Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
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The Stinsons were early American aviators. Sisters, Katherine and Marjorie, were exhibition pilots before WWI and the brothers, Eddie and Jack, ran a flying school in Texas before American entry into The Great War. Eddie (1893-1932) moved to Detroit and produced his first commercial aircraft, the biplane Detroiter in 1926. Northwest Airlines began with three SB-1 Detroiters. By 1927, with a need for more space, Stinson moved to Wayne, Michigan. Of the pre-WWII Stinsons, the SR series was...
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 iconic Learjet is one of the most well-known and best-selling business aircraft in history. Bill Lear's design was inspired by the Swiss FAA P-16 combat aircraft of 1955. Proposed by Flug-und-Fahrzeugwerke to replace the Swiss Air Force's piston engine aircraft, the P-16 flew in April 1955. After a series of accidents, further development was abandoned. Lear (1902-1978) saw the basic concept, particularly the wing with tip tanks, as worthy of development into a small jet transport. Initial...
During WWI, artillery spotting was of prime importance. Both sides used tethered observation balloons. Stopping your opponent's ability to chart your positions was one of the most dangerous jobs for fighter pilots. The German drachens were not armed, but the hydrogen filled gas bags were surrounded by anti-aircraft guns (which the British called "Archie") and protected by fighters. The most successful ace against the drachens was Belgian pilot Willy Coppens (1892-1986), who shot down 35...
The Hunting Jet Provost series was designed to replace the 550 hp Alvis Leonides radial engine Provost basic trainer for the RAF. The BAC 167 Strikemaster evolved from the Jet Provost as a light strike/close support aircraft, mostly for export. The prototype Jet Provost first flew on 26 June 1954 powered by a 1750 pound thrust Viper turbojet. The RAF's all jet training syllabus began with the Jet Provost Mk. 1, when it served with RAF Flying Training Command, starting in August 1955. Subsequent...
Although it has appeared under multiple company names, the Kitfox can claim over 7000 kits sold in over 40 countries. Capable of flying off wheels, skis, or floats, the Kitfox's wings can be folded to allow storage in your garage and towing behind your car. A side-by-side two-seater, it possesses excellent STOL performance, and has appeared in tricycle as well as tailwheel models. First appearing as the Denney Kitfox and flown in November 1984 from the Denney factory in Boise, Idaho, the design...
"Now Lieutenant," Randy often said. "You know you've been in aviation a long time, when the list of people you knew, is longer than the list of people you know." When he first said that to me over three decades ago, I didn't fully appreciate what he meant. Now, after announcing aviation events since 1991, I understand his message. Randy Sohn, and many others, all part of my aviation experience and life, have "Gone West." It was Al Pike at Planes of Fame-East, who first handed me a mic. As show...
Developed by Aerospatiale as a replacement for the 1950's vintage Alouette II, the Ecureuil was designed for civilian and military use. First flying on 27 June 1974 with a Lycoming LTS turboshaft engine at Marignane, France, the AS 350 has evolved into what some sources say is Europe's most successful helicopter. A second prototype with a Turbomeca Arriel followed on 14 February 1975, and with French and later American certification, deliveries to customers began in March 1978. Production has...
The Curtiss Hawk series of fighters began with the Army's PW-8 (PW = Pursuit Water-Cooled) in 1924, and evolved from the P-1 to the P-6. The Navy followed with land and carrier-based models called the F6C. While the Army continued with liquid-cooled inlines, the Navy moved to the F6C-4 with air-cooled radials. The peak of the Curtiss models was the F11C, later re-designated BFC, for dive bombing. On 18 October 1932, the Navy let Contract #28847 to Curtiss for 28 production F11C-2...
The non-rigid airship, or blimp, came into its own during World War I with the Royal Naval Air Service use of Sea Scout, Sea Scout Zero, North Sea, and Coastal non-rigid airships for convoy escort, anti-submarine patrol, and coastal reconnaissance. After the Great War, use of blimps expanded, including their use in advertising. In 1925, Goodyear got into the act with the non-rigid ship Pilgrim, which pioneered the use of an enclosed cabin attached to the airship's envelope. It also was inflated...
"Of all the famous people you've interviewed in your three decades of airshow announcing, who was your favorite?" She was a serious high school senior working on a paper about World War II flyers. One had been her grandfather. We were sitting at the picnic table in Golden Wings hangar surrounded by Greg Herrick's fabulous collection of vintage airplanes. It was true. I'd interviewed many "names" in aviation and aerospace. The one that stood out the most I met for the first time at the Minnesota...
Editor's Note: This new Minnesota Flyer series memorializes the state's current or past aviation museums and collections. For some of the long-gone museums and collections, it should be a nostalgia trip. Contributing writers have identified as many as 20 museums and collections and will present each in a separate article. Founded by Bob Pond (1924-2007), a Minnesota industrialist who used aircraft in his business, Planes of Fame – East rose in the early 1990s to become one of the premier c...
During WW II, the Red Air Force realized the importance of having dual-control fighter trainers. Thus, production versions of the Polikarpov I-16UTI, Lavochkin La-5UTI and La-7UTI, and the Yakovlev Yak-7V were built to provide transition training for front line pilots. Each of these, over 1,600 Polikarpov I-16UTI's for example, gave new pilots the chance to experience the flight characteristics of front-line combat aircraft before they met the Luftwaffe. Dual-control fighter trainer development...
