact, your airport is, or can be a significant economic engine for your community. One way that you can help your airport stay viable and continue to attract new users and new tenants is by understanding what Grant Assurances mean to your airport and to its plans for the future. Read the...
An airport can be many things to many people. It can be a place of magnificent solitude, like during an early summer's morning, just as the sun rises and the stillness is punctuated only by the chirp of birds in the distance. Perhaps a very thin layer of fog will form over the field and in minutes dissipate as the air quickly warms. It is moments like this when there are few things in life more beautiful and tranquil than the silence of an airfield before the days' operations begin. Now is when...
Tips for aviation photography You can enjoy aviation events all year long with your photographs. The goal is to take photos you will want to look at, post on social media, print and hang on the wall. The tips here are simple and universal for all of your photography subjects. We will concentrate on composition, lighting, and exposure, but first a few words about safety and general tips. You can't enjoy an event unless you do it safely. It is tempting to get a unique image but do so by obeying...
Flight operations for military, airline, cargo flight crews, and even corporate/business flight crews are often disruptive to the normal cycle of human physiology. With frequent changes in flight schedules, (flights departing varying hours of the day and night), sleep for pilots, at least quality sleep, is often hard to come by. Quality sleep sometimes seems like a unique facet of life that busy flight crew members may experience only on occasion. That raises the question, do irregular...
As you have read in recent Aeronautics Technical Bulletins, we in the Office of Aeronautics, are celebrating 75 years of partnerships with Minnesota's fabulous publicly owned and operated airports. In addition to that celebration, we are also thrilled to be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Minnesota Aviation Maintenance Technicians Conference. This spring, we had another very exciting and successful Conference. Nearly 400 people attended the event on March 19-20, 2018 at the Earle Brown...
Most people are thrilled that spring is just about here. The many super cold weeks of this past December (2017) and January (2018) were, at the least, a test of our resolve to remain as residents in the area! But Minnesotan's are a hearty and determined group of people, and while the thoughts of warmer locations may hold some appeal, here is where we stay. It is a source of personal pride This is where we make our nest. Now, as spring approaches, we can hardly wait to do almost anything that is...
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) recently joined the Aira Airport Network, which is the world's fastest-growing assistive technology service for people who are blind or low vision. Aira customers who travel through MSP can now access on-demand assistance from a remote Aira agent, free of charge, while at the airport. "By joining the Aira Airport Network, we are working to ensure that travelers who are blind or low vision are able to take full advantage of all MSP has to offer," s...
Fatigue, Stress, and Memory Flying, whether as a pilot or a passenger, can be an exhilarating and wonderful event most often. But there are times when environmental factors arise that have a significant impact on that exhilaration and, in fact, may become significant stressors in your day. An example is, you are cruising along with everything on the panel where it should be for optimum flight and speed. Then, suddenly, your engine hiccups, then hiccups again, and then once again as the tach...
We are happy to share the fact that 2018 marked the beginning of our 75th year of partnerships with Minnesota's great publicly owned airports! We have 135 quality, public use airports and 15 public seaplane bases that serve the Minnesota aviation community and their local communities in a very positive way. Through this partnership with the airports we work together to help assure we have a group of safe and well-maintained airports. This happens by meeting with airport boards, commissions,...
How much can frost affect your plane? According to the NTSB: • Frost the size of a grain of salt, distributed as sparsely as one per square centimeter over a wing's surface, can destroy enough lift to prevent your plane from taking off. • Frost can reduce your wing's max lift by 30 percent or more. • It can also reduce the margin of your wing's critical angle-of-attack by several degrees. • Because frost disrupts airflow over your entire aircraft, it can increase drag by up to 40%. The Federal...
Flying in winter can literally be a breath-taking experience. From the air, the vistas of snow covered open land punctuated by the green of pine forests, can be awe inspiring in its simplicity and breathtaking as it stretches to a seemingly endless horizon. Another breath-taking moment of winter is when you walk out of the warmth and comfort of your favorite FBO's flight ops office and step onto a frozen, wind-swept, mostly white expanse of tarmac. Even though it was previously in a heated...
Tourism is a valuable source of revenue for many "mom & pop" shops in many communities throughout the state and nation. From a more local viewpoint, tourism can be a significant source of tax revenues for the cities and counties, as well as the state. An example of tourisms important financial contributions are discussed in an article by Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, written for the publication, Route Fifty. In that article he says, "States that invest in promoting...
