Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Sorted by date Results 1 - 19 of 19
This 1960 de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Mk. 1 Beaver registered to Oban Holdings of Deephaven, Minnesota, participated in the Seventh Annual TrickAir Ski Plane Fly-In Feb. 12 at the Jackson Seaplane Base in McGregor, Minnesota....
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. For a full calendar listing, visit www.mnflyer.com and click on the"Events" tab. April 6-8: 2022 Minnesota Airports Conference, Mayo Civic Center, Rochester, MN. This event focuses on airport management, operations, and maintenance but is open to anyone interested in general aviation. The conference is sponsored...
Remember back in the days of your youth when you were trying to figure out how you were going to afford tuition for your trade school training, or for your post-high school education? I’m sure you do and most likely you are now becoming aware of this issue for your children, or grandchildren. Let’s face it, post-high school education is not cheap! Flying lessons? That might have been entirely off the radar screen for you and for today’s young people. One of the keystones of the mission of the M...
Cirrus Aircraft has selected Eden-Prairie based Wings Insurance as its dedicated insurance broker to provide modern aviation insurance options for customers. "We are thrilled to enter into this new partnership with Cirrus Aircraft," said Wings Insurance President Steve Bruss. "Our team is positioned to deliver an exceptional insurance buying experience to Cirrus Aircraft owners." Director of Business Development Ryan Konrath said Wings Insurance will provide Cirrus owners with an excellent solut...
The Minnesota Chapter of the 99s Organization for Women Pilots hosted a "Pinch Hitter" Companion Flyer Course at the Anoka County-Blaine Airport on Feb. 19. Written by CFII Cheryl Ann Daml, the course was geared toward single-engine, piston airplanes with an electrical system and steam gauges rather than technologically advanced aircraft. VFR conditions were addressed during the half-day session. More than 30 people attended the course, which ran from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. with breaks every 45 to 60...
When runways were invented, they were mostly grass, at least in Minnesota. A strip of land was graded and rolled until it was fairly smooth and flat, then grass was planted and a turf runway came into existence. Not much engineering was involved and the quality was pretty variable. Winsted Municipal Airport had a turf runway, but the subsoil was rather poor and the turf surface would get rutted and have a "washboard" effect. The drainage needed some work and the lighting system became badly out...
Late last fall, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association released the results of a survey of pilots and aircraft owners across the country, confirming what the non-profit political organization has been hearing from many members for several years. Older pilots who are just as safe, current, and proficient as any others continue to find their insurance policies unceremoniously dropped or canceled, or much more expensive-just for being a day older than 70. The survey, sent to more than 30,000...
Six general aviation airports operated by the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) grew operations in 2021 by 8% collectively-an increase to 352,195, or 26,151 more takeoffs and landings when compared with 2020. The strong demand for the general aviation system did not wane over the past year, stated Brian Ryks, CEO of the MAC. "Our general aviation airport system overall has seen double-digit growth in operations from 2019 to 2021. The total number of aircraft based at our six relievers has h...
Last month we talked about the dangers of hypoxia and some procedures to avoid the potentially fatal effects of low blood oxygen levels. Symptoms of hypoxia vary from airman to airman so it is a good idea to take a ride in a hyperbaric chamber to personally experience the real thing. Learn more at https://www.faa.gov/pilots/training/airman_education/aerospace_physiology/. The problem is not everyone can fly down to the FAA's chamber in Oklahoma City. As an alternative you can take a trip in a so-called "portable reduced oxygen training...
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. Next month’s banquet will honor the MAHOF 2022 inductees and return the organization to its regular banqu...
In the 1960s having a "draft card" was a mixed blessing for human males in the United States. The Vietnam War was escalating to a crescendo meaning you were likely to be conscripted by the so-called Selective Service. On the plus side, it was absolute proof of being 18 years old and in the State of New York entitled to legally purchase alcoholic beverages, hence the phrase "being carded." I spent my teenage years in a New York town called Binghamton. After turning 18 my favorite watering hole...
The Federal Aviation Administration recently approved a new governance structure involving the St. Cloud Regional Airport, effective Dec. 31, 2021. Governance was transferred from the city to the St. Cloud Regional Airport Authority, which was formed through a joint resolution with Benton County, Sherburne County, and Stearns County, with each entity appointing volunteer commissioners to the authority. The newly established St. Cloud Regional Airport Authority was created as a fiscally...
It's no wonder that students become frustrated with controlling an aircraft when there doesn't seem to be consistency between flight control inputs and aircraft response creating thoughts and comments such as, "I'm never going to get this." Learning to fly might be less onerous if students understood that flight controls have a unique purpose in each phase of flight. Applying the same inputs to ailerons, rudder and elevator, no matter which "Phase" an aircraft is in is where things become...
The non-rigid airship, or blimp, came into its own during World War I with the Royal Naval Air Service use of Sea Scout, Sea Scout Zero, North Sea, and Coastal non-rigid airships for convoy escort, anti-submarine patrol, and coastal reconnaissance. After the Great War, use of blimps expanded, including their use in advertising. In 1925, Goodyear got into the act with the non-rigid ship Pilgrim, which pioneered the use of an enclosed cabin attached to the airship's envelope. It also was inflated...
Piper Aircraft, Inc. announced in earlier this year it would expand its brand ambassador program to include Minnesota State University, Mankato. Piper Brand Ambassadors leverage their social media channels to promote their individual pilot training journey and act as advocates for the aviation industry. The program is designed to increase awareness of the aviation degree paths offered by Minnesota State University as well as showcase the Piper training product line in use at a collegiate flight...
Most folks who are not involved with aviation wouldn't know that a radio pulse sequence is used to "key-up" the runway lighting system, as the pilot is on approach. The average citizen may think that the pilot "calls" down with their radio to somebody at the tower or A/D building and instructs them to "turn on the lights." Of course, in the aero world we know this is not the case because most airports don't have staff present around the clock. The Pilot Controlled Lighting system puts the power...
The Minnesota Department of Transportation's Office of Aeronautics is responsible for collecting aircraft registration, sales and use taxes as required by law. Of the 7,877 total aircraft registered in Minnesota in Fiscal Year 2021, 1,099 are small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS). New legislation for sUAS registration went into effect Aug. 1, 2021. Registration of sUAS used for anything other than recreational purposes is now $25. New sUAS registrations applied for on or after Aug. 1, 2021 or...
The Minnesota Department of Transportation is updating the Minnesota State Aviation System Plan. The MnSASP documents the performance of the current aviation system, and provides guidance for the future development of aviation in Minnesota. The MnSASP is the aviation part of MnDOT's Family of Plans. It will help achieve the Minnesota GO 50-year Vision that outlines what Minnesotans desire from the state's transportation system and identifies key guiding principles MnDOT strives to achieve. The...
We tend to use the term Uncontrolled Airport to describe airports without control towers or airports with non-operating control towers. The current FAA circular with the regulatory, recommended operations and communication procedures for uncontrolled airports is AC 90-66B, "Non-Towered Airport Flight Operations" dated March 13, 2018. It incorporates the latest best practices with flight safety as the primary objective. The circular covers a lot of great information including flight patterns and...
