Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Sorted by date Results 1 - 13 of 13
Amy Gesch of Wipaire, gives a friendly handshake to pilot/photographer Brad Thornberg at an aviation function, one of many Thornberg attends in support of general aviation....
With the New Year comes the hope that the coming year will be even better than the last. It gives us the opportunity to stop, look back, and put things into perspective. We make some New Year’s resolutions, and often check off a few items from our bucket list. The New Year presents some distinct challenges for the Minnesota Pilots Association. One of the primary efforts has been bringing pilots and aviation enthusiasts together at the Great Minnesota Aviation Gathering (GMAG). The GMAGs have suc... Full story
This is just a sample of the power of social media and a nice day to go flying after weeks of low visibility keeping many of us grounded. On Thursday December 13 at 6:23 p.m. Ryan Nelson posted on Facebook in a group called "MN Airshow, Fly-in and Flight Club" that he was having an "Impromptu rendezvous" at Milaca the next day, Friday December 14 at 1:00 p.m. That is short notice on a weekday and I wondered if anyone would make it. I need not have worried. It was about 12:45 when I arrived on a... Full story
Brad Thornberg takes pictures for the same reason he flies a Super Cub...for the joy of it. His interest in photography began as a child, largely due to his father's influence. "Ever since I was little, my dad had a camera in his hand," said Thornberg" Thornberg and his siblings took up the hobby as well. "A lot of it is just amateur stuff where we're out there shooting more for the fun of it than anything else," Said Thornberg. Born in Cambridge, Minnesota, raised in Bloomington, and always fee... Full story
Before engine shutdown, pilots should be able to know how much money they will have to shell out when making a pit stop at one of our nation's thousands of fixed based operators (FBOs). But the reality is that too many pilots are flying blind. Many FBOs don't clearly disclose the costs pilots will incur when making a fuel stop, parking on the ramp, or dropping off a passenger. It's time we end that practice before our pricey $100 hamburger turns into a $1,000 hamburger. Egregious pricing and... Full story
Just over a year ago I completed In Operations Experience (IOE) at a Part 135 Certificate Airline and was in my first week of single pilot operations when the weather turned icy and cold. The radios were chaotic that dark morning and in all the confusion I exceeded a clearance in taxi and got the dreaded call to copy a phone number. A tough pill to swallow for an FAA Safety Team Representative, Commercial Pilot, Certificated Flight Instructor Single and Multi-Engine and Instrument. I, of all pilots, should have known better, having harped on... Full story
Tree of Hope had another successful year thanks to all those that made donations and volunteered. Without people like you, Tree of Hope would not be successful. We were able to supply 40 hospitals across Minnesota (including two in Wisconsin), five Ronald McDonald Houses and three homeless shelters. The weather was not conducive to flying so there were no planes that flew in. Even Santa and his reindeer couldn't land. There were many that drove in to Maple Lake Airport to drop off toys and pick... Full story
I asked Jim if he would mind putting the aircraft on one of the local lakes-there were a few whitecaps on the lake, but he agreed. Again-Jim performed the entire litany of the checklist- aided and abetted with the gear warning voice system, and as we approached the water, the airspeed was read out aurally about once a second by the flight management system. The touchdown was nose-high and short-the rough water was not a problem. Jim taxied in full- displacement mode, and didn't even have to... Full story
Girls in Aviation Day Long Beach will take place on Saturday, March 16, 2019, with approximately 250 girls ages 8 to 17 from the local area being introduced to the career and lifestyle possibilities available in aviation. Lt. General Stayce Harris will be the luncheon speaker. Based in Washington, D.C., she is the Inspector General of the Air Force, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force. Secure online registration is available at www.wai.org/19conference. Discounted registration is available for military personnel and full-time students.... Full story
Last month we covered things to think about before taking a medication and hopping into the cockpit. Medications can cause a world of trouble for a pilot including idiosyncratic reactions and side-effects as well as failure to control the underlying condition for which you’re taking the drug. Light-headedness, drowsiness, dizziness and visual disturbance are the tops of the pops for side-effects that can cause a flight into the glass mountain. So what are some of the drugs to for-sure stay a... Full story
When Hadrian was Emperor of Rome, a rather rowdy group lived north of the province of Britannia. Called the Caledonii, they were such a pain that Hadrian had a wall built across the island to keep them out. Naturally he named the wall after himself. Other groups lived in the area, but these people were so notorious that Caledonia was the Roman name for what is now Scotland. About 1,700 years later, Sam Houston, president of the Republic of Texas before the annexation, was running for president... Full story
The Bolingbroke was a Canadian license production Bristol Blenheim. In an effort to build Canadian aircraft manufacturing capability, the RCAF chose the Bristol Model 149 for production by Fairchild Aircraft of Longueuil, Quebec. The initial contract was awarded in November 1937, and the first aircraft, RCAF 702, made its maiden flight on 14 September 1939, flown by J. H. "Red" Lymburner. Powered by two Bristol Mercury nine-cylinder radials and carrying a 1000 pound bomb load, the Bolingbroke... Full story
Attention Pilots! Be sure to get a Flight Service briefing from (800) WX-Brief before every flight and check your destination airport status. Check this column each month to see that dates have not been canceled or changed. Send notices six weeks in advance of publication to the Minnesota Flyer, P.O. Box 750, Sandstone, MN 55072-0750 or mnflyer@pinternet.com or verlena@mnflyer.com. Feb.24: Warroad, MN, Warroad Airport (KRRT) Warroad Lions 41st Annual Ski Plane Fly-In Breakfast, 8 a.m.-12:00 p.m., ski planes land on the Warroad River, wheel... Full story
