Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Sorted by date Results 1 - 14 of 14
Celebrating 60 years of publication with a photo of Minnesota Flyer Founder Sherm Booen and a list of editors from over the years who have helped to keep the Minnesota Flyer "flying" each month....
We are just coming off of a good year in 2019, looking forward to an even better year in 2020! One of the things I like most about the Holiday Season that we just experienced is the “Spirit of Giving and Friendship” that goes along with that time of the year. While there were office parties galore, there were also gatherings of pilots and aviation friends who had a chance to reflect over the past year, a chance to experience the terrific thing we have with this brotherhood and sisterhood in avi... Full story
Noel Allard shared this excerpt from his "Sherm Booen" files. He promises "more to come." Sherm Booen spent late 1943 and 1944 in Foggia and other US Air Corps bases in Italy. He served as a civilian tech rep of the Honeywell Corporation. Though not Air Corps, he was emplaced with the 5th Bomb Wing and wore an officer's uniform. His job was to instruct flight crews on the use of the Honeywell C-1 autopilot to control a bomber on its bomb run while linked to the famous Norden Bombsight.... Full story
For 73 years, Maxwell Aircraft Service has been the premiere aircraft service shop of the Upper Midwest. Maxwell Aircraft Service – which is based out of Crystal – specializes in aircraft propeller, governor repair and overhaul. They are known to pilots for their high-quality craftsmanship and fast service. All work done by them is backed by a one-year 1,000-hour warranty. Maxwell Aircraft Service is a FAA approved and licensed company. In addition, they are an official Hamilton Standard, Sen... Full story
My name is Macklin Caruso and I will be taking the reins as the new editor at Minnesota Flyer. It is a real honor to work for such a historic Minnesota publication with longstanding ties to the aviation community. I'll put all of my cards on the table, I am not a pilot. I am however a longtime journalist. As is often the motto with journalism, those who don't can hopefully at least write about it. That's what I hope to do while working for the Minnesota Flyer. I intend to thrust myself full... Full story
Continuing an ongoing series by Tom Lymburn. Some aircraft look right in the air. Nothing compares to the graceful elliptical wing of R.J. Mitchell's classic Merlin engine Spitfire, Kelly Johnson's elegant Lockheed P-38 Lightning, or North American's purposeful and efficient P-51 Mustang. When it comes to airliners, the Lockheed Constellation and later Super Constellation are in a category all their own. I announced the CAF Ghost Squadron shows at historic Hollman Field and Fleming Field from... Full story
Harold H. Brown was born in Minneapolis a graduate of Minneapolis North High School, he took his first airplane ride at Wold-Chamberlain Field in 1941 and soloed at Moton Field in Tuskegee, Alabama after enlisting in the Army Air Corps. He trained in the PT-17, BT-13 and AT-6. He earned his wings and was assigned to fly fighter aircraft. He went on to fly combat missions in the P-47N Thunderbolt, P-38 Lightning and the P-51C/D Mustang. His first assignment was with the 332nd FG at Ramitelli... Full story
Four days rafting down the Green River – a tributary of the Colorado River – in the heart of the rugged Rocky Mountain wilderness. Tim Valentine – an international business person, pastor and humanitarian – knew this untouched North American landscape was a world away from the horrors endured during Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo. He hoped it would provide refuge for a group of veterans who've struggled to find anything like it since they returned home. Valentine ran an outreach program flying... Full story
It's winter flying season! Some of the best conditions imaginable can be had on a clear crisp winter morning in Minnesota. You ease the throttle forward and suddenly your C172 feels like a P52 Mustang as it takes off in nothing flat. Same with the climb as you plow through that calm solid air. So what could go wrong on a day like this? Unfortunately, weather that's good for aerodynamics isn't necessarily good for pilots. Of course, I'm talking about cold injury, something I try to touch on... Full story
Charles Hallock was an author and publisher from New York City. He studied at Amherst and Yale, then edited the New Haven Register. Around the time of the American Civil War he owned the New York Journal of Commerce. So how is it that a town in the far northwest corner of Minnesota ends up being named after a literary type from the northeast? Mr. Hallock was into conservation. He was an avid outdoor person and naturalist who experimented in agricultural practices that also benefited wildlife.... Full story
Planes flew in from across the state to deliver toys to the 30th annual Tree of Hope toy drive on Dec. 7. In Hangar 2 of the St. Cloud Regional Airport – the first time the event has ever been held in St. Cloud – hundreds of volunteers scurried frantically to sort, bag and box toys that are to be delivered to hospitals, orphanages and charities across the state for children to open on Christmas morning. "We keep hoping it will be obsolete, but the hospitals keep asking," said Tree of Hope Pre... Full story
The original Mong Sport flew on May 1, 1953, the creation of Ralph Mong, Jr. Designed around a 65 hp Continental A65, it soon became a popular plans-built airplane, with a maximum speed of 115 mph and a stall of 50 mph. Light weight, at 970 pounds gross, including a 16-gallon fuel tank, its clean airframe appealed to the pilots when the biplane class was added at Reno in the mid-1960's, as the airframe proved adaptable to more powerful engines. In 1965 Bill Boland won the biplane class at 148 mp... Full story
Hopefully you've learned that setting personal minimums in aviation is a must. In other words, at what maximum crosswind have you demonstrated proficiency in landing? Or what is the lowest ceiling you will plan to attempt an approach to land in instrument flight? What ceilings will you accept for both day and night flight? Fuel, passengers, and the list goes on. Having thought about these limitations is the first step in setting good boundaries in an attempt to maintain safe airmanship. Writing... Full story
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 449, Moose Lake, MN 55767 or, verlena@mnflyer.com. Attention Pilots Be sure to get a Flight Service briefing from (800) WX-Brief before every flight and check your destination airport status. Feb. 17: St. Cloud, MN. EAA Chapter 551 member program. SCSU Aero Club Hangar 6:00 PM, food for a nominal donation of $5.00, all are welcome and social hour. Program at 6:30 PM. Feb 23: Warroad... Full story
