Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
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While flying over various parts of Minnesota every day as part of my job as a Conservation Officer Pilot for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, I get to hear many conversations between pilots over the VHF airwaves. Some are rather innocuous such as, “How’s your temps?” or “Can you see the airport yet?” Others, on the other hand, are long, drawn out conversations about everything under the sun. It doesn’t really matter to me. Everyone has different ways to enjoy their flight, except for this... many of these conversatio...
In preparing this column monthly now for a few years I tried to minimize discussion of personal relationships, focusing instead on concepts and concerns that affect members of the Minnesota Pilots Association. I am going to make an exception this month to provide what is for me an emotional tribute to an individual who played a very supportive role in the founding of the Minnesota Pilots Association, working behind the scenes at a number of levels to promote our success. This delightful person,...
Local pilots, AOPA members, and aviation aficionados welcomed Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.) to the Flying Cloud Airport in late August for a Meet and Greet hosted by AOPA to discuss matters important to general aviation. Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.) and Thunderbird Aviation Inc. President Nancy Grazzini Olson at Flying Cloud Airport in Minnesota. More than 30 people attended the event at Thunderbird Aviation, a fixed-base operation and flight school, to interact with Paulsen-a longtime ally and GA...
The dusty black Nissan rests by the "4C" pillar. I ditch the empty water bottles and other trash in a nearby can and settle in for the drive to Stead. We're staying at the Peppermill, a nice hotel and casino where inside it's never day or night. It clanks, whistles, clinks, shouts, and buzzes without pause, the search for the elusive jackpot an addictive lure. To me, it's a place to eat, sleep, and write. I'm not used to a pushbutton start or an automatic transmission. Old guy that I am, all my...
After a June postponement, the 3rd Annual Grass is a Gas Poker Run took flight on Saturday Sept. 8, starting at Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport. A beautiful day and plentiful prizes resulted in a record turnout of 32 aircraft and 46 players, flying to four different grass strips, approximately 160 NM, before returning to Brainerd to play their hand. Pilots were greeted at all stops with snacks. The Bowstring Flyers pulled out all the stops, greeting participants with home made sausage, egg and...
Life occasionally offers an opportunity to return to some significant place in time of the past, offering its mixed feelings somewhere between nostalgia and euphoria. It may be a class reunion and the meeting of old friends, or visiting the house and neighborhood you grew up in, or finding a resurrected model of that first car owned. For me recently, it was returning to the place where a 54 year aviation career essentially started. At 78, I still have the capability and enjoy the privilege of...
With so many wonderful things to be said about the annual Flying Cloud Air Tour it may be a challenge to know where to begin. However, at the top of the list are the organizational skills of coordinator Ben McQuillan. From news briefs prior to the event, to the safety meeting in advance of the day, to parking instructions at the airport, to last minute instructions before takeoff, everyone knows McQuillan is the go-to guy. That knowledge lends itself well to the order of the day. Thirty...
September 15 and the tops of the Poplar trees are starting to turn yellow as aircraft converged on Mora for the Lions Cub annual Fly in breakfast. Aircraft were coming and going all morning a jet trainer flew in as I was leaving. Hawk Aviation from Rush City had two aircraft furnishing rides....
Boxing Day is a uniquely British holiday. The day after Christmas, aristocrats present servants with gifts (in boxes) and working folks get the day off. During World War II, U.S. Army's Eighth Air Force was in Britain for over three years. Americans adapted to many local customs like darts and warm beer, but apparently not Boxing Day. In 1944 it was a working day for the "Mighty Eighth" when 151 bombers went to targets in Germany. The B-17s of the 486th Bomb Group were flying that day. Near Kobl...
Question 17b on your FAA MedXpress Form 8500-8 which you fill out before a flight physical, is one that gives folks a hard time: “Item 17b Do You Ever Use Near Vision Contact Lenses While Flying?” Some airmen will say yes if they wear any lenses at all, including eyeglasses. That’s wrong. Some airmen will say yes if they wear any type of contact lens. That’s wrong. Some airmen will say yes if the wear contacts with bifocals. Wrong again! What the FAA is looking for, and wants you to avoid,...
Fairmont got its name because the original townsite was higher than the surrounding terrain. Before you pack your skis and head out, remember this is southern Minnesota. The mountain might be a little fictitious. "City of Lakes" is what the community advertises itself as, and that's a perfect description. Fairmont is on the shores of a chain of five beautiful lakes with lots of public access and several waterfront parks. Four of the lakes are connected, and all are excellent for boating and fish...
The Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame announces four aviation scholarships, available for students in the Minnesota area. Each scholarship is for $1,500. Information about applying for a scholarship can be found on the website: www.mnaviationhalloffame.org Questions or comments may be emailed to Scholarship Committee Chairman, Patrick Halligan, at flyinghooligan@gmail.com...
Women in Aviation International received a $12,000 grant from the International Society of Transport Aircraft Training (ISTAT) Foundation, which funds educational programs that advance commercial aviation. This is the fourth year that WAI has received an ISTAT Foundation grant. The grant will be used to further expand the distribution of Aviation for Girls magazine and will identify the ISTAT Foundation as the sponsor of this year’s issue. With this grant, the number of copies printed will be increased and its distribution expanded in hard copy...
In 1946, the Army Air Force sent to industry a request for a "penetration" fighter able to escort bombers as well as perform ground attack. Three companies responded, McDonnell with the XF-88, North American with the YF-93 based on the F-86, and Lockheed with the XF-90. Of these, only the XF-88, modified to become the F-101 Voodoo, was produced. Lockheed received an AAF contract on 20 June 1946 for two prototypes, serials 46-687 and 46-688. Initially, Lockheed had proposed a delta wing, but...
Check this column each month to see that dates have not been cancelled 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 charlotte@mnflyer.com. Nov. 10, 2018:Bowstring 9YO monthly Fly-In. The second Sat. of EVERY month. Airport Commission Meeting 11a.m - 12p.m., lunch served 12p.m. - 2p.m. All are welcome. Dec 1, 2018: Maple Lake, MN, Maple Lake Municipal Airport (KMGG), Tree of Hope donation event, 9.a.m. – 1 p.m., toys delivered to c...
