Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
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This Supermarine Spitfire Mk IXc from the Dakota Territory Air Museum visited AirExpo 2021 before heading over to EAA's AirVenture Oshkosh. See "Aircraft Museums and Collections of Minnesota" in this issue for a related story....
EAA Chapter 54 member Dennis Hoffman passed away Nov. 1, 2021. Hoffman, age 75, of Stillwater, was a longtime member of Chapter 54 who flew many Young Eagle flights with the chapter in his lovingly maintained and polished 1953 Cessna 170B. He also built a polished aluminum Midget Mustang and beautifully restored a Piper L4 warbird, and was a talented, well equipped, and generous fixture on the field. A recent chapter newsletter recalled how many home builders benefited from Hoffman's knowledge,...
Please check with contacts in this column to see if dates have been cancelled or changed. Send your event information to editor@mnflyer.com. We will publish as we have space available. March 5: ICEPORT 2022 Fly-In Brunch, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with prize drawings 1 p.m. at Mac's Twin Bay Resort, Mille Lacs Lake. Pilots monitor 122.9. There is no fee for this event but donations welcome. For info, contact Mark Priglmeier (320) 200-8050 or createlift@gmail.com March 19: EAA Chapter 965 Aitkin...
As we hunker down during these cold months a few of us will don our BVD's and head out into the snow to ski plane fly, enjoying the beauty of our snow covered landscape. Others will hunker down into our easy chair, enjoy the warmth of our homes and simply dream as to what we look forward to when the cold has abated. Spring is just a short time away (we tell ourselves) and thoughts turn to being able to enjoy the annual Great Minnesota Aviation Gathering. When we take a walk down memory taxiway...
"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...
There are two Two Harbors. One is an unincorporated village on Catalina Island, the other is a major city on the north shore of Lake Superior. Catalina Island is an enclave of the rich, famous and those who service their whims. California's Two Harbors is primarily for pleasure craft. Minnesota's Two Harbors has some yachts, but is mostly a working port where freighters are loaded with ore from the Iron Range. Catalina Island Airport is mostly used to bring in perishable supplies that are in too...
Regular readers may recall my quest to fly as many unique aircraft types as possible. Enroute to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh last year, I was able to add another to my list-the Porterfield. A friend, Bob Lynn, knew an owner, and put me in touch with Charles "Charlie" Slinger of Randolph, Wisconsin. I called Charlie, and asked if I might fly the aircraft "on my way to Oshkosh" with our motor home-though south of our usual route, it wouldn't add more than 100 miles to our trip. He never even hesitated...
Oxygen is the elixir of life. Our body’s cells need it to metabolize. Without enough of it we die. It just so happens that as we ascend in the atmosphere that’s exactly what happens—we get less and less of this vital gas and we suffer from low blood oxygen or hypoxia. Initially judgment is impaired and eventually consciousness is lost. How fast and how badly this happens is a function of altitude. Up at 22,000 feet in an unpressurized cabin, you’re toast in as little as five minutes! So how do you avoid this life-threatening situation infligh...
Each year, the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame (MAHOF) inductee selection committee meets in June to review nomination submissions and to select the following year's inductees. Selection includes evaluation of a candidate's significant aviation contributions to Minnesota, the area of the state the individual represents and other criteria involving career and professional contributions. This April's banquet will honor the MAHOF 2022 inductees and return the organization to its regular banquet...
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...
Inappropriate bounced landing responses can lead to spectacular (and pricey) landings! You must avoid stalling and avoid a porpoise. (No, Flipper is not on the runway!) First, if you bounce EXCESSIVELY or you’re just not comfortable, execute an immediate go-around. Good pilot judgement is required when deciding whether or not to continue landing after bouncing. Porpoising can occur if you continue the landing and you relax back pressure after bouncing. The immediate loss of lift will rapidly plummet you toward the runway. You then counter w...
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...
Kruse Aviation has been an FBO fixture at Princeton Municipal Airport (KPNM) since 2001. Owner Duane Kruse reports he's busy with interior projects. "We have three airplanes in the hangar right now," he said. "We have a Maule that's getting its fabric, final paint and interior and is getting ready to fly." Kruse said he's also completing paint and interior work on a Cessna 140. "We've got enough work to get us through the winter months and into spring," he added. In 2017, Kruse Aviation...
Most aircraft interior design customers have an idea of what they want to achieve. Premier Jet Center provides boutique service and helps steer clients in a direction that works well together. Premier's interior technicians have more than 40 years of experience refurbishing aircraft, focusing on one customer, one aircraft at a time, ensuring the highest quality workmanship. The full-service general aviation company located at Eden Prairie's Flying Cloud Airport (KFCM) started providing aircraft...
A beautifully transformed Piper Cherokee Six-300 continues to shape aviation memories for Trent Palm, his wife, Cynthia and the couple's five children. When the time came for a restoration, Hannah, age 9, Tristen, age 7, Amelia, age 5, Flynn age 3 and Quintin, age 1 ½, all played a key role in the effort. "They helped with the interior when I brought home the color palettes," Palm recalled. "They were part of the design team for our family traveler." It's no surprise aviation remains the...
Mille Lacs Lake's annual ICEPORT fly-in is the perfect cure for aviation cabin fever. Organizer Mark Priglmeier plans the gathering with an additional goal in mind. "It's all about getting people flying," Priglmeier said. "My goal for this event is providing a unique place that people can take their families." Many people give up flying because they have no place to go to or things to do, thus they find it hard to justify the expense and time of being a pilot, he contends. "If we give a little,...
