Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Sorted by date Results 1 - 10 of 10
The leaves have fallen off the trees, we have already had a few snow- flakes grace our lawns and the temperatures are becoming a bit “brisk,” shall we say. We love the fall season, but are bracing for what we know is inevitable in Minnesota. Cold weather. Sometimes REALLY cold weather, accompanied with bone-chilling winds that make it a challenge to venture outside the house to drive to the airport in order to fly. The time just before the winter sets in is a time for us to pause and make pla...
Being invited to take a free flight on any airplane is always exciting especially when that plane is a historical military aircraft. The flight on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022, out of the Anoka County Airport in Blaine was a media flight to promote the tour of a North American B-25 Mitchell medium bomber used during the second World War. Arriving at Atlantic Aviation at the north end of the airport, the tour started with a briefing of what to expect on the flight. "It will be cold and loud. If you...
About 6% of the world's professional pilots are women. Surprisingly India is the country leading the way where slightly over 14% of the pilots are female. Among helicopter pilots the number is just 4%, but in all categories, the number of women in aviation is rising. In 1938 Hannah Reitsch became the first of her gender to fly a helicopter. Ms. Reitsch was a German civilian test pilot who flew the first controllable helicopter, the Focke-Achellis 61. She also flew the Messerschmidt 163 making...
Everybody gets “down in the dumps” now and then. Marital or financial problems, a death in the family, job stress, change of location…you name it. Life can be darn hard and get the best of you for a while. Fortunately, the FAA realizes this. They recently gave guidance to us Aviation Medical Examiners (AMEs) as to how to handle an airman who honestly reports depression arising from a challenging situation--- minor or situational depression (https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=FebHBtwezwE). Minor de...
17 - Barbara Mack was born in Minnesota. In 1964 she experienced her first airplane ride at the St. Cloud airport in a Cessna 172. She earned her Private Pilot license a year later and proceeded to acquire additional licenses including Instrument, Commercial, Instructor, Seaplane SES, Seaplane MES, ATP, Balloon, Glider, Helicopter among others. After earning her Bachelor's and Master's degrees, she started a career as an Educator, teaching in the Robbinsdale School System. Eventually she...
The alarm interrupted the smoke jumper presentation "Ladies and gentlemen, please move to the side of the room, we have an alert." Obediently, we tourists moved to the side as the jumpers accessed their gear and exited. Once they were out of the building, we were allowed to go outside to the edge of the ramp upon which a CASA 212 and a venerable C-47A (N100Z) in United States Forest Service white and red awaited with engines already starting to turn over. Behind me I heard big radial engines,...
The iconic Learjet is one of the most well-known and best-selling business aircraft in history. Bill Lear's design was inspired by the Swiss FAA P-16 combat aircraft of 1955. Proposed by Flug-und-Fahrzeugwerke to replace the Swiss Air Force's piston engine aircraft, the P-16 flew in April 1955. After a series of accidents, further development was abandoned. Lear (1902-1978) saw the basic concept, particularly the wing with tip tanks, as worthy of development into a small jet transport. Initial...
The 2022 EAA AirVenture had several highlights for me as a photographer and writer. There were fast planes with massive engines, small planes with tiny engines. Pilots who flew big jets and pilots who flew single engine props. But a highlight is always talking with the people! This year I had the pleasure to chat with John Dyke, a man who not only flew, but has designed one of the most unique airplanes I have seen around Minnesota and the Midwest. One of the great aspects about general aviation...