Military aviation began before WWI with an emphasis on observation of the enemy. A large number of "two-seaters" emerged during the Great War to be the eyes of the army. Post war, the United States and other nations continued to depend on large, relatively slow aircraft that would make good targets for fast, heavily armed fighters. One of the last of these for the United States was the Curtiss O-52 Owl. Ordered to U.S. Army Air Corps specification W-535-ac-13362 on 12 October 1939, 203 Curtiss...
"And now ladies and gentlemen, from your right, keep your eyes on the landing lights and the wing tip smoke generators. Cameras ready! Let's rock and roll with Commander Curt Brown and the vortex demo! This is Sawbones!" Longtime readers of the Minnesota Flyer know that since 2009, I've crewed on and written about a Hawker Sea Fury named Sawbones that races at Reno. Courtesy of Dr. Robin Crandall, I've been privileged to participate in and cover what is called the "World's Fastest Motor Sport."...
The de Havilland company got into the jet business with the Goblin powered Vampire. Initially called the Spider Crab, the prototype first flew on 20 September 1943. Too late for service in WWII, 2,928 Vampires were built in the UK, India, Italy, Switzerland, Australia, and France. The need to improve the breed resulted in the Venom in 1949. Using the more powerful Ghost turbojet, thinner wings with a slight leading edge sweep, and wing tip tanks, the prototype first flew on 2 September 1949....
Glenn Luther Martin (1886-1955) taught himself to fly in 1909 in a homebuilt pusher. He set up his first aircraft manufacturing plant in 1911 at Santa Ana, California. Not only did he build airplanes, but acted in the 1915 silent movie The Girl of Yesterday as a pilot opposite Mary Pickford. Over the course of Martin's career, he employed such names as William Boeing, Donald Douglas, Lawrence Bell, and James McDonnell. Martin is often connected to bombers, but beginning in the late 1920's it...
The Liberty powered HS-1L and HS-2L series was the only American designed and built aircraft issued to U.S. forces in France during World War I. Beginning in May 1918, HS-1L and HS-2L flying boats arrived by ship for anti-U-boat operations and were assigned to 10 U.S. Naval Air Stations. The first patrol was flown on 13 June 1918. Of the 182 aircraft delivered, 19 were the longer wing HS-2L capable of carrying a larger weapon load. Since Curtiss lacked enough production capacity, the HS series...
Early Sunday morning I negotiated my way around the southern part of the Twin Cities to avoid the orange barrels, cones, and hulking construction equipment. Traffic was light. I crossed the river at Hudson and settled the Jetta into cruising mode for Mauston. From there, it was on to Ripon. The Wisconsin sky was noticeably bluer and the landscape greener. Smoke seemed absent. After checking in at the old hotel in Ripon, I headed for Highway 44. Through the stoplight, heading northeast toward...
The concept of mating an airplane with an airship was trialed as early as World War I. On 26 January 1918, an Albatros D. III was released from Zeppelin L-35 (LZ-80). The pilot flew the fighter to a successful landing. No method of recovering to the airship was tried. Further trials by the British and later the United States followed. The British experimented with launching a Sopwith Camel (unpiloted) from airship R-23 in 1918 and later a piloted de Havilland Hummingbird and Gloster Grebe from...
Homebuilt Kit Champion – Bronze Lindy Lee Hanson Brooklyn Park, Minnesota Van's RV-14A, N11VF Vintage Customized Aircraft Runner-Up Benjamin Redman Faribault, MN 1940 Waco UPF-7, N164 Vintage Custom Class B (86-150 hp) Small Plaque David Smith Milaca, MN 1950 Cessna 170A, N9775A Warbirds-Reserve Grand Champion: World War II Jordan Deters/CAF Minnesota Wing Vultee BT-13A Valiant, N52411 Gold Wrench, CAF Minnesota Wing Warbirds-Grand Champion: Post – World War II James and Patrick Harker For...
This month's mystery, the Aeronca Model LB, was literally washed away. Founded on 11 November 1928, the Aeronautical Corporation of America, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, was the first company to manufacture commercially successful general aviation aircraft. It had the backing of the wealthy Taft family. Located at Lunken Field, Aeronca suffered a major disaster in 1937 when the Ohio River flooded the airport. The Aeronca factory was destroyed and tooling, inventory, and blueprints for the...
James S. McDonnell (1899-1980) qualified as an Army pilot at Brooks Field. With a master's degree from MIT, he worked for Ford, Martin, and Hamilton, before forming McDonnell Aircraft Corporation in St. Louis on 6 July 1939. McDonnell manufactured the Fairchild AT-21 crew trainer under license, but also designed the XP-67 Moonbat fighter for the Army. The XP-67 was not a success, but on 7 January 1943, the Navy ordered the XFD-1 Phantom, which, as the FH-1, became the Navy's first pure jet to...
In August 1989, I attended the Abbotsford Airshow in British Columbia. It was my introduction to the use of the Grumman Tracker as a firebomber. Three Conair Trackers, each with a different color water, made a formation pass over the runway, followed by a DC-6. Conair later modified its Trackers with PT-6 turboprops to create the Firecat with 870 gallons of retardant. The state of California began its use of Cyclone engine Trackers in 1973, each with an 800 gallon capacity. These were designed...
Between the World Wars, Wichita was the center of aviation in the United States. In January 1925, Clyde Cessna, Lloyd Stearman, Walter Beech, and Olive Ann Mellor (later Mrs. Olive Ann Beech), along with Walter Innes, formed Travel Air Manufacturing. By 1929, Travel Air had 650 employees and had built over 1800 aircraft. Most were two or three place biplanes designed to compete with or replace surplus WWI aircraft. One of the most famous was the Travel Air 4000. Early Travel Air biplanes used su...
