Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
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Pilots Michael Grzincich and Mike Miller, and ground crewman Scott Nelson, all with the EAA Young Eagle Program, stand with a group of students from the Moose Lake area who are await- ing their rst ride in a general aviation aircraft. Grzincich's 1964 Cessna 172F is in the background....
We hope you have put Friday and Saturday, April 27-28, on your calendars so that you can plan to attend the 2018 Great Minnesota Aviation Gathering (GMAG). For those of you who have attended this event in the past you know that our event provides opportunities to learn more about many aspects of aviation, and to do so in the company of your fellow aviators. The GMAG came about to address the need for an event at which aviation could be celebrated. We felt we needed a time, just before the...
In the few hours before his official 18th birthday, Moose Lake, Minnesota resident Anakin Wilson did something he had never done before. He flew an airplane. "I'm the Young Eagles Coordinator from EAA Chapter 237 based out of Blaine Airport," said Michael Grzincich, private pilot and professor of IT at Cambridge Community College. "Scott Nelson, Michael Miller and I came to the Moose Lake Airport today to do an away game with two aircraft. "It's just a beautiful day, nice crisp air, minus 15...
It didn't take long after Wilbur and Orville Wright made four brief flights at Kitty Hawk in 1903 for humankind to believe we could, indeed, fly. The rate at which aviation grew over the next 20 years, accompanied by related confusion and mishaps, made it painfully clear the industry required oversight to establish order and safety standards. President Calvin Coolidge stepped up to the plate in 1926 by signing the Air Commerce Act into law, thereby establishing the foundations of government...
As I mentioned in part eight of this series, my intention is to give the reader a knowledge of the top ten icons of Minnesota aviation through the years. No slights were intended among the state's wonderful pilots, promoters, and businessmen, but from a historian's prospective, to spotlight the headliners. I've previously thumbnailed Walter Bullock, Clarence Hinck, Shorty De Ponti, Speed Holman, Ray Miller, Max Conrad, Charles Lindbergh and the colorful Chuck Doyle. With this ninth chapter, I...
Most people are thrilled that spring is just about here. The many super cold weeks of this past December (2017) and January (2018) were, at the least, a test of our resolve to remain as residents in the area! But Minnesotan's are a hearty and determined group of people, and while the thoughts of warmer locations may hold some appeal, here is where we stay. It is a source of personal pride This is where we make our nest. Now, as spring approaches, we can hardly wait to do almost anything that is...
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) recently joined the Aira Airport Network, which is the world's fastest-growing assistive technology service for people who are blind or low vision. Aira customers who travel through MSP can now access on-demand assistance from a remote Aira agent, free of charge, while at the airport. "By joining the Aira Airport Network, we are working to ensure that travelers who are blind or low vision are able to take full advantage of all MSP has to offer," s...
Fatigue, Stress, and Memory Flying, whether as a pilot or a passenger, can be an exhilarating and wonderful event most often. But there are times when environmental factors arise that have a significant impact on that exhilaration and, in fact, may become significant stressors in your day. An example is, you are cruising along with everything on the panel where it should be for optimum flight and speed. Then, suddenly, your engine hiccups, then hiccups again, and then once again as the tach...
We are happy to share the fact that 2018 marked the beginning of our 75th year of partnerships with Minnesota's great publicly owned airports! We have 135 quality, public use airports and 15 public seaplane bases that serve the Minnesota aviation community and their local communities in a very positive way. Through this partnership with the airports we work together to help assure we have a group of safe and well-maintained airports. This happens by meeting with airport boards, commissions,...
How much can frost affect your plane? According to the NTSB: • Frost the size of a grain of salt, distributed as sparsely as one per square centimeter over a wing's surface, can destroy enough lift to prevent your plane from taking off. • Frost can reduce your wing's max lift by 30 percent or more. • It can also reduce the margin of your wing's critical angle-of-attack by several degrees. • Because frost disrupts airflow over your entire aircraft, it can increase drag by up to 40%. The Federal...
The Super Bowl hosted in Minneapolis brought air traffic from all over the world. Lynx FBO at Anoka County Blaine Airport had up to 85 jets parked on its runways. Many reliever airports provided parking for aircraft during the week leading to the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl Flyover consisted of the P-51 Mustang Sierra Sue which resides at Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prairie, two A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, and an F-16 Fighting Falcon. Renowned American aviator Steve Hinton flew Sierra Sue on behalf...
M*A*S*H was a movie and TV series about the Korean War (aka "Police Action").The setting is the 4077th Mobil Army Surgical Hospital between 1950 and 1953. In the opening scenes of both the movie and TV shows, a pair of helicopters carrying wounded soldiers are headed for the MASH. The helicopters are H-13 Sioux, or in civilian use the Bell Model 47. The Model 47 is a historically significant aircraft. It was the first helicopter certified for civilian use, and the first used extensively by the...
A couple of years ago, one of our pilots strolled off the tarmac and ducked behind a tree to relieve himself. Much to his horror he produced a bright red urine stream. He had previously felt great. He had no pain. It was a bolt out of the blue. I promptly received a call from a very agitated airman and arranged for him to see the appropriate specialist pronto. An expedited visit to the urologist revealed that he was one of some 68,000 adults in the United States who are diagnosed with bladder...
Many of us keep emergency kits in our vehicles to help us deal with the unexpected, but how many of us keep a similar kit with us when we fly? Not many, especially not many renter pilots. I get it, hauling a bunch of stuff to the aircraft each time you fly is a pain. The best possible outcome is you never use it, which happens so frequently, so it's easy to rationalize not really needing it. Now consider that you've just survived an unexpected landing in the middle of a forested area; you've...
Army Air Force pilot training initially involved three levels: Primary, Basic, and Advanced (single engine and multi-engine). Advanced training was a ten-week course devoting 60 hours to ground school, 19 hours to "military" training, and 70 hours to flight time. Twin engine training used the Cessna Bobcat, Curtiss Jeep, the Twin Beech, and the Beech AT-10 Wichita. The AT-10, or Model 26, designed by a team led by T. A. Wells, trained over half of the Army's multi-engined pilots. Although Beech...
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. April 18-20: Duluth, MN DECC, 2018 Minnesota Airports Conference. For details visit Conference website. April 21: Bloomington, MN, Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame Induction Banquet. Hyatt Regency Hotel. Contact: Noel Allard 218-732-5100 or make reservations at mnaviationhalloffame.org April 27-28: Blain...
